AMERICAN SPLENDOR: TERMINAL
I may be a little bit biased about this title (I cut my teeth in comics illustrating some of the early issues), and should, I guess, refrain from devoting an inordinate amount of attention to it. But Dark Horse is putting out a new issue of Harvey Pekar's little comic book, and I thought I should at least mention it.
Most devoted comics fans have at least heard of this quirky little series, the grand-daddy of all the autobiographical comics. They may even have seen Harvey insulting David Letterman on national TV. But too few have actually experienced the exhiliarating, unique experience of his cutting edge comix work.
Harvey's stories are unflinchingly realistic, and never pander to the audience. The man's 'got issues' as they say, and he makes no bones about discussing them in depth-- his aches and pains, his anxieties about retiring, his bleak sense of the meaninglessness of life. Harvey's a first-class intellect, but always addresses his themes in a direct, unpretentious, deceptively-simple style. Harvey's words make you think.
This latest issue is illustrated by a quartet of first-rate talents-- Joe Sacco (Palenstine), Frank Stack (Our Cancer Year), Dean Haspiel (Billy Dogma) and Gary Dumm (Mr. Grey). A preview of Dumm's story, complete with animation, is being presented on
* The regular series is on hiatus after the completion of Act II with issue #37. Smith plans to return the series with a new #1, apparently next year.
* Smith is illustrating a 3-part BONE prequel, STUPID, STUPID RAT TAILS, written by Tom Sniegoski (see listing below.)
* Smith is writing a prequel about Gran'ma Ben titled ROSE, painted by Charles Vess.
* Smith dismisses talk that he's leaving comics for film projects. Says Smith, 'My solemn promise to retailers and readers is to complete the BONE series.'
One of the two most respected comics awards is named after him. His name has been uttered countless times on lists of the greatest cartoonists of all time.
But what is it about Will Eisner's work that has earned him this enormous industry-wide respect?
Eisner was one of the first to bring a consistently high sense of style to comics. He loved using visual devices like having the series title incorporated into the background, such as being on a ragged poster hanging on a wall; this sense of play and innovation reminded readers that there was an artist behind those pages, an artist with personality.
Eisner developed a camera-inspired cinematic technique of storytelling that is still influential today (for more on Eisner's cinematic technique, see Comics Theory and Comics Traditions in our 'theory' section.)
Eisner also developed a sophisticated expressive style that communicated character with expressions and body language. Eisner enjoyed inserting silent sequences (and had one entirely silent story) in the SPIRIT series to show off his virtuoso visual expressiveness.
Perhaps most important of all, Eisner was an avid reader who really understood fiction. The SPIRIT stories were succinct little dramas that had all the elements-- tragedy, romance, high thrills and sidesplitting comedy. There was an integrity to those stories that can be appreciated still forty years later.
(Non-distributed new releases listed here-- none for this month!)
A Fine Line STINZ PLAYTHINGS Donna Barr. -------------------------------- A. Silent Comics ARSENIC LULLABY SEPTEMBER 1999 -------------------------------- Aardvark-Vanaheim CEREBUS #246 Dave Sim. -------------------------------- Abismo PABLO'S INFERNO #1 A young boy's adventures in the netherworld, in the Xeric award series by Dan Champman and Rhode Montijo. -------------------------------- Abstract Studios STRANGERS IN PARADISE Vol. 3 #27 Terry Moore. -------------------------------- Acorn Comics ORVILLE #3 Anthropmorphic adventure in 'Raiders of the Lost Trunk' by Richard Tackett & Albert C. Pena. -------------------------------- Action Planet Comics ACTION PLANET'S HOT TWISTED LOVE Romance anthology with Mike Manley, Hilary Barta, Bill Wray, others. -------------------------------- Adept Books SWEET #5 Leland Myrick. -------------------------------- AIT Comics ASTRONAUTS IN TROUBLE: COOL ED'S #1 Ten year's after the 'Live From the Moon' saga by Larry Young & Charles Adlard! -------------------------------- Amaze Ink/ Slave Labor COMIC BOOK HEAVEN vol. 2 #1 Satirical look at the medium's history! MONSTER IN MY TUMMY Roman Dirge's funny/disturbing follow up to LENORE! ODDJOB #3 Ian & Tyson Smith's quirky pop-art adventures! SMITH BROWN JONES SPECIAL CONVENTION MAYHEM Fanboy satire. STITCH #1 Chilling toy story about an amnesiac living doll. -------------------------------- Alchemy Texts ARMAGEDDON PATROL: THE SHOT Superheroes in Vietnam! -------------------------------- Alternative Comics SHELLMEN #1 Jon Lewis (True Swamp Tales) returns to the philosophical talking animal genre! -------------------------------- Antarctic Press ALLEY OOP QUARTERLY #1 New stories about the King of the Jungle Jive! WORLD WAR II: 1946 #3 Historical comics series. -------------------------------- Arrow Comics SPANK THE MONKEY #4 Randy Zimmerman. WAR OF THE WORLDS: THE MEMPHIS FRONT #5 Zimmerman & Rich Gulick. -------------------------------- Avatar Press DREAMWALKER-- AUTUMN LEAVES #1 New story arc in Jenni Gregory's outstanding series!
