Indian taboos, skullkickers and a lousy superman cop-out to defeat zombies

Here's page 55 of Tomb of the Undead from the scene I don't trust those lazy bastards. I liked this scene, mostly because I really like Darrell Starkwood, and writing for him is a lot of fun. I'm not sure what anyone else thinks of him, as I've never heard (really) any feedback on the graphic novel so far ... but I like Starkwood.

Synopsis:
Dr. Starkwood suspects that Barnum Mantell might not have the museum's best interests in mind in I Don't Trust those Lazy Bastards.

I'm not sure if people can tell, but Starkwood is based on the Buffalo Sabre's head coach Lindy Ruff (in the NHL). I have no idea what Ruff's character is like, but he resembles Starkwood in many ways. I might have mentioned it before, but Barnum Mantell is based on Sidney Poitier, which you may or may not be able to tell. He's named after two very important paleontologists, too, which doesn't make much sense considering he's helping archaeologists, but I'm a super fan of paleontologists, so it makes sense to me.

My wife never thought naming a kid Barnum or Giddeon was a good idea ... so I name my fictional characters after the cool names that I think people should have.

Anyhow - that's WAY more behind the scenes stuff than I usually divulge - ...

Graphic novel news
We've got another update from India as graphic novelists continue to transcend the boundaries of what's acceptable subject matter. It's demonstrating that in a marginalized medium like the graphic novel, the most severe issues can be challenged and discussed. It's fascinating, and it's definitely contrarian, which is exactly what graphic novels should be dealing with.

Followed by a Batman vs. the Undead review, which is a graphic novel about batman fighting zombies from New Orleans after Katrina. Yeah, it sounds awful, and the review says as much. Check it out.

As for stories with really cool names: Skull Kickers is right up there! I love it. The review heralds the idea of a graphic novel that is fun, not too serious, and awesome. Check it out, too.

Great set of stories this time around!

Graphic novelists shake up world of Indian comics
By Atish Patel
www.reuters.com

Characters from centuries-old myths and folktales have adorned the covers of children's comic books in India for decades, but a new wave of graphic novelists has emerged to shake up the art form.

Their quest for ultra-Indian superheroes has created new crossover comics aimed at both children and adults, while others have boldly gone further, tackling issues such as suicide and homosexuality -- taboo topics in much of India.

"We are the new recorders of history. That's how I consider myself," said Sarnath Banerjee, whose graphic novel "Corridor" is set in New Delhi and delves into politics and sex.

"I write, I see through my own eyes and I put it out."

Generations of young Indians have grown up with the Amar Chitra Katha series based on Hindu epics and mythology, and it remains one of India's best-selling comic books series.

But the success of Banerjee and others, such as the pioneering 1994 black-and-white "River of Stories" by Orijit Sen that dealt with the social and environmental impact of a controversial dam, are prompting changes even among such traditional comic publishers.

Click to read more.

Batman vs. The Undead – Graphic Novel Review
By Stephen McCarthy
Primary Ignition

Batman vs The Undead is sequel to the Superman & Batman vs Vampires & Werewolves which was a limited series. However, this sequel was published in the serial Batman Confidential, issues 44-48, which is baffling to say the least. Batman Confidential was supposed to be a series of stories that chronicled the early years of Batman. This is already a problem as this is a sequel that isn’t chronicling first meetings or anything of the sort. This is written as if Bruce Wayne has been Batman for many years and this comes off in the premise as well. The story starts out in New Orleans and Bruce Wayne is donating money to help out with rebuilding after Hurricane Katrina. While Hurricane Katrina happen some years back and rebuilding continues to take place, it still seems like this even does not fit in with the spirit of Batman Confidential.

The story itself makes even less sense. It seems like there was something bigger and better to be told, but time is wasted and everything gets rushed to an unsatisfactory ending. Because this is a sequel to Superman and Batman vs. Vampires and Werewolves, Superman is in the comic for no good reason at all. Superman can’t fight against magic and they are doing nothing but fighting against magic, voodoo, whatever. Superman is just shoehorned into the story and not doing much of anything except for everyone telling him basically not to get involved. The way he eventually does get involved comes off as a huge copout, and it also concludes the story.

