Three Panel Origin

Three Panel Origin

Tasty and Guilt-free!

A new thursday means a tasty comic treat.  There is always room for Three Panel Origin.  You'll get it... I'll wait... GELLO MOLD!

Three Panel Origin

Three Panel Origin

Don't worry, it's just a name.

Today marks some firsts! This 3PO is the first reappearance of MaaangaaaR the Bejeweled, the first time I am launching a new platform to check out these comics on, and the first time anyone has portrayed genuinely gender-neutral slave attire. But back to that second one, I have a tumblr for these comics now.  Is it better? Let me know.  In the meantime, I have a character that has her image in part to a certain comic book/internet personality that is also beautiful and badass like my character... FENIX!

Three Panel Origin

Three Panel Origin

Darker than the depths...of your soul!

Today for our 3PO, I decided to make and homage to my favorite comic artist Mike Mignola! So the 3PO has a bit of a Mignola sheen to it.  I can't do the man justice but I can at least try.  Watch out for that monster! Its DEATH GOAT!

Three Panel Origin

Three Panel Origin

If we didn't have arms, foot hygiene would be more important.

This is it! The messiah has returned! No! Not that one, the OTHER one.  In the tradition of turning an ancient society's deities into modern day superheroes, this takes advantage of that vastly un-mined and weird territory of Egyptian mythology.  Meet the first of many "New Gods," and our savior, HORUS!

Three Panel Origin

Three Panel Origin

He went to Jared!

There is an angry purple man in the marvel universe, and he loves bling. He's also a ripoff of a DC universe angry gray man that is less interested in bling but is scarier.  Well here is a angry mauve man who loves bling even more and is even scarier than the others.  Forget infinite power, here are the finite powers of MAAANGAAAR the Bejeweled!

Creators: Mike Mignola

Creators

A growing list of influential Artists, Writers, Poets, Filmmakers, and Creatives.

Mike Mignola

This one was a long time coming.  Some of you who know me may have heard me talk about this guy before.  Almost every time I get into a discussion about great comics, I will mention his name.  Mike Mignola is the comic book artist and writer behind the character Hellboy, the BPRD, and many other monsterific stories.  He is a visual storyteller of the highest caliber and a master of his chosen craft.  Secure your goggles and flippers kids, because we are about to dive in!

Three Panel Origin

Three Panel Origin

Make a full fledged comic, why don't ya?!

The character for today's 3PO is so cool and so much fun, it makes me really want to create a full comic for her.  She has shrinking, energy blasts, telepathy thingies, and even a version of that sweet rewind move from Prince of Persia using tachyons.  Plus, she has the personality of Spider-man and Iron Man smashed together.  I love her, and you will too.  Antman? Too big! Atom? What a fatass! This is QUARK!

Lego of Me

Lego of Me

Is that Batman?

No, It's not. Everyday last week in the summer camp I would make a couple new mosaic.  And every time, one kid would ask me "Is that Batman?" Do you know who Batman is, kid? Do you?

Three Panel Origin

Three Panel Origin

Tastier than the leading brand of origin.

3PO is fun for all ages, but not kids because they're smelly.  This week, we have an old woman with history that's repeating itself.  She's also the bearer of one of the best supervillain names ever.  This is the origin of the Banana Nana!

Creators: Jack Kirby

Creators

A growing list of influential Artists, Writers, Poets, Filmmakers, and Creatives.

Jack Kirby

 This guy has often referred to as the King of Comics, and by gum, he may just be that! 1936 was the year he entered the scene, and even then so much promise could be seen in his work. He worked as an animator, did weekly strips, but eventually he got to do what he was meant do; epitomize comic book storytelling. Creating great characters and stories for both Marvel and DC comics, without a doubt, he left an enormous impact on the art form.

Jack Kirby was without a doubt talented, influential, and prolific, but he also exemplified the quality that all artists, especially comic artists, need: Hard Working. Jack Kirby had one of the most intense work schedules in comic history, and I'm truly baffled at how much he did and how good it turned out. During his heavy days at Marvel and DC, he would complete more than three pages a day and sometimes more than twenty a week.  With how quickly he completed the work, you would think his quality would have dipped, but the opposite was actually true. He always got better.

Three Panel Origin

Three Panel Origin

Spazz!

This 3PO gives praise to ridiculous animal-suited superheroes.  This one has gorillas, and researchers; everything a body needs. This is the Three Panel Origin of Gorillaman.

Three Panel Origin

Three Panel Origin

Bite me!

Dinosaurs are big and back! In today's Three Panel Origin  we have the amazing merging of man and beast.  And this Kaiju story is further told in a series of animations I made with Pivot Stick Figure Animator. Here are episodes One Two and Three of MONSTER MAN! (PS I love drawing scales!)

I Read: Saga by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples

I Read: Saga by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples

Comic time again!  This time I decided to read two trade-paperbacks back to back.  This one has quickly become a hit, and may be one day considered a modern classic.  It tells a old story in new ways and has some other worldly imagery to show you the way.  Let's set out on a Saga.

