AiT/Planet Lar: Making Comics Better

2008-05-14T10:41:00.000-07:00

Speed Racer is exactly what I want when I go to the movies. Like when I watch 2001, and Tron, and Planet of the Apes, and Blade Runner, I go to movies to see things I can't see by just stepping out onto the streets of San Francisco.

Which, you know, being San Francisco, eliminates a few movies that might be included were I to live in Charlotte, North Carolina.

But I don't understand the critics who think this movie was awful and had no plot and sported wooden acting, and, you know, cars just can't do that. That's your criticism? I don't seem to remember anyone saying that bullets can't bounce off eyes like in Superman Returns or robots can't philosophize like in Blade Runner or nobody writes checks for sixty-nine cents for a pint of half-and-half like in The Big Lebowski. That's just part of the world the movie's making for you.

So if the guy from Lost bounces his car up and over a rival motorist for the express purpose of punching him in the face while upside down and flipping over again to gain the lead in an illegal car race, your first thought is "real physics just doesn't work like that"?

Please don't sit next to me at dinner, because we're not going to have a lot in common.

About the only issue I had with Speed Racer was that Matthew Fox pauses in his ninja fight to preserve his identity, Lone Ranger style, and yet is hanging out in a tux at the end of the flick with Inspector Detector and, you know, the rest of the crowd seeing his face. So, OK, he probably has a secret James-Bondian identity, so nobody puts the suave guy together with the leather-clad Racer X, but, still. The only time you should worry about your face in a high-stakes penthouse midnight ninja-fight is when you're protecting it from the flying shurikens, that's what I'm saying.

But that's sort of neither here nor there. Speed Racer is the kind of entertainment I'm looking for when I go to the movies in the first place. Show me some stuff I've never seen.

The rest of you, though...

...you're just peeing on the rug that really ties the room together.

2008-05-11T22:21:00.000-07:00

Mimi's Mother's Day note.

2008-05-08T17:44:00.000-07:00

Another Thursday, another "I Gots Me Some Enthusiasm" over at RescuedByNerds.com. This week, I ruminate about bungee-cording the kid to the back of my scooter and what that has to do with whatever Stevie Nicks is singing about in "Edge of Seventeen."

+++++

Turns out you could have met Omaha Perez at Meltdown yesterday, if you were in LA.

+++++

Speaking of Omaha: "Seriealbumet bjuder p� rasande rolig l�sning, s�rskilt om man �n lite insatt i Sherlock Holmes och doktor Watsons �ventyr och spr�kbruket i dem - och framf�rallt doktor Watsons okritiska beundran f�r den Store Detektiven. Fast om man �r Holmes-purist, eller pryd, s� blir det en jobbig upplevelse."

Man! You can say that again.

2008-05-05T12:18:00.000-07:00

Walker Young, here, taking a break from bubbles in the park to give Daddy's pals Red and Denton a Red-Sox-fan-in-West-Coast-exile shout-out in celebration of four years of Surviving Grady. Can you believe it? Four years of Robot Yaz and metal onions. Congratulations, guys. Keep 'em coming.

2008-05-02T15:37:00.000-07:00

My pal Karl Strandfeldt is featured in the San Francisco Examiner today in their "Meet Your Mixologist" section. "The last time we had dinner at McCormick & Kuleto�s, darn it if we weren�t star-struck when the San Francisco Twins trotted past our table. Yes, San Francisco royalty prances through this palatial eatery on a regular basis, but none of them are as regal as Karl Strandfeldt, the establishment�s revered bartender. One of the most knowledgeable guys we�ve ever met, Strandfeldt got his start at Henry Africa�s, one of The City�s first and most famous 'fern bars.' Besides learning the ins and outs of making a fine cocktail, Strandfeldt steadily built an artillery of entertaining anecdotes, which he might share if you�re lucky."

Nice one, Karl! You're still the only guy whose wedding I was ever at who poured and toasted me with a smooth bit of Irish whisky.

