C.F., Powr Mastrs, no. 2. 2009 Cartoonist/musician C.F. (Christopher Forgues)’s Powr Mastrs appears to be a Lord-of-the-Rings scale epic that is just in its opening stages. The scenes so far appear episodic encounters between a variety of characters, human and otherwise, yet the more you read the more you see the stage being set for Read More
Far Arden is a funny, fast-moving adventure story about Army Shanks, “a crusty old sea dog… searching for a mythical tropical island in the middle of the Canadian Arctic.”
Mat Brinkman’s Multiforce is an oversize collection of Sunday page-style comics that Brinkman drew between 2000-2005. This tour-de-force of drawing and imagination is packed with incident and humor, creating the impression of a role-playing game viewed from the inside out: we see monsters and massive castles, but everyone talks like a stoned teenager.
“My Town” displays the really inventive page and type design Nic sometimes uses, and both that and Yearbooks take place in creepy suburban/exurban worlds that seem just outside real life. To quote my own blurb on Yearbooks: “Strange, gross, and lovely, Yearbooks is just connected enough to real high school memories to really freak you out.” OK, I could have probably said that better, but you get what I mean.
It’s Farenheit 451. You know the story. But Tim Hamilton’s adaptation is both faithful and evocative, distinguished especially by its subtle use of color as a storytelling tool.
A real how-to (up to a point) and a lovely meditation on work and the way history is inscribed on the land, this story was one of three alternates chosen by guest editor Neil Gaiman, but unfortunately we didn’t have space to include it.
Derik Badman’s “Flying Chief” is an abstract, non-narrative comic created by copying only the backgrounds of an old Tarzan comic by Jesse Marsh, thus revealing the mystery and formal elegance lurking even in old pulp comics.
We are featuring an ongoing series of posts focusing on the Notables Comics from the 2010 Best American Comics (in alphabetical order). We’ll be posting one mini-review with links per day, until we’ve posted all 71, annotated for teachers and librarians.
This is a truly excellent compendium/overview of the various ways design intersects with comics, from character design to lettering to covers. The approach is comprehensive, with short, well-observed sections touching on just about every design issue you can think of, all beautifully, very fully illustrated. Even end flaps rate their own section.