Saga by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples

This is a story about parenting, love, war, politics and a cornucopia of other stuff. It is a bit of a disservice to the book to try and describe it, because in doing so, it may unneccesarily deter you from reading it.  It will sound ridiculous, indeed, but it works, somehow.  The crux of the story is a universe spanning war between a planet and its moon, where one is run by anthropomorphic robots and winged bird-people and the other is a race of horned magic-users.
I told you. Weird.
But in a crazy way, and bringing the wildest visuals of any comic on the rack, this story has begun to make perfect sense.  It has star-crossed lovers and their baby, bounty-hunters tracking them down from both planets, and all of the drama that can come from relationships and conflicts.  It covers class-ism, politics, war, and love within its pages, and yet it never feels overstuffed.

The writing is honest and natural, the characters saying things I can actually hear someone saying.  This goes nicely with the bizarre and nonsensical visuals that make up the comic. That's why it is such a delight.  We get a feast for the eyes with odd and unnatural world that is fascinating,  and we get to explore it with characters that behave like real people.  That, in a nutshell, is why saga works.  If it were all weird, both visually and in the text, It would be a harder sell.  But, by making the language accessible and natural, it allows us to go into this funky universe with our hands clasped firmly with the characters.
When it comes to the art, Fiona Staples brings grease monkeys and tv-faced robot people out of strange pop-art and into colorful life.  I think her great skill is giving personality to these manifestations, so that they feel genuinely alive, and not just goofy doodles with word balloons.
As far as comics that are currently running on the rack, I would recommend getting into this one.  Granted I have only read 12 or so issues in, I still say you should get into it too, and I look forward to continuing the journey.

Three Panel Origin

Three Panel Origin

Consult your doctor if conditions worsen.

A 3PO for the ages this week! Its based on true experiences, and is a horror movie waiting to happen
Welcome 3PO's first true monster in THE CLOG!

Three Panel Origin

Three Panel Origin

Chock-full of Reality

At last! A 3PO for a real superhero. And I do mean real.  This guy stalked the streets of my hometown a few years back.  Haven't heard from him since, but he still was a fascinating bit of reality mimicking fantasy. This origin comes pieced together from a second or third hand account.  From the mean streets of Cincinnati, OH, here comes Shadow Hare!

I Read: The Golden Bough by James George Frazer

I Read: The Golden Bough - A study in Magic and Religion by James George Frazer

Taking a completely different direction, This time around I have read an academic work, rather than fiction.  and holy cow was it a long one.  It's a work I have wanted to read for sme time, as one of my favorite thinkers, Joseph Campbell, cited it as a work that motivated his own scholarship.  So with scholarship in mind, lets explore the relationship between magic, ritual, and religion.

The Golden Bough - A study in Magic and Religion by James George Frazer

The first thing I'll say is that this book really made me respect the amount of scholarship people of time gone by needed to know much about anything. The sheer amount of books and reading required to get all of his info together is staggering and is worthy of note.  But enough about that.
The primary goal of the book is to understand the origin and meaning of a ritual that took place at a shrine of Diana on the mirror lake of Nemi near Rome.  Associated with Nymphs, spirits, and the nature goddess herself, the primary ritual revolved around a figure who guarded a tree in the grove near the lake.  He was called 'the King of the Wood.' His purpose was to protect the tree, and in some respect the shrine.  He would do this until a challenger would retrieve a golden bough from the tree and then fight the king to the death.  In doing so, the challenger would become the new King of the Wood until a challenger defeated him.  It was this grim and mystic scene that caused Frazer to investigate, and try to pick apart the ritual in order to understand what it was and why it came about.  What followed was an extensive list (700 pages!) of examples of various cultures and beliefs, charting the course from early man through the founding of civilization in order to define notions of magic, religion, and ritual.  I won't be extensive in reciting his proofs.  What I will do is mention the notions and ideas I found interesting, and the conclusions I found profound. The greatest of these was the foundational principles of Magic. They are:
The Law of Similarity - Like Produces Like. Effects resemble their cause.
The Law of Contagion - Things that have once been in contact continue to have contact upon each other at a distance.
It is these two beliefs which not only betray man's ever-present ego, but also show how a simple yet false assumption can have limitless effect on the world.  With these two 'truths' in mind, ancient man saw that certain action yield related results, and used that simple logic, but expanded it into all of creation. It was correct, in noticing that winter followed autumn, so supplies or better lands were needed to survive.  Also, if it rains a lot, plants grow more.  But these notions were taken to odd and clearly misguided places (if you have sex in the fields when you plant them, you will have babies and lots of corn/If a wife opens anything while her husband is away hunting, this will 'open' any trap set for prey and they will catch nothing/if you don't perform certain rituals, the sun won't rise in the morning.)
In this respect, everyone was a magician, as all had the ability to perform certain rituals and cause certain effects.  When spells didn't work, it was blamed on another person working against you who had stronger magic. And since the notion of some people being better at it than others, the first sorcerers/shaman appeared.
These magicians were looked to for food, rain, healing, and luck.  They were often the developers of new, more effective means of controlling the world, and were the investigative minds of their age. Wizards and mystics had advanced places in society because they served the public good. They were rain makers and helped provide for the good of the tribe. That gave them power. The Priest, the sorcerer, and the King were once one. The path of ascension is as follows.

• Wizard~Gains power and reverence~Becomes Chief.
• Chief~Gains possessions~becomes King.