See DREAMWALKER REVIEW in this month's Amazing Montage Magazine!
MARSHAL GODLING OF WAR #1 When Ares the God of War is your dad, you've got yourself an overbearing father! Satire by outstanding cartoonist Brian Clopper! -------------------------------- Basement Comics KLYDE #1 The ape from Budd Root's CAVEWOMAN in his own book by Elf! --also, CAVEWOMAN MISSING LINK TP 2nd Printing! -------------------------------- Big Baby comics HERO ON A STICK #3 Lee Beardall's graphically striking satire. -------------------------------- Black Bear Press MAD MONSTER PARTY #3 Swanigan, VanWormer, Nichols -------------------------------- Black Board Press SPIRIT OF THE HIGHWAYMAN TP David Hitchcock's Weird vigilante tale set in 1739 England! -------------------------------- Blue Corn Comics PEACE PARTY #2 Native Americans verses ruthless developers on modern day reservation!See PEACE PARTY review in this month's Amazing Montage Magazine!
-------------------------------- Cartoon Books STUPID, STUPID RAT TAILS: THE ADVENTURES OF BIG JOHNSON BONE #1 Jeff Smith and Tom Sniegoski in BONE prequel! See 'Where's Bone Headed?' above. -------------------------------- Chemical Brain Comics MY LIFE WITH EDDIE VEDDER #3 Wild parties and rock and roll by Bones. -------------------------------- Club 408 Graphics TIMESPELL #4 The saga of a timeless serial killer concludes its first story arc. Rich Henn & Russ Colchaniro. -------------------------------- Colonia Press COLONIA #3 A new issue of this wonderful historical fantasy by Jeff Nicholson is eagerly anticipated!!Click here to check out our previous Indypreviews review of this great series!
-------------------------------- Diva CENTRAL CITY #1 SF manga series set in intriguing post-apocalyse world! Saya Urabe. -------------------------------- Drawn and Quarterly THE EXTENDED DREAM OF MR. D. Trade paperback collection of acclaimed series. LOUIS RIEL #2 Chester Brown -------------------------------- Eddie Campbell comics EDDIE CAMPBELL'S BACCHUS #47 -------------------------------- El Capitan AMY RACECAR COLOR SPECIAL #2 Outer space adventures by STRAY BULLETS creator David Lapham. -------------------------------- Exhibit A Press SUPERNATURAL LAW #24 Batton Lash's acclaimed WOLFF & BYRD, COUNSELORS OF THE MACABRE is changing its title, but the bizaar fun of the original series continues! -------------------------------- Fantagraphics Books COMBUSTION Newcomer Chris Lanier's expressionistic graphic novel, a meditation on war, is done in a fascinating woodcut technique! -------------------------------- Gun Dog Comics GUMMER #7 Eric Yonge. -------------------------------- Highwater Books LOST VALLEY: A TRASHY TALE OF EXCESS Entertaining, educational environmental comic by indy superstar Megan Kelso and Daniel Snyder! -------------------------------- Kenzer & Company KNIGHTS OF THE DINNER TABLE #35 War-gamer satire! -------------------------------- Lethargic Comics International LETHARGIC LAD #12 Greg Hyland's satirical hero has a COSTUME CHANGE!!!!! -------------------------------- Lightspeed Press FINDER FOOTNOTE PACK #5 No FINDER collection is complete without Carla Speed McNeil's personal set of footnotes with fascinating miscellanea about the strange imaginary city of Anvard!See MYSTERY DATE review in this month's Amazing Montage Magazine!
