Hey, did you know that George Lucas’ Star Wars franchise is popular in other countries that aren’t even America, even some countries that are in Europe, a cradle of actual culture, and not just pop culture?

I suppose I sort of knew that, in the back of my head, but I was still surprised to see actual evidence of it, in the form of Space Warped #1, the first half of a Boom Studio’s published translation of Herve Bourhis and Rudy Spiessert’s Rustic Wars.

The new title alludes to the source material being parodied, but the original title better reflects the premise. It’s well known that Lucas sought inspiration from a variety of sources, including Jack Kirby’s Fourth World comics, Japanese cinema, Westerns and Joseph Cambell-digested world myth, and Bourhis and Spiessert essentially take the original Star Wars movie as Lucas created it, and then walked it back toward some of that inspiration.

In other words, it’s still an adventure story with elements of fantasy set long ago and far, far away, but the long ago is pre-Industrial Revolution, and the far, far away is Europe.
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Yuichi Yokoyama’s Garden is by far the strangest comic of any kind I’ve ever read.

It’s a lovely looking object, as much of what publisher PictureBox releases tend to be. It’s an eight-by-six-inch square containing a fat, 330-page page count. It’s printed right to left, as it would have been in the original Japanese, and the white dust jacket is covered in generously spaced, slanted square reproductions of the panels from within, here printed in red ink. Within them are speed lines, large Japanese letters in a mechanical, sound-effect font, and strange characters engaged in mysterious, exciting-looking actions.

The very first panel is a close-up of one of those strange figures, telling a group of its fellow figures, “’Fraid the agarden ain’t open today.” After a few sentences of conversation—“What sort of garden is it?” “A very good garden”—they decide to walk around the fence and, when they find a break in the fence, enter the garden anyway.

The garden isn’t any sort of park and doesn’t seem to have any real vegetation—it’s a bizarre landscape filled with unusual and unlikely things, many of them seemingly falling somewhere between organic and mechanical, as if the entire system were an alien, inorganic organism.  There’s a river a waterfall of balls, a bride of swivel chairs, houses and mountains of every conceivable material and design, strange forms of conveyance, fake trees, towns where every single thing is put on wheels.

For the book’s 300-plus pages, this group of individuals—the size of which is never defined, but is evidently quite large—explores this space, splitting up and getting deeper and deeper into ever more complex, more imaginative and more dangerous territory.
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Approximate Continuum Comics
Written & Illustrated by Lewis Trondheim

Translated by Kim Thompson
Lettered by Stephanie Noell & Priscilla Miller
Published by Fantagraphics

Lewis Trondheim is one of Europe’s best cartoonists.

Let me revise that: Lewis Trondheim is one of the world’ best cartoonists. He happens to be French, however, and not all of his books are available in English, so it’s always exciting when something new comes to the States. (In the interests of complete documentation, the first half of Approximate Continuum Comics was previously serialized in English, but the latter portion was not – and I didn’t know Trondheim’s work at the time and missed the first half its first time around. So it’s all new to me.)

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Marvel Masterworks: Fantastic Four v. 3-6
Written by Stan Lee
Co-Plotted & Penciled by Jack Kirby

Inked by George Roussos, Chic Stone, Frank Giacoia, Vince Colletta & Joe Sinnott
Lettered by Art Simek & Sam Rosen
Color Reconstruction by Michael Kelleher & Kellustration, and Wil Glass & All Thumbs Creative
Published by Marvel Comics

I’ll be forever grateful to Marvel for putting their Marvel Masterworks series in softcover. I’ve read a few Essentials – their 500-page black & white on newsprint paper omnibuses – but I’d prefer to see these classic stories in color on a slightly better paper. The hardcover Masterworks, I told myself often, “I’ll get around to them.” But I kept not getting around.

And to give you an idea how far behind my reading pile has gotten, I sat down last week and read four consecutive volumes of classic Stan Lee-Jack Kirby Fantastic Four comics. And they’re a blast.

