Saturday, November 16, 2024

A group of talented heroes gather before the storm

A REVIEW BEFORE A TEMPORARY HIATUS
By Alex Ness
11/18/2024

SURGERY

I am finally in a place where the surgery long delayed by one false diagnosis or a Surgeon who didn't want to re-address the issue, is plainly in view. No, it isn't for cancer, while I still have a couple enlarged lymph nodes but they aren't growing. However this journey begun the night of February 2, 2019, when I slipped on the ice of my frozen driveway, as I went out to shovel, since my wife and son were coming home from a visit to see family. We had rain early, that froze, then when snow began falling hard it was -10 F. It was an aerial maneuver that might be called a loop de loop. And I landed with all my weight upon the back of my neck and skull. It knocked me unconscious. It took a nasty neighbor cackling about my misfortune to linger in my mind and wake me. She laughed nastily and said, don't know how to walk? I said something in response, that I am not proud of.

But my neck went 18 months before it was figured for what it was. And in November 2020, yes, it was the pandemic year. The doctor told my wife just prior to surgery it'd be 3 cervical discs fused and 45 minutes at most. As it was, spending so long with such an injury, it nearly killed me on numerous occasions, the discs were all messed up majorly, as well my shoulders. When he opened me up, he took 3 hours to fix one disc, that had ossified and was a big problem to fix. He only fixed one of the three messed up discs. By 2022 the same doctor said after my new MRI I just need more physical therapy. Well no, that turns out to be false. That MRI was looked at, by numerous others recently, and they agreed, I should have requested a second opinion immediately. My neck was in serious danger from every accidental fall, of leaving me dead or paralyzed for life. So, something big has to happen.

REVIEW

The writer of this book, has sent me numerous works to read in my many hiatuses. This is one of the many, and I am reviewing it.

The editorial description is
"Monster Hunt 2: Let’s Get Kraken is an incredible indie comic crossover featuring Mike S. Miller’s Lonestar and his Unknown Soldiers together with Doug TenNapel’s Bigfoot Bill and a few of his cryptid friends as they join forces with Mike Baron and Steve Rude’s intergalactic executioner Nexus, one of the most popular independent comic characters of all time! All of them are bound together by fate to save the world from the galactic devourer: GOURMANDO!"

Written by Mike Baron
Illustrated by Matthew Weldon
Colors by Jean-Francois Beaulieu
Letters by Warren Montgomery

I am not wanting to spoil the story but if there were a planet destroyer or sun eater, in Mike Baron's mind there'd be more nuance than to suggest it is a beast, despite it is a massive being. It would something short of a God, for the malice it intends by its desires and hungers. Gourmando is a being that eats galaxies, not planets, it isn't a simple creature it lives in absolute zero of space, and has powers unknown as many as those known.

This response with Nexus, Lonestar and his team, Big Foot Bill and more, seems on the service to be a small band, to attempt to stop a creature with enormous destructive powers. Fortunately for the reader, the art is quite good, the whole group of talent is a group of people who don't count the cost, they consider the obstacle to defeat. It is enormous fun to see the battle, as the odds are so in favor of Gourmando, it hardly seems possible they might turn the tide against it but the reason they are heroes, is because they don't count the cost.

Something wonderful about the creatives in this story and their characters, they consider good and evil something that has very little relativism in it. The universe has dangerous beings, including us humans, and if no one powerful or brave answers the call, who will do so?

This is a comic that is madly entertaining, and it provided me quite a nice break in my pain and times I could not work for the reason of pain. Thank you MikeB for sending it. Here are some images from the comic covers of this comic.


Oh, if you aren't familiar with Mike Baron, you ought to be. Here are some comic cover images of what else he has written. (Click to enlarge)


Yes there are even more...


Final Notes


I can't say when I will be back, but I will have a fun review of the story so far of a comic begun in the early 1990s and remains ongoing.

In the meantime, for all your printing needs, Matt at Speed Print Inc. is amazing.
LINKS

My Poetry AlexNessPoetry.Blogspot.Com 
This place Poplitiko.Blogspot.Com
Published Works AlexNessPoetry.Blogspot.Com/2007/01/My-Work.html
Personal: AlexNessFiction.Blogspot.Com/

Social Media
https://bsky.app/profile/alexanderness63.bsky.social
https://x.com/alexnesspoetry


Thursday, October 31, 2024

Mike Baron adapts a Zombie Apocalypse by John Ringo.