But, upon noticing that magic does not work on its own, assumptions that some other force or personality was at work arose. This is where the gods came from.  If the elements could not be commanded by simple actions, then they must be subject to influence.  If they are subject to influence, then they must be similar to humanity itself, only more powerful, as they control the weather and seemingly the fortunes of men. The elements must be under the control of personalities, as man asserts control over itself.  See what I mean about the Ego of Man.
This is how the sorcerers became priests, interceding on behalf of the powerful personalities that control the world.  Gods were little different than mortal sorcerers, simply invisible versions.  They were still capable of the same powers, as well as susceptible to coercion. But to common people, the priests were not just more effective magic users but cohorts with the gods. This is the birth of religion. In later centuries, religion disliked magic because it did not require god to intercede in people's lives. They could do it themselves.
The age of magic followed scientific logic of cause and  effect. Its most praised sorcerers are the predecessors to today's investigators of the workings of the world: Scientists. The difference is, they have ditched the false assumptions of magic, aside from the basic premise of cause and effect, though effects don't have to resemble their causes anymore. Its not hard to see how humaity developed these ideas though, or how it morphed into religion.  Frazer puts it pretty nicely:

Magical assumptions stem from logic that even animals must have on some level. It takes consideration to invent God.

Comparing obstinate faith that magical actions cause the sun to rise and  religious claims, they look pretty similar.
But back to the Golden Bough.  So what does it all mean?  Here is the gist.

The "King of the wood," is the priest/magician of the shrine, and protector of a sacred tree.
That sacred Tree is a manifestation of Diana, a nature goddess.
The "King of the Wood" is the consort of the goddess, and her defender.
When a challenger comes, he faces the old king.
If he dies, it means that he was too weak to do his duty.
The Golden bough that the challenger first retrieves, is a receptacle for the King's soul.
That's right, the golden bough is a horcrux.
The mantle of the King, an even their spirit, is transfered to the challenger, and they must protect the grove.
For if the grove dies, the goddess will no longer provide for the people.

I think that's pretty cool.
After all of it is done, it was an interesting book, but hard to get through. Mountains of examples aside, the man did seem to look down on non-european cultures.  He used terms like 'savage,' 'rude,' 'barbarian,' and the like interchangeably. Some of his scholarship seems to make big assumptions, but nothing too illogical. He connected the bonfires of ancient nomads and the fire of the vestal virgins to the use of votive candles by catholics.  The healing waters of Egeria and Nemi are no different to the healing waters near the shrines of Saints and other sites in all modern religions. It makes sense if the belief in such ridiculous things is part of our cultural heritage from the beginning.
To leave off, I'll share a few choice quotations from the book.

More mischief has probably been wrought in the world by honest fools in high places than by intelligent rascals.

Religion is a sleeping threat underlying everything that can undermine all progress.  It is a standing menace to civilization. 

and

In the fight between 'the impulsive energy of the minority or the deadweight of the majority of mankind', which is the stronger force?

Italian Spiderman! The Adventure Continues...

Italian Spiderman!

The Adventure Continues...

For those of you who don't know, This is Italian Spiderman...

Now that you know, you'll understand why I want to dedicate some artwork to it.  The goal is to Italian Spider-ise the world of Spider-man.  This week may be the last installment of this critically acclaimed series. Sad, yes I know, but there is good news for the Future.  I am considering creating a series of animated shorts starting the pudgy italian. , we get terrified by Alieni Terribile and the soviet powerhouse Rinoceronte!

Three Panel Origin

Three Panel Origin

Best before May 27, 2015

Today, in 3PO history, I have taken a concept that was abandoned by a great figure in Comic History and brought new life to it.  That Creator was Bob Kane (I did a creator article about him) and that concept was his original design for Bat-Man.  So here, maintaining the complexity and emotional punch of Bruce Wayne's origin, I give you Bennett Wilson's origin. He is Ornithopter Man!

I Read: When Will Jesus Bring the Pork Chops?

I Read: When Will Jesus Bring the Pork Chops?

I have never read a book by a comedian before.  The only reason I read this one is because I found it in my parent's basement and had no idea how something like that got there.  I read it, and got a handful of chuckles.  Rather than give you a play by play, I'll just give you some of my favorite bits.

When Will Jesus Bring the Pork Chops? by George Carlin

Illustration: Unbelievably, a Goldfish can kill a Gorilla. However, it does require a substantial element of surprise.

Everything was somewhat organized under headings of the great man's thoughts (I love George Carlin, and I'm glad I read this.)  But here, I'll just offer you some, as George would say, 'free-floating hostility.'

• Read "A Modern Man"
• Men are Stupid and Women are crazy (because Men are stupid.) He also has other great passages on men and women.
• Euphemisms; the man was confounded by them. "I first became aware of euphemisms when I was 9 years old. I was in the living room with my mother and my aunt Lil when I mentioned that Lil had a mole on her face.  My mother was quick to point out that Lil didn't have a mole, she had a beauty mark." Relax and be happy that your pimples are seen by some as mere skin blemishes. He explores MANY more Euphemisms in the book.
• Why are people who believe in UFO's treated as significantly less credible than people who believe in the supernatural?
• He reduces the Ten commandments down to two: be honest and faithful, and try really hard not to kill someone else unless they don't pray to the same god you do.
• "Every child is special. An empty meaningless statement. What about every adult? Isn't every adult special? And if not, then at what age does a person go from being special to being not-so-special? And if every adult IS also special, then that means all people are special and the idea has no meaning. This embarrassing sentiment is usually advanced to further some position that is either political or fund-raising in nature. It's similar to "children are our future." It's completely meaningless and is probably being used in some self-serving way."
• Why is it the only time you ever hear the word figment it's in relation to the imagination? Aren't there any other kinds of figments?
• A GENERIC JOKE: A person walks into a place and says something to another person. The second person says something back to the first person, who listens to that and then says something back to the second person. The thing that he says back is really funny.
• Ignore these four words.
• Here's How money can buy happiness: Money gives you options, options give you breathing room, breathing room gives you control and control can offer you a measure of happiness. Maybe.
• The sky is not blue. It merely looks that way because blue is the name we have given that color.
• A good motto to live by: "Always try not to get killed."