-------------------------------- Mighty Gremlin ELECTRIC GIRL #3 Michael Brennan's delightful all-ages series about a teen with more than her share of spark! -------------------------------- Mprints Publishing, Inc. ERNOR #2 Prehistoric anthropomorphic fantasy fun by Vicky Morgan-Keith and Patrick A. Keith! -------------------------------- NBM PRINCESS AND THE FROG New full-color series by comics legend Will Eisner! See article above. -------------------------------- Oni Press JENNY FINN #3 Weird mutation fantasy by Mike Mignola & Troy Nixey! WHITEOUT: MELT #1 Greg Rucka & Steve Lieber return with a new series starring the unforgettable Deputy Marshal Carrie Stetko! Considering the great achievement of their first series WHITEOUT, this new series should not be missed!click here to read our review of WHITOUT in Amazing Montage Magazine!
-------------------------------- Pan Entertainment KNEWTS OF THE ROUND TABLE #7 Fitzgerald & Chamsuwan's atmospheric fantasy continues! -------------------------------- Radio Comix FURRLOUGH #81 Anthropomorphic anthology. WILDLIFERS BACK-TO-SCHOOL SPECIAL #1 Joe Rosales. -------------------------------- Sandberg Publishing JUPITER #2 Jason Sandberg. -------------------------------- Scorpion Productions DIABOLIK VOL 1 #3 CRUMBS FOR THE SCUM Reprints of the exciting European series. -------------------------------- Shanda Fantasy Arts SFA SPOTLIGHT #6 WOMEN IN FUR 1999 Women writers and artists of anthropomorphic comics! -------------------------------- Sirius Entertainment EMPTY ZONE #3 Weird futuristic noir by Jason Alexander! EPISODE 1/8 THE FANDOM MENACE Star Wars parody with Mark Crilley covers! THE 7TH SYSTEM #5 Roel's intriguing-sounding fantasy series. -------------------------------- 6 Handed Press FAANS #5 Fandom satire. -------------------------------- Slab-O-Concrete BULLETINS FROM SERBIA HC Comics documenting the conflict in Yugoslavia by Aleksander Zograf. -------------------------------- Sunset Strips DETECTIVE: CHRONICLES OF MAX FACCIONI #1 Gerard Goffaux's new mystery series! -------------------------------- Terra Major ROLAND: DAYS OF WRATH #3 Amaya, Moon, & Ba's Arthurian fantasy! -------------------------------- Thecomic.com BEOWULF #2 Gareth Hinds! -------------------------------- Thinktank Comics HYSTERIA #4 Mike Hawthorne's tale of a jaded psychopath! -------------------------------- Top Shelf Productions NEW HAT STORIES: BANKS/EUBANKS Hot indy star Tom Hart (MONICA'S STORY) creates art which is stunningly simple and yet complex in its implications!
-------------------------------- Viz Communications PULP VOLUME 3 #10 Manga noir anthology BLACK & WHITE #2 Taiyo Matsumoto's crime series set in a small Japanese village! -------------------------------- Westhampton House NEIL GAIMAN'S GODS AND TULIPS Gaiman's prophetic comparison of the comics speculative boom to 17th century Tulipmania has a cover by Michael Kaluta and the proceeds go to the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund! -------------------------------- Wilson Place Comics WJHC #2 High school comedy by Fisher, Petersen & Dekraker! -------------------------------- NON-INDEPENDENT COMICS PUBLISHED BY HUGE CORPORATIONS AMERICAN SPLENDOR: TERMINAL (Dark Horse) Harvey Pekar's classic series returns-- see article above. MYSTERYMEN COMICS PRESENTS SCREWBALL! (Dark Horse) Bob Burden! HEART OF EMPIRE: THE LEGACY OF LUTHER ARKWRIGHT #6 (Dark Horse) Brian Talbot! GON UNDERGROUND (DC) Masashi Tanaka's delightful tales of a tiny dinosaur amidst present-day wildlife! PROMETHIA #4, TOP TEN #3, TOMMORROW STORIES #2 (America's Best Comics) Alan Moore as a writer can do no wrong! YEAH #2 (DC) Peter Bagge and Gilbert Hernandez!