I can’t truthfully say that they age well. It’s not only the dated pop culture and world event references, but it’s hard to imagine a heroine today being so disrespected as Sue Storm is repeatedly throughout these stories – and most often by her two romantic suitors!

Despite these awkward, and often hilarious moments, the stories are still totally entertaining. Sure, there are a few odd plot quirks, but they’re fun, and crazy adventurous. Lee and Kirby infuse the characters with playful personalities, a little pathos, a little banter, and plenty of personality (Ben and Reed in particular). By book four, multi-issue storylines have begun, creating a broader, more intricate tapestry. In book five, Joe Sinnott becomes Kirby’s inker, creating the Fantastic Four imagery that readers remember best. Book six takes all the groundwork laid in previous books and builds one of the most cohesive and multi-threaded plots in superhero comics history.

Most of the foundation of the Marvel Universe is established in these pages. And many readers will want to see that history. But to me, I just love seeing these exciting stories for myself. The burgeoning cosmology of the series, Lee and Kirby’s playful undercutting of their own narrative conventions, the beautiful artwork (my only complaint: the garish color on the covers makes them look hideous!), the snappy dialogue, the purely fun stories. The books are a delight, and highly recommended.

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Yotsuba&! v. 8-9
Written & Illustrated by Kiyohiko Azuma
Translated by Amy Forsyth
Lettered by Terri Delgado
Published by Yen Press

When I get a new comic, it gets slotted onto the bottom of my towering to-read pile. The exception to that rule is Usagi Yojimbo, which I always read immediately when a new book emerges. If I were to make two exceptions, Yotsuba&! might be the second such title.

Each chapter is titled “Yotsuba & something“, and that chapter follows our youthful protagonist as she, wide-eyed and full of wonder, explores the world around her. With absolutely hilarious results. In these two books, Yotsuba attends a school festival where her friend and neighbor’s class is distributing cake. She flies in a hot air balloon. Opposites, teddy bears, restaurants, typhoons and schedules also find their way into Yotsbuba’s inquisitive, excitable gaze.

Kiyohiko Azuma is a master at blending slapstick timing with innocent, childish enthusiasm. Yotsuba’s continual amazement and delight make her appear too young for her age, but Azuma’s ability to play the rest of the cast off her reactions only makes every situation that much funnier. With its warmth, affection and gee-whiz humor, Yotsuba&! stands out as something totally unique on comic shelves today. It’s easily one of the best books I’m reading, and well worth checking out.

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Bloomberg is a busy news organization, and perhaps that explains why they were both late and short-handed against the DC Bullets on Thursday afternoon. The game wound up only going five and a half innings, and three Bullets had to play for Bloomberg to give the opposition a full line-up. Rookies Travis Hastback and John Choi, lacking seniority on the DC team, were optioned to Bloomberg, as was good-sport Jeff Boison. The trio proved very effective at run-stopping for the Bloomberg squad, but the Bullets eked out a 6-4 win.

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The Nobody
Written & Illustrated by Jeff Lemire
Lettered by Sean Konot
Published by DC/Vertigo

In Jeff Lemire’s first book from Vertigo The Nobody, he appropriates the protagonist of H.G. Wells’ The Invisible Man to explore a theme obviously dear to Lemire, the interconnectedness and occasional small-mindedness of small towns. John Griffen, bandaged head to toe, arrives in Large Mouth, where everyone knows everyone, checks into the local hotel and stays to himself.

Lemire explores Griffen’s tenuous friendships and the community’s complicated sense of acceptance and respect for privacy against a simultaneous and conflicted urge to question this stranger in their midst. Like his Essex County books and his Vertigo serial Sweet Tooth, Lemire’s The Nobody moves slowly, contemplatively, focusing on the small moments in ordinary lives.

