Swoon Soon! Tales Designed To Thrizzle

I don't know about you, but this happens to me at least three times a day:

Tales Designed To Thrizzle Volume 1 by Michael Kupperman coming soon...

Presuming On His Senses! Michael Kupperman grows...

If you're familiar with Michael Kupperman you'll know about his absurd and surreal ideas, irresistibly funny because he presents them as seriously as possible with a melodramatic art style like something out of vintage comics. Without necessarily being a satirist, his style ends up presenting a patchwork quilt of past and present pop culture. But I don't want to over intellectualise the whole thing because ultimately it's good dumb fun. Just take a look at Tales Designed To Thrizzle #5 which was out last Thursday. If you've read it already then all I need to do is mention the story where aliens zap a man with a ray beam that turns his legs into SEXY WOMAN'S LEGS!! Not to mention the superhero adventures of Mark Twain and Albert Einstein. See? You're smiling already.

After several years contributing to a bookshelf worth of journals and newspapers including McSweeny's (vols. 16 & 19) Kupperman's profile is steadily rising. He's had work shown on American tv and a collection of the Tales Designed... issues is due for release soon. Not only that, he's also written and drawn the back-up strip to be featured in Marvel's All Select Comics #1 scheduled for July. We'll be posting more on these publications as they're released.

Weekly Treats! The Murder Mile, Tales From Beyond Science

You'll have to wait an extra day for book of the week, this week. Painted in warm watercolours Paul Collicutt's The Murder Mile (SelfMadeHero) has a gloriously old-fashioned feel, utterly appropriate for it's setting in 1950's America where a murder has taken place on eve of a race where, famously, the four minute mile was broken. Rather wonderfully, the book was reviewed in The Observer last week where it was named graphic novel of the month (see here). The reason for the extra days wait is that The Murder Mile actually receives its official launch in the shop on Thursday between 6:30pm & 9pm. Paul Collicutt will be here along with representatives of the publisher so do please pop along.

Lurking somewhere between Bulletproof Coffin and Tales Designed To Thrizzle you'll find Rian Hughes' Tales From Beyond Science (Image). It originally lived within the pages of 2000AD in the early 90's and has taken a while to see a reprint as Hughes had to wrestle with rights and ownership issues. It featuring your host Hilary Tremayne as the storyteller and was written by Alan McKenzie, John Smith and a certain Mark Millar all wrapped up in Hughes' delicious design work. This collection includes new work of fake adverts and spoof comic covers. You can investigate an interview with Rian Hughes on Newsarama here.

The strangely unsettling work of Camilla D'Errico is collected in a new volume entitled Helmet Girls (Dark Horse). And finally, started by Grant Morrison and collected in three volumes, Animal Man was continued by Peter Milligan (more on him in a moment) and Tom Veitch, illustrated by Chas Truog, Steve Dillon and Mark Farmer. It now gets it's first collected reprint in Animal Man vol. 4 Born To Be Wild (Vertigo).  

Two launches from Marvel this week. Nova #1 is by regular coupling Jeph Loeb and Ed McGuinness taking us the beginning of a new, younger Nova and first introduced last year in Amazing Spider-Man as a counterpoint to Parker's more cautious approach to the hero game, Alpha #1 of 5. DC aren't to be left out though as they release Justice League of America #1 and if you have any reservations about the absence of the big six then be aware this comic is by Geof Johns and David Finch. Plus, from the pages of JLA there's Vibe #1 which has Johns along as co-writer.  And lastly, I hate the fact that I have to write this but after 25 years Hellblazer #300 is the final issue of the Vertigo series. A younger John Constantine reappears soon in a newly spruced DC title but this issue marks the last part of regular continuity. Peter Milligan (there you go) is a safe pair of hands for this somewhat poisoned chalice with Giuseppe Camuncoli illustrating.

Full list of releases under the tab at the top...

Presuming on his Senses! That Was The Month That Was July

Who could deny that it's been a fantastic July in the world of sequential art? Things may be doom and gloom in the Marvel and DC universes what with the dead rising and villains in charge but the quality of output should be leaving a smile on the readers face.

Blackest Night has already been awarded recognition on our blog for drawing a dramatically dark curtain over the universe but it's worth mentioning again because it is shaping up to be a good event. Yes, it's a little Green Lantern-centric at the moment but it's proving to be a great jumping on point to the DC universe - as the past is literally brought back to life, old continuity clashes with the now.

Whilst DC set about setting up pins, Marvel is sowing the seeds of the fight back against the Norman Osborn reign. Nick Fury is mobilising a new Howling Commando unit in Secret Warriors, one of the stronger comics in the stable and the fugitive storyline in Invincible Iron Man has been doing so well it recently picked up the Eisner award for best ongoing series.

To top it all, both houses have gone all arty-farty with the release of Wednesday Comics and the immenant Marvel's Strange Tales. Fans of the likes of Paul Pope and Jason have an excuse to look at super-heroes and super-hero regulars get some exposure to the likes of Dash Shaw and Kyle Baker. Those familiar with both sides of the coin can get really excited. More happy faces.