Three Panel Origin

Three Panel Origin

For a good, clean, high.

It's that time of week again, and I have a new character and a fresh origin.  I present the first Superhero to gain her origin via recreational drug use.  This is Gold Rush!

I Read: Promethea - Book 1

I Read: Promethea - Book 1

Now its time to read over a graphic novel. It's a nice change of pace to read something visually instead of just textually.  And when its Alan Moore, its a great experience.

Promethea - Book 1 by Alan Moore & JH Williams III

Illustration: Promethea
Gorgeous. A knock-out creative team has created a story about story, and a new character. Promethea is the embodiment of creativity and imagination, and has existed as long as men have told stories. And she continuously reincarnates in various bodies along the way, finally entering the form of our hero, Sophie Bangs.
She comes across Promethea as a pulp comics character as well as an enduring character in poetry and folklore.  And like so many 'fish out of water' stories, she soon finds out that its 'all for real.'
And I don't mean to say that it falls into a familiar plot in a bad way.  Not at all.  If falling into a preexisting plot was universally bad, then I wouldn't like anything.  I don't think they make new plots, only new clothes for them.  And Promethea had some gorgeous outfits.
Moore creates a mythology in a flash that is both new, yet familiar enough to be comfortable in.  It also helps that it is drawn by the amazing JH Williams III, who's work always makes the most, both narratively and aesthetically, out of every inch of the page.  The panels are formed by Mucha-like frames and wreathes of roses.  The images are loaded with details, gags, and, when needed, negative space that gives the viewer both a full page and some breathing room.

Moore's writing is also wonderful, as well. He creates fun characters to follow as well as fun concepts to follow through the story.  In this world, there is a super-her- I mean SCIENCE-hero group called the Five Swell Guys, that float around on a hovercraft in business suits.  There is also a great gag in the leading comic character of the world: The Weeping Gorilla.  Funny not only for using a simplification of the human condition as a literalistic character for spewing morose one-liners, but also just plain silly fun.  Seeing billboards with a giant gorilla shedding a tear while saying "Modern Life makes me feel so alone," "Go on, ask me about my marriage," and "Can we hear that Radiohead track just once more?" is just a creative delight that makes the reading experience all the more enjoyable.
This was just the first volume of the trade paperbacks collecting this series.  It was a great start to an interesting comic and I look forward to reading even more.
Thanks Alan and JH!

Three Panel Origin

Three Panel Origin

Now with Vitamin Rob!

Another 3PO, and this one was hard to make.  I had to go against every artistic impulse I have to complete it. As a tribute to the artistry and legacy of Rob Liefeld, I present THE POUCH!

I Read: Sex Lives of the Popes

I Read: Sex Lives of the Popes

Relax! I'm not here to assault you, or anyone alive. I'm here to talk about history. Facts.  This book is about the realities of history, not about faith.  So relax a bit, and let's get into a dark bit of history with this one.  For all fans of history and intrigue, read this one.

Sex Lives of the Popes by

Illustration: The Groping Chair
Holy Sh!t! This was a fascinating read. At times amusing, this book sets out to focus on papal history in a way that is very different from the history I received in 12 years of Catholic education.  In short, the pope wasn't always an old man with a few things to say about theology, sociology, and political theory.  For much of the past 2000 years, he was an extremely influential presence in the western world who was quite often a sadistic, ambitious, and corrupt villain.  The book takes the story of the papacy from St. Peter to John Paul II, and explores the political, social, and sexual crimes of the holy see. Most of the accounts come from memoirs, letters, and contemporaries.  So while you won't find much of these vicious acts listed under some of these Saint's deeds, the accusations are as attested as the positive claims by the pope's themselves. So, equally credible and incredulous.
There are too many things in this book that are vile and evil to list off here, so I will shorten my list significantly by telling to read about 1 pope in particular to give you the idea of the kind of men the Holy Spirit selects for the job. Look up Rodrigo de Borgia, AKA Pope Alexander VI.  He is the most notorious of the already infamous Renaissance popes.
So, aside from that Spaniard, I'd like to pull out some of the interesting tidbits I learned in the course of my reading.

