** In what could be a publishing highlight of the fall, Top Shelf Comix is offering new adaptation of Hunter S. Thompson's Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, written and drawn by Troy Little. Remember, this is the book that begins:
We were somewhere around Barstow on the edge of the desert when the drugs began to take hold. I remember saying something like “I feel a bit lightheaded; maybe you should drive...” And suddenly there was a terrible roar all around us and the sky was full of what looked like huge bats, all swooping and screeching and diving around the car, which was going about a hundred miles an hour with the top down to Las Vegas. And a voice was screaming: “Holy Jesus! What are these goddamn animals?” Then it was quiet again. My attorney had taken his shirt off and was pouring beer on his chest, to facilitate the tanning process. “What the hell are you yelling about?” he muttered, staring up at the sun with his eyes closed and covered with wrap- around Spanish sunglasses. “Never mind,” I said. “It’s your turn to drive.” I hit the brakes and aimed the Great Red Shark toward the shoulder of the highway. No point mentioning those bats, I thought. The poor bastard will see them soon enough.
I love that last panel with just how big Thompson's hand is in comparison to his head. Forced perspective is a tool that not enough cartoonists use.
** And we can't post art about Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas without including some fun Ralph Steadman artwork, can we?
I’d say that 80% of what I’ve learned about comic book storytelling has happened working on Amelia. This thing has been a massive learning curve. I change my style from issue to issue in very tiny ways. Sometimes in big ways! I don’t mind though. The overall style and flavour has stayed true to the spirit of the story even though I change. I’m playing catch up really. A lot of artists who get into cartooning from a young age do all the learning early on. I guess I’m a late bloomer so those of you reading the book are observing my artistic development as the story moves on. I think that’s quite groovy.
** If you don't already, you need to be reading comic retailing legend Mike Sterling's Progressive Ruin, probably the one comic blog that I've been following for the longest time. The owner of Sterling Silver Comics, located in lovely Camarillo, CA (I don't know for sure that it's lovely but I just assume that everything in CA is lovely, including Mr. Sterling himself.)
Known for his undying love for all things Swamp Thing, my favorite thing that Mike does at his site is his monthly Progressive Ruin Presents... The End of Civilization, his look at the freak show worthy offerings of every new monthly Preview magazines. This month's offering is the 1/6 scale Stan Lee fixture (seriously, I won't even include the image here. You've got to see it on Mike's site.)
And that's out in the same month that they're offering a Homer Simpson Buddha in Previews. And that's the Direct Market at work for you folks.
** Last week, Matt Fraction was on Seth Meyer's late night talk show and Kris Saldaña talks about what it means over at Panels.net.
On Thursday night, Fraction walked out as the third guest to talk to Seth Meyers following Heidi Klum, and Richard Lewis. He talked Sex Criminals, and Hawkeye, and even gave the the viewers at home some of his famous tips to spice up the bedroom. Also, “Sex Criminals” was said on national television about 40 times. He was affable and smart, and I love how Seth Meyers gave him all the opportunity to talk about his work. It’s fantastic how Seth books guests he genuinely wants to talk to (like Brian Michael Bendis in January). I really hope other hosts follow suit. Lots of comic fans out there, right??
Kris has an interesting line that really caught my attention at the end of his piece. "When Matt walked out onto the stage, it was kind of like seeing my dad on the TV. My comics dad." I'm taking it that this is more of a generational thing because when I see Fraction up there, it's more like seeing my cousin, the socially awkward but cool cousin who was into all of the hip stuff about 3 months before everyone else was. (Honestly, that's a bit of a lie. I don't know if I've ever really thought too much about which relative of mine that Fraction maybe. Possibly my father's brother's nephew's cousin's former roommate?
** Daniel Clowes is always someone worth talking to and The Vulture is who he's talking to this week.
Had you tried to make it in the superhero comics world?Now I'm just going to be sitting here for the rest of the night trying to think what a Dan Clowes Wolverine comic back in the early 1990s would have been like.
No, it was half that kind of thing where, when you're a teenager, you really love something. You imagine some 12-year-old girl who loves One Direction or whatever, and ten years later, the thought of them, she’s just filled with hatred towards them because it reminds her of the way she was at this awkward age. I grew up reading superhero comics and had this certain love for them that was not necessarily related to the content. I just liked that Pop-art world of superhero comics, and then at a certain point, I learned about other comics and I completely lost interest in superhero comics.
And as long as the art theme today seems to be Hunter S. Thompson, here's Clowes drawing the venerated journalist for the Fast Company magazine.
** Need a tip about how to survive SDCC? Well, how about 164 of them? I swear that Tom Spurgeon's laundry list for how to do SDCC gets exponentially bigger every year. #1 is a particularly sobering but needed statement.
Tip #1: Pay Attention To Personal Safety
In 2012, a woman with the intention of attending Comic-Con died after running into traffic and being struck by a car during the time she spent in a line that formed in advance of the show. Her name was Gisela Gagliardi. She was a fan, a lot like you and me that way. She didn't think she was going to die when she got out of bed that morning.** The Paneling that happened this week (and maybe a bit of Patter as well...)
Please, please be careful.
- Scott C. remembered just how great Seth is as he reviewed Palookaville #22.
- Mark D. got in touch with his inner barbarian as he reviewed the recent Conan/Red Sonja miniseries.
- Mark D. was also busy this week, reviewing Ninjak #2, Inhuman Annual #1, Conan/Red Sonja #4, Dead Drop #1, Secret Wars #1, Rat Queens, Volume 2: The Far Reaching Tentacles of N’Rygoth and Swords of Sorrow #1. (Click on each title to see Mark's reviews)
- James K. was short, sweet and to the point with his 140 character reviews at Comics Bulletin, tweeting about Convergence: Shazam #2, Deadly Class #13, Divinity #4, Inhuman Attilan Rising #1 and Old Man Logan #1.
