This post is Filed Under:
Home page Highlights,
Interviews and Columns
Wayne Markley
by Wayne Markley
I have typically said there are a number of really good books each month that are overlooked because they are not from the big two publishers, marvel and DC, or they are not a superhero title. There are also a number of terrific collections each month, ether brand new material or collections of classic material that are also overlooked, typically because they are not suits and capes (superheroes). So I thought I would write a blog this time, and possibly again in a future blog, taking a look at these underrated titles that I think are worthy of much much more attention than they get.
These titles come from a number of different publishers and cover a number of different genres. all of these books are well worth your money and time and they offer outstanding storytelling and art, for the most part. at times the art is not terrific but the story is strong enough to carry it (this is not that common).
Steve Ditko’s Monsters: Konga!
I have said various times over the years what a big fan I am of Steve Ditko and of Craig Yoe’s collections. recently IDW published the second volume of Steve Ditko’s Monsters. The title of this series is deceptive as it is really a collection of two series Ditko did for Charlton Comics in the 1960s called Gorgo and Konga. These are really just knock-offs of Godzilla and King Kong respectively. This is not a negative as these are both really fun collections. These stories are not the Steve Ditko who did Spider-Man, doctor unusual or even creepy and Eerie (which was also collected into a good hardcover collection recently), but they are full color adventure stories with a huge lizard and a huge ape. There is no reason to go into the stories as they are conventional fare and at times even very good. These two hardcovers are in full color and they have a charm that I typically finding lacking in modern comics. I know older fans like me have always thought Gorgo and Konga were a bit silly and over-priced in the collectors market, but these two collections give you the opportunity to get the complete runs of both of these titles in reasonably priced stunning hardcovers. They are ideal for kids of all ages.
Sergio Aragones’ Funnies #11
Bongo Comics was the brain-child of Matt Groening, the developer of The Simpsons and Futurama. He remains to this day the publisher of the comic and keeps a close eye on what they publish month to month. They are best known for the Simpsons Comics and Futurama, both of which are great, but they also publish other properties such as SpongeBob SquarePants Comics and stories and creator-owned properties such as Sergio Aragones’ Funnies. While I do not think there has ever been a book published by Bongo that I would not recommend for some reason, I find Sergio Aragones’ Funnies particularly interesting because it is written and drawn the by legendary Sergio Aragones, well-known for his years of work on mad Magazine, the classic Plop comic from the 70s, and his many well-known creation, Groo the Wanderer. This is a different mix of autobiographical stories and short gag strips. Sergio has had an fantastic life, and I am sure even if you are his most significant fan and have read everything about him, you will find things is this comic that you never knew about his life. He is able to find a good mix of drama about his own life, mixed with humor, and the gag strips are practically all classics. He recently has a story about a sea monster that was just amazing about how things we see as children are very different when we are adults. It is a story I am sure we all can relate to. Each issue is self-contained and I highly suggest that you try an issue. There have been nine issues so far, it is typically monthly (there was a break after issue seven), and each issue is a delight to read. check it out.
Clone
Clone is a monthly book from image that I really enjoy. While the story is not all that original, it is so well done it brings me back month after month. The premise is our hero discovers someone is trying to kill him and his girlfriend, and the person looks just like him. As the story expands, we discover there are tons of clones and orchestrating the mayhem behind the scenes is the us government and very little is at is seems on the surface. The story is very quick paced and is filled with twists and turns and the art is ideal for the story. Each clone looks alike but they are drawn differently enough that you can tell them apart. It reminds me a bit of the British TV show Orphan Black, which is also very good, but there are hundreds times as numerous clones and the lead is a male instead of a woman. This book come from the vein of Avatar books except it is cleaned up. There is excessive violence but there is no gratuitous nudity and sexual violence you find in Avatar titles such as Crossed or Stitched. As a quick aside, I found the new Crossed annual 2013 to be an extremely well written book. While it includes the common Crossed trademarks (nudity, violence, etc.), the story was so good it won me over to the point of recommending it.
Great Pacific
I have always thought terrific art can save weak story, and there are a number of examples of that in the history of comics. One current comic that I really delight in the story and I find it to be very creative and original is terrific Pacific from Image, but the art is not really that great. The premise of this book is there is a terrific island in the Pacific ocean made up of trash, plastic, and much more junk than you can imagine. This part is true, check it out. It’s an fantastic story and also scary there is that much trash in our oceans. The comic takes this premise of a trash island and has a young billionaire take it over and claim it as his independent country and thus creates his own government. This story is really interesting as it is a mix of politics, science fiction, and reality as the stories roll out from this opening premise and we see all of the various political twists and turns as well as the problems that come with trying to create a new country as well as drawing the best kind of people to this idealistic place. I find the art to be amateurish. even though I am sure it is what the writers wants, it does not work for me. but I find the story so strong that it brings me back every month to see what the newest challenges is, be it political setbacks with the UN, sea monsters, or new residents on the island who are not what they seem. good reading.
Star trek newspaper Comics Vol. 2
The final books I would like to recommend is the two volume set of the star trek newspaper Strips. IDW just recently published the second volume the star trek newspaper Strips that ran from 1977-1981. There were a number of creators who dealt with these strips, but reading them I felt they did a very good job of capturing the feel of Capt. James T. Kirk and his crew. The reproduction is good and the Sunday strips are in full color. These strips have rarely been reprinted (only once that I know of). They are a ideal gift for the star trek fan who thought they had everything in the star trek canon, from the DVDs, comics, books, etc. It is terrific to see IDW to continue to reprints comic strips from the past to the recent era. I hope they can keep it up for years to come.
As always, everything I have written about here is my opinion and does not reflect the thoughts or opinions of Westfield and their employees. I am always searching for new things to read so if you have any ideas or if you disagree with me. Please drop me a line at MFBWAY@AOL.COM.
Thank you.