Hosive

in this segment, i’ll detail my amore for the art and medium of comics. the title comes from a comic shop i frequented as a kid and a nod to my boy q and his blog.

been reading a few graphic novels in addition finishing three epics in the dc universe. the epics being final crisis, new krypton and the kingdom come sequel in the jsa. here are the graphic novels:

camelot 3000 is a groundbreaking series that i read as a kid: 1984 kidom! it was one of the first maxi-series in the us…a comic with a storyline that had a definite start and ending. miniseries were common running about 4 issues. but the maxi-series aimed to twelve issues or a whole year in length. unheard of! most comics had indefinite runs….until nobody cared and purchased the books. its like tv….there are shows go on forever or until the ratings decline. then there are miniseries that run a few nights or for a week. but the maxi-series concept has finally arrived to the small screen…a story with a predetermined ending…..not surprisingly produced by folks with comic influences: lost and battlestar galactica.

camelot 3000 was a sci fi, sword and sorcery and literary scramble with king arthur and the knights of the round table reincarnated in the year 3000 as the earth faces alien invasion. this is not for little kids…but perhaps for mid teens and above as it deals with issues of war, sexuality, politics, betrayal and destiny. not sure if kids would be interested! but i was…at age 13! and not just the sexuality parts! it was great reminiscing…so many deep memories. amazing how much i recalled…and some stuff i forgot. i must have read this over and over as a kid.

bottomless belly button is definitely not for kids as it deals with a slice of life as a family faces the impending divorce of their elderly parents. dash shaw has won much praise and attention for this massive depiction of the interaction, relationships and lives of this family. its a bit of a slow burn as you just watch them live their lives with the end in sight but its executed in a way where the climax is just silently heartbreaking. very real and very painful.

in the superhero genre, i reread kevin smith’s sound of violence…green arrow’s first adventure post resurrection. he faces a character that smith created and recently brought back in a batman mini series: Onomatopoeia. i think smith is the only person allowed to use the character.

i forgot how sophomoric and dirty smith is. but how can i forget? double entendres are everywhere! but it may fit the liberal, crusty old oliver queen. then again, this is how kevin smith writes nearly everything. however,  his run on green arrow, along with mike grell’s nuanced and realistic run are amongst the best in terms of characterization and story crafting.

finally, because of the end of the kingdom come sequel, i’m starting to re-read the original. will update next time!