With his rough-hewn artwork, Lemire captures the worn-in quality of Large Mouth and its residents, and his natural dialogue draws readers into their lives quickly. The characters aren’t the deepest you’ll meet, but Lemire provides a range of personalities, and the major players have a few wrinkles to keep them interesting. The haunting plot pulls readers in, and everything builds to a tragic, and effective climax.  The Nobody‘s another worthwhile offering from a cartoonist with a talent for mood and small-town exploring.

Neil Young’s Greendale
Based on the album by Neil Young & Crazy Horse
Written by Joshua Dysart
Illustrated by Cliff Chiang
Colored by Dave Stewart
Lettered by Todd Klein
Published by DC/Vertigo

I already reviewed this one a while back, but that was based on a black and white advance copy. I got a permanent edition, finally took time to read it during my 2011 dig-out, and wanted to give some props to Dave Stewart. Greendale‘s a beautifully colored book, soft (maybe a little too soft at times) and organic, warm and inviting. Lots of cool, natural tones.

DC did a very nice job assembling the book also, something I rarely feel they deserve credit for. It’s an attractive package. The script holds up well – Greendale‘s not exactly nuanced, but it’s engaging and fun to read, and my sympathies lie along its message. And Cliff Chiang, man, that dude makes it look fantastic.

Softball’s always fun, but it’s most fun when your team plays a evenly matched foe. Two teams see-sawing the lead, each at-bat becoming magnified in the game’s final outcome, every out a tragically missed opportunity – it doesn’t get any better. In The Daily Show squad, the DC Bullets seem to have found an equally matched rival. Their first confrontation last summer is already part of Bullet lore.

Although their second game (thankfully) didn’t occur on the hottest weekend of the year, it matched the excitement of that initial game on every other level. In the end, as they did one year prior, The Daily Show emerged triumphant, walking off with a game-winning single in the bottom of the eighth inning to secure the 12-11 victory.

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On Thursday, April 28, the DC Bullets were supposed to match up against Archie Comics. It rained; the game was cancelled. This past Thursday, another match-up against a comics industry softball squad was missed when Wizard cancelled on the Bullets barely 24 hours before gametime. (If they weren’t already dead to me, they’d be dead to me now, I jested.) So the Bullets took the field anyway – those field permits are use ‘em or lose ‘em, after all.

After a productive practice, New York Community Bank showed up for a 7:00pm game on the same field. Except their opponent also stood them up. Rather than have both teams go home disappointed, the Bullets and NYCB opted to play a friendly few innings. In a lopsided four-inning affair, the Bullets emerged victorious, 23-10.

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And so the great dig-out of 2011 begins. I’m cutting back on the library for a little while. With all the review comics I get, some library books sprinkled in, and a few comic strip collections, and the prose books I squeeze in as often as possible, I’ve basically not read a single comic that I’ve purchased for myself since last August.

It’s gotten a bit ridiculous. I’m talking about nearly 70 books (including a few rereads, mostly for reasons that’ll become clear about two paragraphs down) piled up on my end table. They’re going to collapse one night and kill me in my sleep, I’m convinced. So it’s time to whittle that bastard pile down, come hell or high water.

So over the new few months, you’ll see some … not very timely reviews. But I’m going to get it all read, and you’ll see what I’ve been missing out on.

Young Liars v. 1: Daydream Believer
Young Liars v. 2: Maestro
Young Liars v. 3: Rock Life
Written & Illustrated by David Lapham

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Like her 2010 Flesh and Bone, Julia Gfrörer’s latest comic features two passionate young lovers, some supernatural circumstances and a strange sex scene.  While the previous book was set in an undetermined past and mixed the lore of witchcraft with a Gothic melodrama, her new Too Dark To See has a modern milieu. That makes the setting more immediate, and the supernatural aspects a bit scarier.