Black Tide Rising Graphic Novel Volume 2

Adapted by Comics Legend Mike Baron,

Produced by Hound Dog Media

CROWD-FUNDING CAMPAIGN GOES LIVE ON INDIEGOGO

The second chapter of New York Times bestselling author John Ringo’s epic zombie apocalypse saga is being produced in graphic novel form. The incredible story of survival and triumph has been adapted by legendary comics writer, novelist, and Eisner award winner Mike Baron. Hound Dog Media, a growing Atlanta-based publishing and production company, is kicking off its next crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo for Black Tide Rising: Volume 2, on October 28, 2024.

Black Tide Rising: Volume 1 was released to crowdfunding backers in June 2022. A 2nd printing, co-published with Baen Books, is currently available through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books-a-Million, and many more. A digital version for e-readers is also available from Baen’s eBook store and other select retailers.

The Black Tide Rising graphic novels follow the trials and triumphs of the Smith family, as they struggle to survive at the end of the world after a man-made “zombie” virus devastates humanity and destroys global civilization. Volume 2 incorporates elements of Ringo’s series kickoff novel Under a Graveyard Sky, and its later follow-on, The Valley of Shadows, by Ringo and co-author Mike Massa.

Escaping to the Atlantic Ocean in a stolen yacht, Steve, Stacey, Sophia, and Faith Smith find renewed purpose in rescuing survivors from the threat of the infected among scattered ships that have become floating graveyards. Steve’s brother Tom, who risked everything to warn his family at the start of the pandemic, is in a race against time to make his own escape from New York. Separated from the rest of the family after the apocalyptic climax of Volume 1, Tom must rely on a small band of trusted allies to survive, as warring factions and growing waves of the infected accelerate the fall of the old world.

 “This series gives the reader all the thrills and suspense they expect from a worthwhile zombie story, but with a very different perspective than what you usually see in the genre. It’s much more about how humanity rebounds and rebuilds after the world as they know it comes to an abrupt end, than it is about how humanity falls. It is seen through the eyes of pragmatic, capable, adaptable people who endure- and ultimately thrive- through the worst the world has to offer.”- Richard Rosenthal & Mike Lermon, Series Producers

Black Tide Rising: Volume 2 is adapted by Baron, with inks by veteran comics artist Elias Martins (Corrective Measures, Florida Man), colors by Robb Epps (Bronze Star, Ripley’s Believe it or Not!), and forthcoming cover by legendary artist Dave Dorman (Star Wars, Aliens, Warcraft). The initial crowdfunding campaign is live on Indiegogo, with future offerings to be announced on other platforms.

Wednesday, October 30, 2024

An Interview with a Great Talent, and Thinker: Stephen R. Bissette

INTRODUCTION
Stephen R. Bissette
Writer, Artist, Lecturer


I met Stephen Bissette through the encouragement of Timothy Truman, my beloved friend and generous with time and wisdom. He told me certain experiences in art school, that I won't get into, but they were incredible in humor, creative wisdom, and clear demonstration of a brilliant creative mind. Over time he shared his views, but as often, helped me understand the workings of comics from the inside. He gave me access to so many different confusing issues, with clarity. He was genuine and kind. And often, funny as F'k. In time I learned from the community just how deeply he is respected as a talented artist, and writer, but he retired a while back. I had a variety of talented younger creatives ask me why. How would I know? But to quote some of those who look up to him, anonymously:

"He left the industry when it could have best used his outlook and talent."
"It pisses me off, a great talent like his, lost for us all but in his works done."
"I get leaving when at the top. But comics are a collaborative art. The rest of us are left behind with less opportunities and excellence."


Don't for a moment think I am chastising SRBissette for choosing his path. I've nothing nearly as good to show for my years of work, so I'll be writing FOREVER. No retirement for me.

My goal, often, is to tell the people, who I love or admire, that I love them. I want them to know in the event I die, and they never knew. I am not saying it romantically, unless I am. I am not IN love with Steve. But I absolutely love him, his humor, talent and ability to teach others in new generations.

So I offer this interview as a gift to me, to chat with SRB again, but also, with the detail he goes into, I think he shared a great deal of wisdom, knowledge and a P.O.V. earned through experience. He moves me with his ideals for creative rights and exploring greater artistic unknown lands.