+++++

...and Rescued By Nerds has a drunken Iron Man review by good ol' Ash, who illustrates his verbiage with a pic snapped at my birthday, last year:

Man, that Tony Stark really does hit the sauce, doesn't he?

2008-05-01T14:55:00.001-07:00

I suppose it isn't that much of a secret that Rescued By Nerds has let me spout off on things that grab my attention in a column called I Gots Me Some Enthusiasm. First one's up today, and new ones every Thursday at 3 pm or so.

+++++

...and a special shout-out to mi amigo Rob Lavender, who became a Dad last night at 11:22, right between Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert. Smooches to Cathy and a big hail-fellow-well-met to Baby Boy Lavender. Welcome to the world, Little Dude.

2008-04-30T13:35:00.000-07:00

2008-04-29T13:16:00.000-07:00

Shannon Denton, the mastermind behind Aces: Curse of the Red Baron, has an interview posted up on Comic Book Resources: "Denton describes Aces: Curse of the Red Baron as 'an adventure romp buddy comedy' that 'just happens to be set in the period near the close of the First World War.' More directly, the story focuses on a Royal Air Force pilot and American infantryman, who pry the Red Baron's treasure map from his cold, dead hand, leading to perilous adventure across enemy lines and a confrontation with the ghost of the Red Baron himself.

+++++

That beautiful and unique snowflake Jason McNamara is interviewed over at Blogarama, and the J-Mac wildman is always worth your attention.

+++++

Greg Burgas and the folks over at Comics Should be Good shine the light on the July Previews for you: "Larry and Mimi offer Dugout on page 205, a story of a baseball team in 1960 that is sinking in debt and tries to break their star pitcher out of prison so he can help keep them afloat. Oh, it sounds quite wacky! As usual with AiT/Planet Lar, you might not like the book, but you know it will be interesting!"

Come on, people; that's awesome. If we've got things to the point where you can read a blurb and know what you're getting when you buy one of our books, well... Well, that's just cool AiT has such a strong brand awareness.

+++++

Sean Kleefeld finds hidden golden backlist treasure in the full Colonia story: "The story is somewhat reminiscent of other fanciful, stranger-in-a-strange-land stories like Wizard of Oz or Abadazad. One of the twists here, though, is that the bizarre qualities of this new world aren't as immediately apparent and even those that are noticed are initially written off by the protagonists as eccentricities. What's easier to believe, after all: that you've been captured by time-displaced pirates or that you've been captured by some modern pirates who dress up in 17th century style clothing? That you've been talking to a six-foot tall man with fish for his heads, hands and feet or that you bumped your head on a rock when you washed ashore?"

Hmmm. Kinda reminds me of Lost, that.

+++++

...and if you're not checking in to Rescued By Nerds at least once a week, you're missing cool stuff like this Mike Carey interview.

2008-04-25T17:10:00.000-07:00

Munson has The Grand versus Justice Hall in Friday Night Fights, which I think is awesome.

I'll try to dig up a scan of Brandon's original pencils, and you can see how much more graphic that is before Photoshop got involved. When I asked for "as gory as you can get," ol' Brandon delivered in spades.

2008-04-24T10:23:00.000-07:00

"Did you know The Black Diamond is real?" read an email I just got from a pal of mine down in LA.

Now, I know we tap in to the zeitgeist quite a bit here at AiT/Planet Lar. Astronauts in Trouble presaged the imbedded-reporters thing that the Untitled Jake Gyllenhaal Moon Project will no doubtedly rip, and even "The Bod" in Proof of Concept accidentally uncovered the secret Photoshop-fetish of digitally removing models from their clothing. Shannon Denton's upcoming Aces heralds a Red Baron movie, of course. So we're not exactly in unknown territory, here, feeding on and being fed upon the Pop Culture monster.

But one of the major criticisms Jon Proctor and I got when we first released The Black Diamond: On Ramp back in 2005... was how improbable the whole thing seemed. Joe McCulloch over at Jog - The Blog thought it a little unlikely, I seem to recall.