The young couple is Lauren and Jamie, and we’re first introduced to them naked on their shared mattress on the floor of their apartment, in apparent post-coital bliss, the former telling the latter that “No one has ever loved anyone more than I love you.” As they sleep, a piece of shadow in the corner of their bedroom peels itself off the wall, takes the vague shape of a woman, and crawls into their bed, seducing Jamie.

The romantic sentiment Lauren expresses is soon undercut by scenes and dialogue suggesting problems in their relationship, ranging from minor annoyances (You never do the dishes, you always interrupt me) to more serious concerns (Are you cheating on me?), and essentially revealing a real world relationship fraught with real world pleasures and problems. That, or are the shadows that have their way with the lovers somehow impact their happiness, and is it just those two, or everyone?

Questions are raised, answers are to be provided by the reader.

Gfrörer’s artwork is a rare pleasure. Her round-cornered, ever-so-slightly wobbly panels repeat with a mechanical, filmic progression—despite varying in size and layout—and are full of white, white space. She has an extremely thin, delicate line, which probably artificially inflates the amount of white space that’s there, but her artwork is anything but minimalist or abstract. The figures are highly detailed, never more so then we see close-ups of their hands at work on extremely detailed objects, like Lauren before an espresso machine at work, or making a sandwich from lovingly cross-hatched strawberry jam.

The open space, filled in by the white of the paper the art’s drawn, sharply contrasts with the few scenes set outside of the couple’s apartment, which are darker and have more details, and the visits from the shadows, which are dark, slightly furious looking patches of less-precise lines, suggesting a sort of controlled scribble. They are also somewhat see-through, so they were apparently drawn with something other than the lines of the rest of the book.

The beautiful aesthetic of the art is mirrored in the production; this is a mini-comic Gfrörer made and is selling through Etsy, and looks and feels homemade, bound with string. In both the criteria of a comic as comic and a comic as object, it’s a beautiful thing.

If you’re interested in securing a copy, here’s Gfrörer Etsy listing for the book, and here’s her website.

Delirium’s Party: A Little Endless Storybook
Written & Illustrated by Jill Thompson
Published by DC/Vertigo

Jill Thompson’s latest visit to the realm of Neil Gaiman’s Endless characters finds the whimsical, whirlical Delirium in the spotlight again, as Delirium decides to throw a party for her surly sister Despair.

Delirium’s Party is the result, a bringing together of all seven Endless in an effort to get a solitary grin, just a tiny little uptick of the mouth’s corner, from Despair. Thompson pretty much nails everything about the story – Delirium’s swirling, track-leaping logic arranges a perfectly wonderful and utterly grandively (her word, not mine) party. Keeping all the Endless on track, with small touches in their dialogue and in their perfectly suited gifts for Despair, Thompson captures the essence of each fundamental being. But most of all, she’s able to give the book an engaging, insistent readability, a pleasant breeziness that makes for a too-quick and entirely pleasurable reading experience.

Thompson’s watercolors and page compositions match the unexpected, yet somehow totally dream-logic reasonable, mania of Delirium’s party organizing talents. A cake with all your favorite things: bicycles, books, cupcakes, paintbrushes and action figures; the warm, psychedelic colors of Delirium’s… hair, clothes, bed… pretty much everything, really; flying pickles and ice cream cones – it’s all here. Jill Thompson’s practically born to draw this character – and yet she’s still born to draw all of her own wonderful characters too. It’s really too much talent for one person to have. How about sharing a little, Jill?

Delirium’s Party: A Little Endless Storybook is a pure blast, superduper fun, with intoxicating prose and colorfully twisted artwork. Fans of Neil Gaiman’s Sandman will want this one; it’s one of the best non-Gaiman Endless stories to date (and better than a couple of Neil’s even). Fans of Jill, of beautiful illustration, of just-plain terrific stories should definitely keep an eye open for it.