THE INTERVIEW

Hello Stephen and thank you. Amongst reading your blog, I am aware that you retired from comics, and lectured until 2020. As someone who is an elder statesman regarding the comic book medium, what is your opinion of the general acceptance of comic book subjects being made into movies and television series? Does it show a new respect for comic books in the general public, or, does it show a disrespect for the format of comics, and appreciation for movies and live action stories over those that must be read?

So, let's establish a baseline for conversation:

Movies have been tapping comics (originally, comic strips) since 1899, via rip-offs (the first were unlicensed "adoptions" of characters like Happy Hooligan to film), adaptations (beginning with one-and-two reel comedies, US and UK), animation (Mutt & Jeff, Colonel Heeza Liar, Krazy Kat, etc.), later sound era serials began adapting comic book characters as well as feature film series continuing to license comic strip properties, and so on.

Same goes for television since the 1950s; it wasn't much of a leap from telecasts of the 30-plus BLONDIE theatrical movies to the Blondie TV series in the 1950s, was it? Over the past decade, experiencing the ultra-Conservative Archie comics line transmuting into the Twin Peaks-like Riverdale is the extension of Columbia's 1940s BLONDIE movies transforming (with the same series star) into the 1950s Blondie TV series: compare, and assess, however you see fit. The licensing of comics properties into merchandising was arguably launched in the UK before 1900 (Ally Sloper), here in the US with outfits like Western Litho expanding such into all manner of media (i.e., board games, Big Little Books, Golden Books, etc.) starting in the 1930s, and on and on from there into the contemporary gaming industries and empires.

This activity hasn't flagged, it has only accelerated since the 1970s and '80s. In terms of what we used to call cinema or the movies (now all-digital, for the most part), the more recent conjunction of CGI technology and the current corporate proprietors of Marvel and DC ramped this up to the phenomenon we've experienced since the Millennial turn. However, as massive media success of licensed comics-based properties exploded—in cinema, TV, streaming, gaming, etc.—we've seen how precipitous the implosion of the 1990s Direct Sale market hasn't abated: these multi-media platforms don't feed the form itself, either aesthetically or commercially.

But the so-called mainstream comics of your and my youth and adulthood, Alex, is no longer any kind of mainstream, except in other media (i.e., films, games, TV/streaming series, etc.). Our generation of readers, creators, fans, etc. miss the forest for the trees: the mainstream shifted completely. DC and Marvel and the rest, save perhaps Archie, are no longer mainstream, they are fringe culture, at best (their properties, via film/TV/streaming-series/gaming, etc., are still mainstreaming; their comics are not). Scholastic, select book publishers like Abrams, the plethora of English-translated manga: that's mainstream comics. For well over a decade now, Raina Telgemeier has been mainstream; there's no one among what we used to consider or call "mainstream" who even comes close.

So, "respect"? Define respect. Illusory "respect," perhaps, but as all can see, it hasn't manifest as greater opportunities or income or visibility of comics per se, or graphic novels, per se. More viewers watched The Walking Dead than every bought or read the source series, though that media explosion did fuel collected editions, in a variety of formats, so there is some visible and traceable benefit there; I think that title alone, and what it earned and continues to earn and its ongoing spinoffs (as streaming series/media), provides a pretty good case history for likely "best case" scenario.

Comics and graphic novels and manga are now an even more marketable springboard for all manner of media interpretations, some of which benefits "comics"—some benefits the creators, particularly who retain all their own media rights, usually. A few of us benefit from licensing depending upon standing binding contracts with corporate publishers (for instance, the Swamp Thing co-creators behind John Constantine still earn a modest share of revenue from that character's longevity, most of all when licensed to gaming, per our quarterly statements), but by and large, there's usually no benefits whatsoever for any save the parent corporations, legal proprietors of the respective comics-based properties.  

Aesthetically, I'd argue we're in a real Golden Age. I'm reading the best graphic novels in English that have ever existed, no doubt about it. Individual creators and creative collaborations are yielding an incredible harvest, regularly, just terrific stuff; there is, of course, a lot of work that'll not stand any test of time, but from crowdfunding to print-on-demand to self-publishing to published/publishers publishing new work, it's a real boom era we're in. All genres, all kinds of work, across the spectrum, too much for anyone to comprehensively track, read, assess, or even intelligently discuss. It's astonishing.

