Archive for ‘March, 2009’
Hi, Folks:
We are proud to announce that we’ve joined ComicsXP, and that Story Studios’ publications will be available in digital format there. Furthermore, we are happy to be featured on their site in the Publisher Spotlight. ComicsXP is unique among digital retailers, offering an elegantly functional comic reader that is intuitive in its use, and plans to expand their service into a magazine, gift cards, and a wide array of features that will bridge the gap between traditional and digital fan bases.
I rarely do book reviews, but I would like to suggest that anyone interested in a career in comics get Andy Schmidt’s “The Insider’s Guide to Creating Comics and Graphic Novels,” published by Impact books. Most how-to books written for comics cover the same, well-trodden tracks and fail to impart anything new or interesting. In fact, it seems the common approach is divide comic how-to books up by genre, not by technique. So, you can find books how to draw cartoon superheroes, or zombies, or crime noir, or what have you, and they all essentially pedal the same information but couched in terms of individual genres. Schmidt’s book doesn’t do this.
Furthermore, Andy Schmidt’s book is written from an editor’s perspective, which is different than that of the penciler, inker, colorist, and/or letterer. The concerns he lays out are part of the whole storytelling experience, making for a sort of holistic approach to creating sequential art. He covers composition and staging quite well, and some of his opinions were illuminating even to me, after all the years I’ve done this. Then, he goes on to inking, coloring, and lettering, and the inevitable “breaking in” chapter.
This is not a “how to draw” book, but I do see it as potentially informative for cartoonists of just about any skill level. Schmidt’s writing is refreshingly straight forward and concise, and he has a way of making even complex topics clear. I give “The Insider’s Guide to Creating Comics and Graphic Novels” an A.

After Decorum’s loss of her partner, and part of her hearing, in “Death On The Docks,” I had plans to bring her into the comic. The crazy fetish/Goth outfit was to illustrate the turmoil she felt over the loss of her partner, Shadowcowl. I never got around to bringing her into the regular storyline, but when I do I doubt it will be the Goth version.

Shadowcowl, who was introduced and killed in “Death on the Docks,” derived his formidable powers from his magic cloak.
The Chimera Strikes – The Seven of Cups by Mike Indovina, art by Paul E. Schultz, published by Satyr Play Productions © 2007
Reviewed by Benita Story – http://johnnysaturn.com – www.basicallybenita.com

If you like old-fashioned mystery men stories with a twist, you will enjoy The Chimera Strikes. The art style reminds me a bit of the old Dick Tracey comics. Here the bad guys are bad and the good guys are good. The black & white art mirrors the subject matter perfectly.
The story starts out with a retelling of the origin of the Chimera himself and of his “assistant” Miss Webb. Like the pulp stories of old, Miss Webb is captured in order to trick the hero into coming to her rescue. But, unlike those old stories, this victim is no weakling and she can turn the tables on the bad guys just as ably as her partner.
The only confusing thing about this story is whether you are in the 1930’s or in the 21st century. Both time periods are mentioned and it seems to go back and forth. I never did figure this mystery out, but, really, it doesn’t make that much difference. The outcome of the story would have been the same, and the real villain would still be evil and manage to get away at the last minute and the main characters would be on his trail.
If this were a webcomic, I would put it in my Favorites list and continue reading it.
“The Watchmen” is too big and important to cover in a single review. Books can, and have been written about the graphic novel, and the movie will probably inspire the same.
I know people who think that superheroes don’t lie, and that they would never fight other heroes. It’s easy to see where they got this idea, because, outside of comics, superheroes are portrayed as one-diminsional, bright, optimistic do-gooders, sort of boy scouts in tights. They always do what’s right. It’s never hard to decide what is right or wrong. Good always wins over evil. Good deeds never have unforeseen, bad consequences.
In comics it’s another story all-together. Well before the “Watchmen” or “Dark Knight Returns” were published, comics had already shed much of its innocence and stories often pushed the accepted boundaries and dealt with drug abuse, alcoholism, pornography, addiction, and any other vice you can think of. Most often these vices were dealt with tastefully, and moral conservatism won over depravity. When heroes fought each other, it usually began with a cliché misunderstanding, a short inconclusive tussle, and then a congenial team-up to deal with the “real” problem.
I would argue that what ”Watchmen” and “Dark Knight Returns” brought to the comics scene was mental illness: the superhero as a sociopath, or psychopath, or some other such behavioral dysfunction. For example, Batman has spent the last thirty years wound so tight and out of touch with his human emotions that he is regularly described as psychotic.
This war for the soul of the superhero is at the heart of Watchmen. Dan/Nite Owl is a decent person, one unwilling to abandon his morals or dish out jackbooted oppression. Comedian has completely surrendered to his dark philosophy of brutality, and he believes in stark, ugly “truths.” Rorschach is a one-man judge, jury, and executioner. Ozymandius exemplifies putting the ends before the means, and in service of his goals he has placed himself high above his fellow humans.
Dr. Manhattan is easier to nail down. He belongs to the old archetype of the non-human who is more than human. Pinnochio, the Vision from the Avengers, Data from Star Trek, and many others fit this role. Dr. Manhattan believes that he is now divorced from humanity and their concerns, yet it is the tears of a woman (Silk Spectre) that change his mind and bring him back to earth one last time. Still, it’s curious to note that for most members of this would-be human archetype, most aspire to become human, as if that were innately superior to their non-human status. Not Dr. Manhattan. We come away with the suspicion that he left for another galaxy and he would do well and good without his human traits.
The soundtrack to Watchmen is outstanding. In addition to the original score for the movie, which is moody and a little threatening, there are old songs worked in to great effect, including Bob Dylan’s “Times They Are A-Changing,” Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah,” Simon and Garfunkels “Sounds of Silence,” and the Jimi Hendrix version of Dylan’s “All Along The Watchtower.”
Scott Kurtz of “PvP” labeled Watchmen as superhero porn. I respectfully disagree. Clearly, this movie is Superhero Noir, a dark, serious alley off the brightly lighted streets of traditional superhero fair.
It’s safe to say this movie isn’t for everyone. If you expect that you are going to watch something like Superman returns, or Iron Man, or the Fantastic Four, you are going to be quite disappointed. Watchmen is darker even than Batman Begins and The Dark Knight. Don’t take your kids. The teenagers that shared the theater with me seemed less than diverted, and they came and went often to get refreshments.