Onward Towards Our Noble Deaths
Written & Illustrated by Shigeru Mizuki
Translated by Jocelyne Allen
Published by Drawn & Quarterly

This book is excellent. It is, according to the interview with its author Shigeru Mizuki printed within, the first of his books to be published in English – I can only hope we’re soon flooded by Mizuki translations. I’d like to drown in them.

A veteran of World War II, Mizuki based Onward Towards Our Nobles Deaths on his experiences in the Pacific theatre. Now, there are two types of war stories: tales of noble men (and women) accomplishing amazing things in horrifying circumstances, and sagas showing the ugly futility of it all. I enjoy the former, but my peacenik sensibilities are far more in line with the latter. And Mizuki appeals to my side of the equation very strongly.

With upwards of thirty named characters, Onward doesn’t spend much time getting to know the cast outside of their military roles, but Mizuki spends plenty of time sympathizing with each man within the extreme expectations placed upon them by the military. The ongoing theme of the book deals with the men being ordered into a pointless suicide charge, contrasted against the high-level brass who fret they’ll be made fools when they report the squad killed only to find out that not everyone participated in the charge.

Mizuki threads a little comedy, absurdism, theatrical speeches about the honor of death, through Onward Towards Our Noble Deaths, preventing it from becoming a moribund book. It’s still quite dark, and tragic, but mostly, it’s a reminder that for every hero found in war, there are thousands of senseless losses.

If you merely heard about it, then you’d probably be forgiven for wondering if Matt Howarth’s The Downsized was in fact done by that Matt Howarth.

A middle-aged writer who left town to pursue his dreams in LA returns to Michigan, older, fatter, balder and still not the success he planned to be by this point, on the occasion of his parents’ 50th wedding anniversary. There he meets up with his siblings, friends, cousins and former girlfriend. In the course of four long scenes spread across 80 pages and set almost entirely in hotel rooms, we get to know this cast of characters and their conflicts.

In other words, it’s real-world drama told almost exclusively through conversations, as if the reader were in the room and overhearing the action, almost like a stage-play. It’s about growing up, and, in a more vague way, how the current society and economy frustrates doing so, and how maturity is mostly relative anyway.

And yes, it’s by that Matt Howarth, the cartoonist best known for his 1980’s and early ‘90s Bugtown, Those Annoying Post Brothers and Savage Henry comics (the latter about a guitarist from an alternate reality), the cartoonist who did some Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comics, a DC/Helix miniseries about a romance between a space alien and a sentient asteroid and high sci-fi comics featuring Keif Llama.

The Downsized might therefore not sound like something from Howarth, but there’s no mistaking the work of the creator by sight.
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John Stanley Library: Melvin Monster v. 3
Written & Illustrated by John Stanley
Published by Drawn & Quarterly

Drawn & Quarterly brings readers another collection of John Stanley’s terrific Melvin Monster comics, originally published in the late 1960s. Melvin’s a young monster, living with his Baddy and Mummy in Monsterville, and he just doesn’t fit it. He’s very polite and wants to go to school – which makes him a very poor monster!

This third hardcover collects the final three issues of Melvin, and though the formula has become more obvious than ever (the increasing number of short gags suggest Stanley was running out of twists on his longer narratives), Stanley’s strong cartooning and sturdy scripting keep the series engaging and fun.

While it’s definitely a book for children, fans of quality cartooning will find plenty of reasons to appreciate Stanley’s terrific work. He’s able to move readers’ eyes confidently through pages, and his quirky, iconic character designs capture the core essence of each character so immediately that little dialogue is needed to enforce their personality.

Drawn & Quarterly, working with designer Seth, continue to knock it out of the park in the design and assembly of the Stanley Library tomes. Sturdy hardcovers, sewn bindings, flat solid pages – you can actually give these comics to their target audience! I’m almost disappointed to get to the end of Melvin Monster; it’s been a relentless fun, terrifically clever series. If you have kids, get all three books. If you don’t, you still owe it to yourself see why Stanley’s considered a master (I’d recommend the second book if you get only one – that’s where I felt Stanley’s voice felt strongest and freshest on this particular series).