But most creators are still working for peanuts, if that. So much of the task of production that used to be handled by publishers are now just part of what artists must do to complete a job—I won't get into all that here, but suffice to say we're a long way away from the way we used to do comics, where the artist only had to complete physical art on paper or board. Now, they do almost all of what production departments used to do (in 21st century terms: scanning, prep for printing, layout, design, etc.), sans any additional payment, so that's money they don't earn for work that used to be paid labor for entire departments and staffing. Thus, artists are doing more work for less income, but the work gets done, as we can all see with the tsunami of new published graphic novels, comics, etc.

Some publishers and creators thrive in this new environment: the success stories include well-known, now-established series of graphic novels (again: Scholastic, for instance) that subsidize entire studio creative setups, well-funded and dependably earning quite handsomely. But those are the exceptions, not the rule. Most work is being done on the backs of creative individuals bankrolling their work at meager or non-existent levels, and meager (if any) returns. "Advances" from publishers long ago ceased being advances—with negotiated sums being doled out in thirds or quarters, the "advance" advanced being only a quarter or a third of the negotiated "advance," the rest paid upon and after completion, so that's no longer an "advance" save in contractual terminology—so many, likely most, graphic novels are being completed "funded" by day-jobs and/or other professions the creators depend upon to pay their bills. It's just how it is, and respectable venerable publishers like Fantagraphics barely pay anything even in the best situations (the printers, however, are paid handsomely, as the lavish printed packages demonstrate).

So: "respect"? Define respect.

The properties are often incredibly visible. The illusion of "respect" is more visible, and arguably more viable. But as in all illusory "trickle down" economics, one of the great myths of our lifetime, precious little trickles down to most who are actually doing the work itself. It's great, though, that we have lived to see such momentous changes: comics in The New Yorker, mainstream media obits for creators like Trina Robbins when they pass, million-plus initial print-runs for Raina Telgemeier new works, and so on.

So, some of the "respect" manifests in respectful ways.

Much does not, never directly benefiting the individuals actually creating the works themselves. But it's nice to know the exceptions exist, are highly visible, perhaps providing inspiration (and even more frustrations) for those laboring still on their very-much-labors-of-love.


Your famous work on DC Swamp Thing, and my favorite of yours Tyrant through Spiderbaby Grafix & Publications all represented works that didn't focus on superheroes. I would ask, do you find that aspect of those works part of your enjoyment of them, telling legendary or mythic events without capes?  

I've made no secret of my loathing for superheroes, in that the fundamental fantasy component just never, ever really grabbed me as a kid. Or as a teenager. Or as an adult. Or as a geezer. You mention Swamp Thing: as Rick Veitch can attest, when Alan Moore started folding the DC superheroes into the title, I'd leave the pages I had to pencil that involved superheroes for last, in hopes Rick might pitch in and help me see them through. With the occasional fun I might have with, say, Hawkman (that design worked for me, it was fun to draw), it's Rick Veitch's Green Lantern you're seeing under John Totleben's exquisite inks in the finale of the Jason Woodrue/Floronic Man arc (Saga of the Swamp Thing #24, in its original published form).

I tolerate 'em, have since childhood, especially when stuck at the barbershop and the only comics were Adventure Comics with Legion of Superheroes or Superman or the short-lived The Jaguar or whatever, or on family trips and all that might be available were superhero comics on spinner racks when I had a dime or 12-cents (hey, that dates me right there, right?), but Herbie was more my cup of tea, honestly. It wasn't until Jack Kirby's Fourth World, and with the notable exception of Gilbert Shelton's Wonder Warthog, well—I just didn't have any use for those power fantasies. I sure had no urge to draw such beings. A 'power fantasy' for me, as a tyke, was "what if I was King Kong? What if I was the Gillman?" I was a Monster Kid, as they officially enshrine it these days (and I have the Rondo Award to prove I'm one!). And those I still love, love, love to draw.