The other big problem that I have is the narration. You can clearly see Batman’s inner monologue. This is perfectly fine and I enjoyed it, but at some point there is another inner dialog that belongs to no one that is basically explaining everything about the new bad guys introduced at the start of the third chapter. This narrator does not seem to be any character involved and it comes off as the voice of the writer trying to fill us in on everything as there would not be enough time/issues left for exposition through the story. Instead we are basically told it in these narration boxes. It fills me in enough but it reeks of bad planning.

Click to read more.

Skullkickers: 1,000 Opas & A Dead Body – Graphic Novel Review
By Rob Siebert
Primary Ignition

From the day I first saw Skullkickers #1 at my local comic shop, I’ve maintained that there’s something incredibly satisfying about saying the title. SKULL KICKERS. It just sounds incredibly cool, which is fitting, because the book is pretty damn cool too.

The first Skullkickers book finds two freelance mercenaries, a dwarf and a big burly bald guy (their names aren’t given for whatever reason) set off to find the corpse of the freshly assassinated chancellor. Little do they know that their quest will lead them directly into the path of a warlock (NOT Charlie Sheen) his army of zombies, and even a soul-sucking giant.

In my First Impression of this series, I said Skullkickers seems like a book that simply isn’t afraid to be what it is. Thankfully, that tone is still present in this book. These characters live in a surreal World of Warcraft-type environment filled with dwarves, warlocks, goblins, fairies, etc. Their dialogue goes back and forth between medieval/old timey and modern English. This richly populated world, mixed with this not-incredibly-serious voice makes for a really fun read that spoofs the fantasy genre.

Click to read more.

page 19 - I tend to agree with yor partner

Here's page 19 of the Tomb of the Undead. It's coming along, I haven't wrapped up page 20 yet, but it's coming along!



You can visit the latest update here, where you can increase the size of the image.

Graphic Novel News
Batman vs. Robin
Primary Ignition
Rob

Oh, Grant Morrison. You anger me so much with confusing, convoluted crap like Final Crisis. But then you write stuff like this and I just can’t hate you.

This is the second volume of Morrison’s Batman & Robin title, in which he writes about Dick Grayson and Damian’s adventures as the Dynamic Duo. Continuing with the pattern the first volume set, the book contains two 3-issue story arcs, both with a different artist.

In the first story, Grayson tries to resurrect Bruce Wayne using the skeleton that was found during Final Crisis. With help from Knight and Squire, and some incidental help from Batwoman, he uses a Lazarus Pit to try and bring the original Batman back to the land of the living. The results are disastrous, and all parties involved must fight for their lives. But ultimately, it will be Damian who faces the greatest danger. Read more.

Loving the Hate
Museum of Mistakes
Julia Wertz

This is an interesting blog post where the author, Julia, publishes negative/hateful reviews of her own graphic novel. It's funny, and she obviously takes it with a grain of salt. This would be a post I'd be proud of if I made something people hated.

Since I just posted "the Insidious Nature of Book Reviews" I thought I'd share a few of my favorite bad reviews of my books. To be honest, I don't react to bad reviews in the way I portrayed in the comic. I understand that my work is rather specific and appeals to a certain audience. My humor and writing isn't for everyone, and for that I'm grateful. How boring would it be if we all liked the same stuff? So over the years, I've gone from taking bad quips personally, to accepting them, and ultimately to reveling in them. My attitude towards negativity is most adequately summed up in this brief, veracious review: "Wertz doesn't give a shit and neither do I." -Carrie L.

So, on with the hate! These are some of my favorite from Goodreads: (all spelling/grammer errors included, and reviews are truncated.) Read the reviews!

Graphic Books Best-Sellers: Charles Burns on ‘X’ed Out’
The New York Times
Adam Kelper

Five years after his graphic-novel magnum opus “Black Hole,” Charles Burns returns to the medium with his first full-color work, “X’ed Out,” which lands at No. 1 on the hardcover list.

The protagonist of Mr. Burns’s latest story is a drug-addled teenager with a healthy William S. Burroughs obsession, who also suffers from an unspecified head injury — not exactly the character traits of your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man. “X’ed Out” takes Doug and his familiar fantasy world counterpart, Nitnit, through memories and dreams or perhaps dreamed memories — or possibly something else entirely. Read more of the interview.