Well, as usual, the real world comes up with things that are even crazier than one might predict. Hit that link above for a refutation of "The NAFTA Superhighway" and this one for a fact sheet on "the Trans-Texas Corridor." But if it ends up having triple-black-diamond signage...

...well.

2008-04-22T15:27:00.000-07:00

You know, running all the administrative and logistical stuff for the business isn't really where the fun is, in comics. A necessary evil, of course, but I'm one of those "You got some chairs? I got a stage! Let's put on a show!" guys. All the egos and the jockeying-for-position and all is just a big yawn for me, as I move towards my dotage. We're heading towards ten years, publishing, and breaking a new creator headed somewhere is quite gratifying, and folks leaving the nest fills us with parental pride. Making Comics Better, that's what it's all about, for me.

But, like putting out Astronauts in Trouble, which, frankly, pays for all of the new work... and like stretching the envelope for what's successful in the scene, like the script collections and anthologies and whatnot that we do...

... I still get a secret thrill when an artist sends me a bit that doesn't much look like anything to the uninitiated, but is the non-fattenting sugar-substitute in my tea:

Man, I can't wait until this one comes out.

2008-04-21T17:13:00.000-07:00

Rob Tannenbaum forwards over his MySpace page for his band, Good For the Jews, which, if you hit the link, you can hear the song I quoted yesterday over that picture of Walker. Man, they're funny.

+++++

Marc Mason takes a look at Holmes: "It can be risky, applying the conventions of parody and satire to a public domain icon, but Perez does a really terrific job of it here. He takes on the central conceit of the character�s �seven percent solution� drug use and then carries it out to an extreme. Here Holmes is a raving paranoid, but rather then being called on it or institutionalized, he is granted leeway and his behavior excused� even though there�s no rational reason for doing so beyond his reputation. What that leaves is behavior that would have made the detective an honorary member of the Go-Gos during their 80s heyday. And the results are goddamned funny."

2008-04-20T16:05:00.000-07:00

"They tried to kill us; we survived. Let's eat." -- Sean Altman and Rob Tannenbaum

Contemplating Passover 2008

2008-04-17T10:02:00.000-07:00

"In a world where it seems as if every comic ever made has had their movie rights optioned, the lack of news about a future Astronauts in Trouble movie feels more and more like a failure on Hollywood's part," writes Graeme McMillan in "Steal This Pitch" over at io9.com... "Larry Young's trilogy of books - is much less space opera than space rock'n'roll, three books in a shared universe concentrating on the simple thrills of adventure, space travel and good old-fashioned storytelling."

+++++

Greg Burgas takes a look at Holmes: "The fun of the book is much more in watching Holmes and Watson get into outlandish situations. Holmes shows up in drag, wanders around for a few pages with a syringe sticking out his neck, visits a prostitute (and then interrupts Watson, who is enjoying himself with two women), digs a public grave for someone who isn�t dead, and has an unexpected confrontation with his foe on a bridge. It�s extremely iconoclastic, irreverent, and very funny. Its success does rest a lot on the fact that this is Holmes and Watson, but if you have any knowledge of Conan Doyle�s originals, this is a fine read."

+++++

One of the things I like about Holmes is that it fits so well into the polarizing books that we do; ya love 'em or hate 'em. Johnny B is horrified at what Omaha did to The World's Greatest Detective: "When it comes to Holmes stories, Seven Per Cent Solution notwithstanding, I prefer my Sherlock cool, calm, and Basil Rathbone collected. This isn't terrible, but this revisionist Holmes thing has been done better, and more skillfully- with more restraint, that is- in the past."

+++++

...on the other hand, if you think Sherlock Holmes needs the stuffing taken out of him, like Lisa Fary of PinkRaygun.com does, this is the link for you. "I�ve always thought Sherlock Holmes was a tool, and finally someone is overtly showing him as such. Thank you, Omaha Perez... We expect Sherlock Holmes to be an ass, but we expect him to be so very refined about it. It�s about time that arrogant bastard got his comeuppance."

