The New Comics Comics
by T. Hodler
Tuesday, October 17, 2006
Well, it’s finally here in all its glory. The second issue of Comics Comics debuted this weekend at SPX, and it’s a pretty terrific bargain.
We’ve switched to a much larger size—the second issue is a broadsheet—and though we’ll probably have it available for downloading fairly soon, this is one you’re going to want to own and hold in your hands, if only for the beautiful, giant Justin Green “Perpetual Calendar” on the back cover.
Incidentally, I was surprised at how many people at SPX (ostensibly big fans of “alternative” comics) didn’t recognize Justin Green‘s name. All I can say to that is that he basically invented the modern conception of autobiographical comics, and he is easily one of the dozen or so most important comic book creators of the last fifty years. If you haven’t read his Binky Brown stories, you should buy them and read them immediately. Seriously. Don’t buy a single other comic until you’ve found the Binky Brown Sampler. It is better than anything else you could possibly be considering.
Of course, Green’s not the only contributor in this issue. Did you ever wonder how Peter “Hate” Bagge really feels about Spider-Man, and about the single issue of that superhero’s adventures he created for Marvel? You can find out in Comics Comics #2!
Do you like the strange and wonderful work of Matthew Thurber, recently named minicomics artist of the year by the Comics Journal? You’ll read more here, in Comics Comics #2!
Also, Frank “Storeyville” Santoro discusses the lost art of color separation with mainstream legend Kevin Nowlan!
Comics and a very rare interview from our cover artist, the enigmatic PShaw!
Dan on Dave Sim, Mark Newgarden on Michael Kupperman, gag cartoons by Lauren R. Weinstein, and the first installment in an epic, New Yorker-style (ha) exploration of the 1970s Marvel stories of Steve Gerber!
Does YOUR favorite store carry Comics Comics?
Labels: Comics Comics, Dave Sim, Frank Santoro, Justin Green, Kevin Nowlan, Lauren R. Weinstein, Mark Newgarden, Matthew Thurber, Michael Kupperman, Peter Bagge, PShaw, SPX, superheroes
Please, please, please put the second (and any future) issues online. I loved the first issue, and I haven’t seen the printed version anywhere here in London (UK)!
The Gerber article was awesome. I can’t wait to see what’s said about Man-Thing, which has to be the single most idiosyncratic mainstream comics series I’ve ever read. One had no idea what was coming from issue to issue.
The one series where he had a long run that you didn’t mention was Daredevil. These weren’t very good comics as Gerber was trying to find his way, but they were at least very strange. Daredevil #99 features a guest appearance by Jan Wenner!
–Rob Clough
http://www.sequart.com
Brad —
We will probably still put the second issue online. It might just take a little while.
And Rob —
Thanks! I’d never actually read very much Steve Gerber before starting the research for this article, when I basically ingested almost every comic he ever wrote. I had to stop somewhere, though, and decided to skip most of the Sub-Mariner and Daredevil issues he wrote at the very beginning of his career. The few Daredevils I did read, though, were a lot of fun. Whenever I get over my Gerber fatigue, I’ll probably track them down.