Batman, Point Blank, and Get Jiro! after Tomb of the Undead update

I updated the next page of Tomb of the Undead this evening - and I've got quite a bit of work on the next page accomplished while listening to the Maple Leafs game tonight, which is nice. I'm getting a little tuckered out, I'm afraid, so I don't know how much more I'll be getting done tonight after all. And of course, you can see the whole chapter at this link.


Batman: Life After Death – Graphic Novel Review
By Rob
Primary Ignition

TITLE: Batman: Life After Death
AUTHOR: Tony Daniel
PENCILLERS: Tony Daniel, Guillem March
COLLECTS: Batman #692-699
FORMAT: Hardcover
PUBLISHER: DC Comics
PRICE: $19.99
RELEASE DATE: October 2010

In a lot of ways, this book is a sequel to Batman: Battle For The Cowl.

It doesn’t come after it chronologically, but this book was written entirely by Tony Daniel, the same man who wrote Battle. It also ties up some of the plot threads Daniel started in that miniseries, allowing him to finish what he started.

Life After Death finds the mysterious new Black Mask and his gang of False Faces in a war against the returning Falcone Crime Family. With the help of Catwoman and Huntress, Dick Grayson, the new Batman, must fight to keep Gotham City standing amidst the chaos. Meanwhile, Kitrina, youngest of the Falcone children, proves a force to be reckoned with. And did I mention that The Riddler, who struck with amnesia shortly after the events of Batman: Hush, is starting to remember things…things that will come back to haunt him.
click to read more

Point Blank: The Graphic Novel PB Alex Rider Series
Reviewer: Kathie M. Josephs
Promoviaweb.com

Point Blank ( PB ) The Alex Rider Adventures are #1 bestsellers the world over, Point Blank and following in the footsteps of the Point Blank graphic novel adaptation of Stormbreaker comes the second book in this phenomenal series. Like Stormbreaker: The Graphic Novel, this edition features bold, edgy, manga-like illustrations that make the graphic novel form so immensely popular, and brings the young spy to life in a whole new way. For existing fans of Alex Rider, this will be a must-have; for those yet to discover the series, this will be the perfect introduction.
Children’s Literature

I am such a fan of graphic novels because they make it perfect for reluctant readers who never finish a book because reading is difficult for them. They are also a perfect way for nonreaders to read classics they may never read. A good graphic novel allows even the poorest reader to complete a book, take part in classroom discussions, and write a book report. In this case, the first 18 pages bring readers up to date in the story. Alex Rider is a super spy who is trying to fit in at school. This is hard to do because he has to try to be a typical teen while completing a mission by M16 to infiltrate the Point Blanc Academy. He needs to find out what is going on there and find a way to warn the world of the danger. This academy is where many parents send their kids when they have been expelled from other schools. That is Alex’s cover; he was expelled from ETON. He meets a boy named James Sprintz who shows him around and gives him some pointers for making life easier. The first thing he tells Alex is that the place is more like a prison than a school and that there are only six boys in the entire academy. Alex soon finds out that the students are being cloned. This plot combines mystery with the scientific issue of cloning. The author provides a lot to think about if cloning becomes a reality. I can’t say I enjoyed the message of the book because it makes me think about the dark side; however, if it made me think about it, then it must have been well-written. It was a good length. There was as much text as pictures, which was refreshing.

Anthony Bourdain to Pen Graphic Novel "Get Jiro!"
by Josh Friedland
The Food Section

It's been reported that author and "No Reservations" host Anthony Bourdain is working on a graphic novel about food, but now Eater notes that Vertigo, the publisher of the upcoming book, has just publicly confirmed that a book is in the works.

Bourdain will write the graphic novel in collaboration with novelist Joel Rose, along with illustrations by artist Langdon Foss. Vertigo provides these additional details:

GET JIRO! is a futuristic action thriller that takes America’s newfound obsession with exotic cuisine to a manic, violent extreme. It takes place in a world where food and the secrets of how to prepare it are the source of all power leading master chefs to fight over Jiro, a mysterious top-notch sushi chef with ideas of his own.

By the way, contrary to those earlier reports, the title is not Get Gyro! so if you were expecting lamb, tahini, and pita to figure into the plot, you might be sorely disappointed.