2008-04-16T10:19:00.000-07:00

I had a blast talking with Chris Marshall on his Collected Comics Library Podcast. We covered a lot of ground: the history of the company, lathered up Matt Fraction, talked about True Story Swear to God, and rapped about our kids and conventions and our upcoming comics. We did this interview last week, which is why I didn't mention Matt Silady's Eisner nod... because it hadn't happened yet.

Make sure to check out the CCL main page for lots more data, info, and cool links.

2008-04-15T15:30:00.000-07:00

Omaha Perez' latest, Holmes, from Jog the Blog: "The high concept of this one, collecting Perez's self-published pamphlet miniseries, is that the famous detective is totally off his fucking face on mind-altering stuff for most of his waking time, a comedic exaggeration of habits present in the Doyle originals."

2008-04-14T16:14:00.000-07:00

Our pal Ian Brill interviews Shannon Denton on Aces, our upcoming Red Baron story: "Manfred Albrecht Freiherr von Richthofen, the Red Baron, was the most successful flying ace of World War I, being officially credited with 80 confirmed air combat victories. Richthofen was a member of an aristocratic family with many famous relatives so I always find it fascinating when people of privilege give that lifestyle up for these lives of adventure or for service to a good other than themselves. He was genius fighter pilot at the dawn of that era of flight. Not only was he a skilled pilot but he was also known to be a man of integrity. He did what his country asked of him but he was also known to show mercy in the skies and really lived up to that old time ideal of honor amongst fellow soldiers, even if sometimes they were the enemy. He also fought Snoopy."

+++++

...and big congrats to Matt Silady, notching himself an Eisner nod for Special Recognition his first time out eligible for the Oscar of Comics.

2008-04-13T21:44:00.000-07:00

Walker Young: "Hey, check it out; my Daddy worked with your Daddy to publish his graphic novel. Lookin' good, Mister Man!"

Malcolm Amado: "Yes, sir! My Daddy wrote Nobody, STAR code 11475. Walking Dead's Charlie Adlard on art, Whiteout's Greg Rucka doing an introduction. Brian Wood cover, and everything! ABC Family televison pilot, lotsa cool stuff. If I could read, I'd probably think it was pretty cool, too!

Walker Young: Don't worry, M-dawg! You'll dig it, baby, You'll dig it the most.

2008-04-11T13:50:00.000-07:00

Superman, Mickey Mouse, Sherlock Holmes, Tarzan, and James Bond are widely believed to the Most Recognized Fictional Characters. Unless you want to do a version of Thunderball, James Bond is pretty much locked up. Burroughs has Tarzan; Disney has Mickey Mouse. Oddly, there seems to be some discussion about the rights to Superman, although of course that's one for the courts.

But just ask Nicholas Meyer: The World's Greatest Detective is there for you to put your mark upon if you so desire, and Omaha Perez did so wish it. His Holmes is out at finer specialty retail shops and bookstores in the wider reaches; here's another review I invite you to click through: "I have encountered many variations of both Holmes and his counterpart, Watson, in many forms over the years. To memory, this is probably the most depraved version overall..."

2008-04-09T13:34:00.000-07:00

Ain't It Cool News' master-tastemaker Ambush Bug on Holmes: "I reviewed HOLMES a while back when it was released as individual issues by writer/artist Omaha Perez. The book promised a new vision of Sherlock Holmes and his dutiful assistant Dr. Watson. I found this miniseries to deliver in spades. Holmes isn't the master sleuth depicted in film and stories of old. He's more of a bumbling idiot who is smart enough to make it seem as if he has solved the case. Drug addled and definitely delusional, Perez' Holmes infuriates Watson by dragging him all over London, pursuing a fictional Moriarty and leaving chaos in his wake. I know depicting Holmes in this light is not completely new, but I found this take to be entertaining and fascinating to read. The story cleverly positions Holmes on a tightrope. His actions clearly aren't sane, but with the help of his assistant Watson, he is able to solve cases and maintain his reputation. The best part of this compilation of the original miniseries is Perez' art. Occasionally his figures can be awkward and abstract, but Perez utilizes a scratchboard technique with the covers of these books and also during a dream sequence that makes for some of the most eye-appealing panels I've seen in recent memory. In the back of this book, Perez says that if he were to use this technique for the whole book, he would have never finished. Here's hoping he's able to do this type of work on future projects. The book is a delight from story to art. And now that AIT/Planet Lar picked up the book, it is much easier to find a copy."