In terms of graphic novels we've been graced by the release of an instant classic - that's Asterios Polyp by David Mazzucchelli if you're new to this blog. Also worth mentioning is Parker, Darwyn Cooke's brilliant adaptation of an old-fashioned (i.e. non-PC, so brace yourself) crime/revenge thriller novel. And Tales Designed to Thrizzle by Michael Kuppeman expertly serves up abstract humour - often attempted but rarely a successfully as it is here.

So there you are: reasons to be cheerful. Invite a friend.

As for this week, our designated Exciting Release of the Week award goes to Gigantic Robot by Tom Gould, £13.

SOMETHING NEW

THE EISNER'S

I know it was a couple of weeks ago but...

Quite a reasoned round table chat about the selection process of the Eisners and the whether the perception

of a bias against the Big Two holds any weight.

Bit of a palette cleanser after the 'Geekies'

The full list of winners follows:

Best Short Story: “Moon 1969: The True Story of the 1969 Moon Launch,” by Michael Kupperman, in Tales Designed to Thrizzle #8 (Fantagraphics)

Best Single Issue (or One-Shot): The Mire, by Becky Cloonan (self-published)

Best Continuing Series: Saga, by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples (Image)

Best New Series: Saga, by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples (Image)

Best Publication for Early Readers (up to age 7): Babymouse for President, by Jennifer L. Holm and Matthew Holm (Random House)

Best Publication for Kids (ages 8–12): Adventure Time, by Ryan North, Shelli Paroline, and Braden Lamb (kaboom!)

Best Publication for Teens (ages 13–17): A Wrinkle in Time, by Madeleine L’Engle, adapted by Hope Larson (FSG)

Best Humor Publication: Darth Vader and Son, by Jeffrey Brown (Chronicle)

Best Digital Comic: Bandette, by Paul Tobin and Colleen Coover (Monkeybrain)

Best Anthology: Dark Horse Presents, edited by Mike Richardson (Dark Horse)

Best Reality-Based Work (tie): Annie Sullivan and the Trials of Helen Keller, by Joseph Lambert (Center for Cartoon Studies/Disney Hyperion); The Carter Family: Don’t Forget This Song, by Frank M. Young and David Lasky (Abrams ComicArts)

Best Graphic Album—New: Building Stories, by Chris Ware (Pantheon)

Best Adaptation from Another Medium: Richard Stark’s Parker: The Score, adapted by Darwyn Cooke (IDW)

Best Graphic Album—Reprint: King City, by Brandon Graham (TokyoPop/Image)

Best Archival Collection/Project—Strips: Pogo, vol. 2: Bona Fide Balderdash, by Walt Kelly, edited by Carolyn Kelly and Kim Thompson (Fantagraphics)

Best Archival Collection/Project—Comic Books: David Mazzucchelli’s Daredevil Born Again: Artist’s Edition, edited by Scott Dunbier (IDW)

Best U.S. Edition of International Material: Blacksad: Silent Hell, by Juan Diaz Canales and Juanjo Guarnido (Dark Horse)

Best U.S. Edition of International Material—Asia: Naoki Urasawa’s 20th Century Boys, by Naoki Urasawa (VIZ Media)

Best Writer: Brian K. Vaughan, Saga (Image)

Best Writer/Artist: Chris Ware, Building Stories (Pantheon)

Best Penciler/Inker (tie): David Aja, Hawkeye (Marvel), Chris Samnee, Daredevil (Marvel); Rocketeer: Cargo of Doom (IDW)

Best Painter/Multimedia Artist (interior art): Juanjo Guarnido, Blacksad (Dark Horse)

Best Cover Artist: David Aja, Hawkeye (Marvel)

Best Coloring: Dave Stewart, Batwoman (DC); Fatale (Image); BPRD, Conan the Barbarian, Hellboy in Hell, Lobster Johnson, The Massive (Dark Horse)

Best Lettering: Chris Ware, Building Stories (Pantheon)

Best Comics-Related Periodical/Journalism: The Comics Reporter, edited by Tom Spurgeon, www.comicsreporter.com

Best Comics-Related Book: Marvel Comics: The Untold Story, by Sean Howe (HarperCollins)

Best Educational/Academic Work: Lynda Barry: Girlhood Through the Looking Glass, by Susan E. Kirtley (University Press of Mississippi)

Best Publication Design: Building Stories, designed by Chris Ware (Pantheon)

Hall of Fame: Lee Falk, Al Jaffee, Mort Meskin, Trina Robbins, Spain Rodriguez, Joe Sinnott

Russ Manning Promising Newcomer Award: Russel Roehling

Bob Clampett Humanitarian Award: Chris Sparks and Team Cul deSac

Bill Finger Excellence in Comic Book Writing Award: Steve Gerber, Don Rosa

Will Eisner Spirit of Comics Retailer Award: Challengers Comics + Conversation, Chicago, IL