• Pretty much every Pope named 'Innocent' was responsible for atrocities. 
• Pope Innocent I fled Rome and let the Goth's rape and pillage, something he was accused of himself.  
• Innocent III loved jewels more than people. he oversaw the sacking of Santa Sophia with indifference along with Constantinople. He also persecuted the Cathars, who were forced to confess to sodomy by being lowered naked onto a red hot spike. (Chambre chauffe).
• Innocent IV approved torture to obtain confessions in the Inquisition. In the Black Book (penned by popes and cardinals) it says that you are guilty if you confess in part or not at all, and you can’t know what you’re accused of (if you ask you get tortured). If you confess to part of it, you are thought guilty of it all. Dominicans were the worst as they flaggelated themselves.  they loved the screams of the tortured. as it meant they were getting closer to god, for they believed torture leads to spiritual repentance, which inspired them to torture to the fullest reach of their ability. Prosecutions often began with threats or offers of leniency to torture,in this way parents were ordered to betray their children and vice versa.
• Innocent VIII released a papal bull that condoned, and even requested, the massacre of 'witches.' His Papal Bull acts as the Preface to the Malleus Maleficarum (Witches Hammer), one of the most disgusting and horrible books ever written.  Written by Dominican Monks Heinrich Krammer and James Sprenger, it outlined a militantly anti-woman worldview that required men of faith to torture and kill all who are suspected witches.  They would promise leniency in order to expose more people. they would lie and kill them all.
• Many of the popes were the sons or fathers of other popes.  That's mostly because priestly celibacy wasn't a mandate until 
• Convents oftentimes in the middle ages were simply discreet brothels where unwanted babies were killed and buried to avoid exposure. In Frace they were refered to as "Palaces of Pleasure."
• “Groping Chair,” The bottomless seat where the pope’s balls dangled down to be felt so he can be confirmed a man.They usually had a younger cardinal do this.
• Pope John XII, after a papacy full of brothels, depravity, violence, and mutilation, he was found in bed with a man’s wife and was bludgeoned to death.
• The Council of Piacenza in 1095 outlawed Priestly marriages, and they took the priests’ wives and sold them into slavery. Also they introduced the cullagium, or sex tax for keeping a concubine that was paid annually.
• Priests were feared for much of the middle ages by the women of their church, for it was widely known that many confessors were raping parishioners.
• Celestine II was a sadist, strapping a count to a red hot iron chair naked while a hot iron crown was nailed to his head.
• Gregory IX founded the inquisition in 1231. His chief lietenant was a freak named conrad. Conrad converted Elizabeth, the young widow of Thuringia. the 18 year old was forced to abandoned her 3 babies, then stripped and beaten until she was covered in blood. “If I fear a man like this, what must god be like?” and in strousburg he burned 80 men women and children to save their souls.  At first mutilation was not allowed. Instead, penitants were stripped naked and tied to a trestle, told “tell the truth for the love of god, as the inquisitors do not wish to see you suffer,” cords were tied around the arms and thighs, tightened until they told the truth, whatever that was. Then they used a winch and lifted the arms above their head behind their back. Another method involved stuffing cloth down their throat and dumping water over them.
• Sixtus IV installed Torquemada as grand inquisitor. He burnt 2000 heretics in one city. look up the trial of Elvira del Campo as an example of what they would do. The Inquisition lasted for 3 centuries and didn’t end until the mid 1800s.  Napoleon's troops were eventually the ones who set the last of those tortured free.
•  And don't even get me started on Popes named 'Pius.' (Pius V destroyed historical landmarks around rome, had prostitutes, Jews, and heretics burned to death, and had blasphemers' tongues burned out with a hot poker. Pius IX was an anti-intellectual book-burner who was the first to institute Papal Infallibility in the 1870s. Pius XII supported Hitler and Mussolini.)

Not a great collection of people, is it? These are just a few highlights.  Sure, popes don't strut like they did back then, but this book does bring up an excellent point: By looking at history, does it even remotely look like the Holy Spirit has been working through the Pope?
If so, then I am horrified to live in this universe.

Three Panel Origin

Three Panel Origin

A weekly dose to fortify your week!

Today marks the 3PO debut of of the first true professional in the vein of other Super-medical professionals like the Night Nurse and Dr Midnite.  Presenting the master of ear, nose, and throat, Dr. Snakehead MD!

I Read: Neverwhere

I Read: Neverwhere

I had only read Neil Gaiman's comic book work before. He's been one of the most interesting writers I have come across and I have wanted to read one of his novels.  After having a friend's copy sit on my shelf forever, I finally sat down and read it. It was only after I was nearly done that I found out it was a novelization of a BBC TV series he wrote.  Haven't seen the show, but it explains a few things.

Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman

Illustration: The Fop with No Name
The first thing I gathered  from the book was that Neil Gaiman's prose is as great in novels as it is in comics.  I thoroughly enjoyed his writing.  Funny, poetic, and tactfully concise, I look forward to reading more of his work. I recommend reading this one.  Now, to get into the novel's contents.  Be warned, I will talk freely about plot points and characters, so if you haven't read it... don't read this. Everyone ok?  Good. Let's continue.
The plot essentially finds an everyman who stumbles into an injured woman that pulls him into a secret world of forgotten people in the underworld of London. This is a fascinating concept for a book. It essentially takes many of the concepts associated with the homeless, mixes in some magic, and makes a mythology out of it.  In our world, homeless people are constantly on the move, are almost instantly forgotten after you look away from them, and have an association with mental instability and can be prone to ranting, saying crazy things, and conversing with the non-existent.  In the world of Neverwhere, an entire civilization lives beneath us and in the forgotten places in the world, they literally disappear from people's view, exist beside insane things like talking rats, magical doorways, and supernatural beings, and they appear crazy to the 'above' world.  Neat, huh?
Now for how much I like the concepts involved (like the magic door-opener Door, the secret bartering culture, and nearly immortal maniacs that hold medieval court in a subway car) the story is a little bland.  It is a basic 'fish-out-of-water' story with an Alice in Wonderland type of quality to it.  And No, comparing this to Alice in Wonderland is not a good thing.  To me, Alice is a story about random and weird events happening to someone who thinks they are stupid.  Neverwhere has a bit of wonder at this fascinating world, but mostly, the main character has a derisive, angry, and frightened attitude towards the weird and random things happening to him. Well written derision at randomness, but still randomness.
And when it isn't random, its predictable.  What? There's a suspicious guy, who keeps doing suspicious things after the bad guys say they should suspect a traitor? I'm going to trust him. What? There is a powerful and trustworthy character I'm supposed to have faith in despite mysterious behavior? Traitor!There are many points that can be predicted relatively easily.  The villain is obviously the villain from the moment we are introduced to him.  Maybe that's the point, but it seems too subtle to be a tipping-off to the reader.  I think it mostly comes from the story structure itself.  It's so 'by-the-book' I guess I know it too well.
Also, our protagonist, Robert, is an everyman.  I'm not a fan of the everyman.  He doesn't quite have enough quirks to qualify as a personality.  He has very little curiosity in the magical world he has entered, and just wants to go back to his boring life.  I know that's the story we're used to reading, but it doesn't make it good, at least in this case.
Not that I'm saying he shouldn't miss or want something of his old life.  The underworld is filthy, violent, and full of smelly people covered in shit. The design of this world is based off of every homeless person, vacant lot, and dirty dumpster you have ever seen put together.  Not exactly the most beautiful place to be, not that it has to be.  I like a bit of grunginess and ugliness in stuff, but I know it can be too much for some.
It has some funny and interesting moments, and I love the concept of a house assembled from different rooms around the city, but it gets far too little use.  I could have had a large portion of the book exploring that.  I like the character Door mostly for her abilities, and less for her personality, as she doesnt't have much of one.  But on some level I think the concept needs stock characters in a stock plot in order to show it off.  I'm not entirely against stock characters.  I know their purpose, they are useful in getting reluctant readers into weird worlds.  I get it.  I'm just a reader who can easily pop into a weird world, and would like some interesting people to meet me when I get there.
The short of it is, I enjoyed the book for the writing and the concept.  The plot and characters were a little dull, but I recommend reading it, as Neil Gaiman can make words a joy.

Three Panel Origin

Three Panel Origin

Back from a week-long hiatus!

In honor of killer robots everywhere, here is my fiendish creation! This 3PO has a touch of menacing history to it.  My first character of historical roots, he is surely a horrifying thing to behold.  Beware the skies! There flies Sputnik 5!

I Read: Justice League - New Frontier

I Read: Justice League - New Frontier

So the pattern of this reading list will typically go like this: Book, Book, Comic, Book, Book, Comic, ETC.  So, the first comic I am reading on this literary quest is Darwyn Cooke's Justice League: The New Frontier.  For my illustration this time, I decided against trying to emulate Cooke's gorgeous style.  I would just look stupid if I tried, though the finished product looks stupid any. I've often said that its easier to point out what you don't like about something than what you do like about it. With that in mind, I'll try to get specific about how I feel about this one, as there is so much to like.

Justice League: The New Frontier by Darwyn Cooke

Illustration: Superman & Wonder Woman Vs a Dinosaur 
This graphic novel is a great example of why comics that are written and drawn by the same person will always have a leg up on those that don't if the artist is the writer, they know how to pace and set up a story to best tell it visually, while still making great use of text.  Writer/artists are excellent at their craft, and this is a great example of it.
The story involves a rich balance of mystery, wonder, action, and introspection.  It's political without an agenda, fun without being frivolous, and compelling without being an emotional strain.  The story exists within the 1940s and 50s, and serves as an example of what made the silver age such a refreshing era in comics.  (The golden age being when comics first appeared and gained popularity, and the stories were at their crudest but still of weight and importance to those who read them.  The silver age was a late 50s through the 70s revival and reinvention of the superhero after a period of stagnation and even attack that left the industry on the verge of extinction. But enough about comics history.)

Cooke finds a definitive voice for each of the many characters that populate this adventurous world. And he incorporates so man heroes and groups into one story, its amazing that it isn't a big mess of a cast with no voice or perspective coming through. I understand and can follow the personal dilemmas of Superman, Wonder Woman, Flash, and Green Lantern as I do of any of the others.  They each have a narrative, and they find solutions and lessons in themselves and each other.
The story is expertly told with the pictures and dialogue working in synthesis or juxtaposition to show how this large story plays out. One of my favorite sequences involves the martian attempting to learn about human culture through the television.  He morphs into the icons he sees and emulates them, but he ponders on how much he does not understand about it.
Talking about a comic is hard when not everyone has a frame of reference to connect to. Its a visual medium, and at least half of the storytelling is done visually.  So to get specific points across about why it works or is good would require a great deal of description, or visual aids.  Rather than reproduce half the novel here in text or low-quality images here, I just recommend you reading it.  You will enjoy it.

Three Panel Origin

Three Panel Origin

A small start to something big.

Beware this 3PO!  It brings with it the dark underbelly of our society and the way we conduct business.  Its so scary its true, as we meet Supreme Overlord and the Wage Slaves!