No doubt all you loyal Blog@ readers have lately been saying to yourselves, where’s Mike been with his untimely, semi-coherent reviews? My apologies for the absence – somehow the three non-comics that I’d requested from the library, despite all having seemingly different wait times until I’d get my copy to read, all came in within five days of one another (and right on the back of a brief comics break I’d taken to read another prose novel). I know, what are the odds? Murphy’s Law says pretty damn high.

So if you’re curious, E.L. Doctorow’s The March is quite good. Not quite essential, but worth your time if you come across it. Waylon Jennings and Lenny Kaye’s Waylon and Keith Richard’s Life are both enjoyable, despite a few awkward digressions and some later chapter rambling. Michael Lewis’s Moneyball (yeah, I’m late to the party, so what?!) is simply superb, even if you’re not a baseball fan. Though its snotty afterword didn’t really help its case.

So, anyway, I’m back to comics. Let’s get to it:

Modern Masters v. 25: Jeff Smith
Edited by Eric Nolen-Weathington
Published by TwoMorrows

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New season, old story for the DC Bullets in the 2011 season opener. On a cold, blustering afternoon, the top of the first inning, always a thorn in the comic book makers’ sides, got the better of the team again, as the Bullets fell behind early and couldn’t rally back to make up the difference in a 6-5 loss against The Nation.

The Nation came out aggressive against DC’s pitcher Jeff Boison, driving a series of hard line singles over the infield to take a quick lead. DC had a chance to minimize the damage to one run when Mike Lorah fumbled a routine grounder at third base with two outs registered. Four successive hits followed, and the Nation tallied five runs for the early lead.

In the bottom of the first, second baseman Brian Walters flared a single into right field, but the momentum quickly turned when shortstop Nel Yomtov scorched one of the hardest hit balls of the evening – right to The Nation’s third baseman. Brian, moving on contact, was easily doubled off first base. Mike, looking to make up for his error, launched a solo home run into right center field to get the Bullets on the board, but right centerfielder Vince Letterio flew out to left, ending the first.

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The title of Daniel Clowes’ latest book refers to Marshall, a 38-year-old, balding divorce attempting to stave off his loneliness by going on a blind date his last remaining friend arranged for him.

It’s partly ironic, as Marshall himself notes he’s not exactly a great catch, although as the story progresses he gets the opportunity to act like—or at least attempt to act like—a knight in shining armor a few times

The title could just as easily refer to Clowes himself though. As should come as no surprise at this point in the cartoonist’s career, the book is wonderful.

Originally created for The New York Times Magazine, where it ran serially, the expanded and modified Mister Wonderful shares the horizontal, comic strip-novel appearance of the earlier Pantheon-published Ice Haven, although Mister Wonderful is much more straightforward and focused on a single character with a single story.

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The 2011 season stood out as the most successful summer in recent history for the DC Bullets. Despite a first round playoff loss against the eventual New York Media Softball League champions, Wall St. Journal (congrats to them on back-to-back championships!), the Bullets’ 8-2 mark in league play tied for the league’s best overall record. And the Bullets’ overall 16-5-1 mark is easily their best tally in memory.

Along the way, many highlights:

* Larry Ganem’s six innings of perfect pitching against Vanity Fair

* Allison Dugas’ two-out, game-tying hit in an extra-inning victory over Wall St. Journal

* a spectacular, Willie-Maysesque, over-the-shoulder catch by Nel Yomtov during a showdown with High Times

* an Independence Day-weekend showdown against the Daily Show that will go down in Bullet lore for the number of pounds every player sweated out during the game

* and a comeback-player-of-the-year performance by Joel Press, after surgery hobbled his previous summer.

But probably the biggest accomplishment was simply the team’s steady defense and offense, consistently limiting the opposition’s rallies while relentlessly keeping pressure on their defenses.

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