2008-04-07T08:56:00.000-07:00

Some more praise for the critics' darling, Holmes. First, from Iain Jackson: "A story of Sherlock Holmes, narrated by John Watson. Perfectly normal, right? Exactly what you expect a Holmes story to be ... only not quite. In this case, we discover that HOlmes is seriously into drugs and may or may not be a touch unbalanced, and Watson is a man of mighty mighty appetites, who manages to clean up the stories considerably to present the both of them in a much better light before committing the stories to print. In this case, the skull of composer Joseph Haydn is stolen from a graveyard (a true event), and somehow winds up in London. Holmes immediately fixates on Moriarty as a possible suspect in the theft. Along the way to the solution, we make stops in the British Museum (it gets broken -- again), a bar with Holmes in very very bad drag, an opium den, a brothel (Watson is not only a man of mighty appetites, he also has -- to be a bit Victorian about it -- a mighty truncheon and he likes to use it), and of course back on Baker Street, where we discover that Mrs Hudson is a very longsuffering landlady indeed. The highly stylized art works well to convey the inner insanity of the story, and it's a fun read from beginning to end. A Very Good story."

...and one from Laura Gjovaag: "I will confess that I've never been a big fan of Sherlock Holmes. In fact, I consider him an unsufferable twit. I adored a Doctor Who novel (All-Consuming Fire) that took Holmes into a fantastical setting in which Watson could cope but Holmes could not. This graphic novel goes quite a bit further, making both Watson and Holmes out to be insane drug-addicts. It's very strange, very raunchy, and a bit over the top in places. I can't really recommend it to most folks, but if you dislike Holmes already or like re-imaginings of classic characters, this is one you should check out."

2008-04-06T13:33:00.001-07:00

2008-04-04T09:11:00.000-07:00

Rich B at YesButNoButYes on Holmes: "Here's the mashup you didn't know you were waiting for: Raoul Duke and Dr. Gonzo meets Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson. Read about the world's greatest detective completely out of his mind on drugs while he tries to solve cases in Victorian England - Fear and Loathing style. The combination makes a little bit of sense if you think about it but it's brilliance is in how far off it is from what you'd expect from a Sherlock Holmes book. Holmes was originally self-published by creator Omaha Perez and is now being collected in trade paperback format by AiT/Planet Lar."

2008-04-03T16:14:00.000-07:00

Speaking of Matt Price, Pat Tucker points me over to some kind words Matt had for us on the company's anniversary that I'd missed. Matt blogs from NewsOK his top books from us:

"In honor of the 9th anniversary, here are my nine favorite books that came out from AiT/Planet Lar:

1. Demo
2. The Annotated Mantooth
3. The Last of the Independents
4. Astronauts in Trouble
5. Electric Girl
6. Seven Sons
7. Channel Zero
8. Couscous Express
9. Scurvy Dogs"

Three actioners we OK'd from Bri Wood, two solids from Matt Fraction, a sci-fi, some humor, an all-ages book, and historical fiction. That's a pretty good slice from a retailer/writer/reporter. Thanks, Matt!

2008-04-02T11:09:00.000-07:00

Brian Domingos over at Popimage says: "I'm dying to read the story of Sherlock Holmes's Fear and Loathing�" and he doesn't have that long to wait; Omaha Perez' Holmes is in-shops today.

+++++

University of Oklahoma's prestigious World Literature Today magazine reviews The Homeless Channel:

I sense AiT advocate Matt Price's hand in this one.