I Read: Wicked

I Read: Wicked

Another book down!  And this one's pretty popular.  Or at least at some point it was. Now with this review, I'm afraid I'll sound like I'm reading books I don't like, but that's not true.  I just happened to find flaws in these first two books. So without further pause I will go over my take on this piece. Be warned, I will make no attempt to avoid plot details or spoilers.
Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire

Illustration: Elphaba
This came highly recommended and I have had a great interest in reading this for some time.  It takes a pre-existing world and turns it on its side.  That world is Oz, and the side it is turned on, is the side of the Infamous Wicked Witch of the West.
Before I talk about the actual book I need to mention expectations.  When I heard the basic premise (a retelling of the Wicked Witch of the West's life from her perspective) I expected the story to be one of a two things: A story built to fit neatly into the already made worlds of the 1939 MGM movie or the L. Frank Baum Novel, and be simply an expansion that would go along with the work, or that it was a new story that created its own tale independent of what existed before.  Honestly, I was expecting the first of these, with a focus on the 39 movie, given the design of the character presented on the cover.  But as I started reading, it proved that the universe of the books was more in use than the movie.  All that it takes from the movie is her look because, I expect, it is so much more recognizable than... well, that not so good looking one.
So, on with the show.  It was OK.  That's about it.  A little disappointing, but a well written disappointment.  I liked the premise of a retelling a famous story from a one-time villain's perspective. But, when he made his revision, he kind of removed what made her so fascinating and powerful in the first place.  As 2 dimensional as she was, she was at least a woman with conviction, power, and presence. What I'm afraid we got in her place is a woman trying to reject every choice and resist every action.
That woman is Elphaba, and for most of the book I liked her.  The story was well written and the prose was enjoyable. But the content of the story wasn't always particularly pertinent to the plot, but still I read it at a decent pace.  I think my motivation for reading came from a desire not to see what was to happen to Elphaba, I already knew that.  I wanted to see how she changed into that bad-ass wicked witch of the west I knew and loved.  But I feel like that desire was never met.  And here's why.
I get that the premise is supposed to tell me that she was justified in her actions, And that she really wasn't Wicked.  I assumed she would do some things that might be seen as such, but if we knew why, we wouldn't see her that way.  Well the truth is she never reall got around to do anything.  When they brought up the Animal/animal rascim thing, I thought that would be her cause, and she would do horrible things in the name of it, but she didn't.  when she signed up with the resistance, I thought she would do horrible things to defy the wizard, but she did nothing that we were made aware of.  And then when she joined up with the culture with an army that hated the wizard, i thought she would mount an offense against him, but she didn't.  I have no clue whay she would have a 'wicked' reputation in this story, or why the wizard would even care about her. She was no threat and didn't seem disposed to make a threat.
And lets talk about the wizard for a minute.  I'm all for adding dimension to a flat villain in Elphaba, but in making her complex, Maguire made the wizard inot the flatest villain possible: Hitler.  He traded one flat villain for another. In any of the source material, he is a bit complex, as he is a charlatan, pretending to be powerful, but he does it to protect himself and he is overall good natured.  In Wicked, he is cruel, violent, evil, and seems to be so without motivation.  And he also seems to have some weird magical agenda, as he is interested in that stupid book Elphaba finds in the castle.  THAT'S why he wants her dead?  Some random book that comes in near the end of the story? What?  Make her a genuine threat! Make her inspiring resistance! Make her something that would make his hitler ass feel compelled to get rid of!  She has a BOOK? What a waste.
That's how I feel about most of the book.  A great concept but it ends up being squandered.  She never becomes a powerful character. Interesting and complex, yes, but never one to inspire fear or respect.  She does everything half-assed and never accomplishes anything.  It's tragic, but it was always going to be tragic. At least let her be strong.  Don't make her resist every important action she could take.  Give her some conviction.  I like this politicized version of OZ. I enjoyed its play on religion and its effect on people.  I like the concept as a whole.  I just don't get why it played out so muted, sporadic, and motivationless.  Maybe that was the point.  Maybe it was all just a big accident and she was just another victim that didn't deserve it.  GREAT JOB.  Turning one of the most iconic and dynamic women in pop culture and turn her into a VICTIM.
And the green thing!  What the hell?  A big deal is made about how she is born green and is allergic to water but nothing comes of it.  So much is made of it that I thought it was going to have some symbolic meaning or purpose.  But no.  Nothing.  It's forgotten because the Hitler of OZ wants a book.
Sorry if you love the book or the musical.  I don't mean to hate.  I was just disappointed.  Oh well.  The next book I read I really loved, so look forward to that!

Three Panel Origin

Three Panel Origin

Made Without Preservatives

A new superhero based on an old concept.  In this 3PO we see how people's skills don't always meet their expectations.

I Read: First King of Shannara

I Read: First King of Shannara

I realized recently, as I was putting my bookshelves back up after moving, that I owned many books that I have never read. Too many.  I put aside the ones I haven't read and set them on their own rack.
I have a massive amount of books to read.
So as I read through them, I have decided to do an illustration of each, and then give a little opinion piece on what I thought of it.  Why? Well, Why not?
The first book off of the list is First King of Shannara by Terry Brooks. 

Illustration: Bremen The Druid
This is my first Terry Brooks novel, and since I have always been a fan of fantasy, it was recommended to me.  It was, at best, OK.  I don't want to bash it too bad, as it is my first experience with the man and his writing, but I was not blown away by what I read.
To begin with, I must acknowledge that this was not his first novel.  It is the first in the chronology of his fictional universe, and it was the first one given to me by a fan.  So most people who have read his stuff, probably didn't start with this one, and there may be reasons that it was written the way it was.  That way, in my opinion, was not nube-friendly.  There were many instances of passages that seemed to have no purpose, and then they would like "And that man's name was Joe." Next chapter.
Who?  What? is that supposed to mean something to me?  I assume that it would make sense for people who already knew the future of the series, but for me, I just had to guess or use wikipedia.
Now lets get into the story.  It may have been bad luck, but starting me out on a fantasy series on a novel that is a near exact copy of the plot of the Lord of The Rings Trilogy is not going to impress or interest me.  If I want to read LOTR, I'll read that.
Seriously, the plot is the same: old wizard shows up, says the bad guy they thought was dead thousands of years ago is back and has an evil army to take over the world, assembles a diverse "fellowship" to find the "lost king" and "item of evil the bad guy wants" and stop the evil guy from conquering all the "good races" with "evil races." Also the bad guy is a formless wraith of darkness and has other evil wraiths of darkness that do his bidding. characters die, fight, "fall in love," and the boring guy gets the girl and the crown.
Actually, never mind.  It's not that similar. Aragorn is absolutely quirky compared to Jerle Shanarra.
Along with snagging the basic plot of LOTR it also takes its cues on the villain.  The Warlock Lord is a motivation-less evil force that makes two total appearances in the book, never gains a personality, and is gone before we can care.  The world also feels so sparsely populated that I don't see his actions as much of a threat.  there is mostly land and few people in a land that you can apparently walk across in a matter of days. And the Warlock Lord doesn't function very well as just a representation of Evil-Otherness as his supposed evilness can't reach out from beyond his little wagon, and the races he uses to fight with are just foreigners that want land.  In short, I felt no particular desire to see this enemy defeated.  I just knew it was supposed to happen.
So there's that.  So lets get into the actual writing. As I read, I thought I shuld have a map to look at as Brooks continuously refered to fictional geography in so much detail, I assume he would want you to check a map and pat him on the back for being so creative.  It is creative, but the extent to which he would detail a location got distracting.  Other distractions include extended descriptions of the natural world, histories that distracted from the moment, and what seemed like filler "action" sequences to keep things going.
Something I thought was interesting was how he described magic.  It made me picture how spells look in video games.  Cool, especially for coming from a pre-video game world, but at times it was cheesy.
To some up, it wasn't that great.  I never got a chance to see the characters as more than stock archetypes, and so I didn't invest in them.  The villains didn't do anything specifically evil enough to characters I cared about to make we want to see them defeated.  I'll give Mr. Brooks another shot, but that might be it.

TGIF

TGIF

Thank GOD It's Friday!

Today, Netflix released Marvel's latest Superhero Project, Daredevil.  It's amazing, and you should be watching it right now.  And since its Friday and its somewhat related, I thought I would bring this superhero into my TGIF for the week.

Mainstream comics typically shy away from being overtly religious.  Some have vague allusions to some spiritual religiosity, but mostly it keeps things fairly secular.  One case where that is not present is in the pages of Daredevil.  In the comics, Matt Murdock (AKA Daredevil) is a Catholic.  No vagueness about that. Religious language and imagery permeate the book.  He's the only superhero who is seen entering a church on a regular basis, let alone confession.
I find this interesting.  Since most characters of the marvel and dc universe aren't consistently affiliated with an organized religion, I would assume it would mean something to the character that he was. I would guess it would inform his actions and his belief system, and set him apart specially from other heroes in his moral code or methods of crime fighting. 
But it doesn't.  Not even a little bit.
Daredevil is not different at all, when compared to the moral code that most unaffiliated characters have.  He fights bad guys, helps people, and keeps doing it no matter the cost.  Same can be said of any superhero.  If anything is different about him, its the fact that he is often more brutal and violent with assailents than others, and tends to be on the darker side of the street. Does he fight crime for the pope or jesus, or based on any scripture? Not in any obvious or even implied way.
So, why is he made catholic then?  To me, its to give him a unique cultural flavor amidst his superhero bretheren. The visuals, rituals, and context of catholicism add a unique culture to the comic that adds some interest.  Also, the fact that he belongs to a church that has a strong fixation with satan makes it all the more interesting that he would want to be percieved as a devil. 
So why bring it up? Its there, and it ought to be looked at for what it is.  Daredevil is a great character and a great hero.  But he is a hero by his actions, not b his faith.  His faith makes him unique, and gives him a cultural background that is less ubiquitous and more identifiable. 
Go watch the show!

Three Panel Origin

Three Panel Origin

To reduce wait time.

Following the first nude scene in a 3PO is a second.  And this guy is nude the whole way through.  Filled with darkness and brooding, behold Bathman!

TGIF

TGIF

Thank GOD it's Friday

Sweet Sympathy

It's GOOD Friday, and I wanted to share some TGIF sympathy with you.  Whilst perusing the novelties upon the shelves of the dollar store, I came across a bizarre item of holy hoo-ha. Here are Prayer hands sympathy chocolate.

I don't know either.
It appears to be a sacred cash grab of a nonsensical kind.  who would give this to someone? why praying hands? Why is that appetizing?  This was such a weird find I just had to buy it... but not eat it.  I almost can't eat it.  I have never seen one since.  It's the only example, and not having it would make me telling stories of it seem crazy.
Ok, I might eat it eventually, when I'm really in need of chocolate sympathy. Double Crisp-Double-Christ!