I was an avid reader from a tender age, like age four and five, of library books with myths and legends and mythological heroes. I devoured the Greek, Roman, and Norse myths, and was really enamored with Willy Pogany's illustrations for the Padraic Colum mythology books, so I wasn't avoiding the heroic archetypes or myths. When I was older, and lucked into Jean Ray's novel Malpertuis in an English translation, man, that really seized my imagination—but superhero comics never functioned for me as myth. I get all the intellectual arguments, I love what Alan Moore and Rick Veitch and others have done with 'em, but it didn't fire me up as an artist or as a writer. I just didn't dig on the trappings of four-color superhero comics. Aside from Steve Ditko's Spider-Man (which I did love), the more science-fiction-savvy Gardner Fox-scripted comics, and some I later realized Otto Binder had a hand in (as writer), I was usually bored by anything involving adults-in-costume-fighting-crime. Superman fighting Titano, or the tales involving Krypton or the bottled city of Kandor, hey, OK, especially when the bizarre Kryptonian zoology came to the fore, I could get into for a few pages, revisit just for the imagery and the creatures, but it really wasn't until Kirby's Fourth World that any superhero comics spoke to me with any impact or urgency. The Fourth World was, and remains for me, the first time four-color comics involving superhumans resonated, much as Roger Zelazny's science-fiction novels grabbed me. They worked on a primal and adult level, especially The New Gods.

My favorite 'heroic' comic as a kid was Kona: Monarch of Monster Isle—Sam Glanzman's epic caveman fantasy (with various writers, starting with uncredited Lionel Ziprin), and I loved the Dell and Gold Key Edgar Rice Burroughs comics, Turok Son of Stone—so, pulp-jungle heroics, mutant 'weird western' Native American heroes, if you will.

That duly noted, the compacted but at times quite pleasant work period when Rick Veitch and I rented a studio between our respective Vermont homesteads and cranked on penciling the 1963 comics—for me, the Fury, N-Man, and the Hypernaut, in that order, along with inking Jim Valentino's pencils for Johnny Beyond—that was by far the most fun I've ever had as a creator working with superheroes. For a few weeks, and it was only that, I fell into gear, channeling as best I could my inner Steve Ditko and Gil Kane and a bit of Jack Kirby, all that I had internalized as a kid reading and absorbing their work, enjoying just moving the human body through space in imaginative ways (the Fury), or abstracting the human form per the Silver Age templates (N-Man, the Hypernaut). But after we were done, I was done. I wasn't really even tempted to get back into it, for any reason, including money.

You'll also note that despite my love for, say, Kona or Turok, I've never really gotten into even prehistoric-themed heroism, as an artist. I did once write a Tarzan script for my longtime pal Tom Yeates, "The Soft Parade," for his Dark Horse Tarzan run, and one of my handful of Swamp Thing scripting gigs involved the Batman, but those were aberrations, larks, diversions. I gave them my best, I stayed as true as I could to those characters while writing them, but writing the short story "Jigsaw" for Mike Mignola and Christopher Golden for their Hellboy: Odd Jobs anthology was more my cup of tea—because, after all, it was less a superhero, it was a horror story. I delivered an alarming enough horror tale that Mike and Chris had to defend and protect it from the publisher's squeamishness.

I'll also mention my one-shot Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles story, which I wrote and drew, "Turtle Dreams" in Turtle Soup. There's an example of my approach to comic book heroes with an established back-story and characters: in a few pages, can I cut right to the primal essence of the characters? Can I get to their primal core? Can I express and explore that, even in short form? I'm still pretty proud of "Turtle Dreams," I think I got to something basic about the Turtles and Splinter and their relationship, its mentor-driven parental and patriarchal essence, what makes those characters tick, their elemental bond. That's what interests me, and that's also what fueled Tyrant®.

Beyond that, is that an artist's goal to tell stories of reality, with the freedom of writing truth, and not fairy tales?

Well, I don't know about "an artist's goal," I can only talk about my goal, or goals. Despite the super-hero-dominated marketplace I first tried to find work within and establish what one might risibly call "a career," my goal was to write and draw horror stories. That's all I wanted to do. After I got that out of my system, on up through the Taboo years (as editor/co-creator/publisher/co-publisher), at which point I reckoned "there, I proved it, I've done it," I could move on. Only then was I even able to entertain something like 1963 and my little collaborative brace of superheroic characters for that project, and then finally tackle the comic I'd always wanted to do, Tyrant®.

To work with your own wording, Alex, I'd say most of my classmates in the mid-1970s at the Joe Kubert School of Cartoon and Graphic Art were fueled by their own cravings to write and/or draw fantasy—many into superheroes, like Rick Veitch, like fellow Kubert School classmate and friend Rick Taylor, but I was like Tom Yeates. I was an odd man out, if you will. I wanted to do horror comics, but all there were on the stands were those weak-tea DC 'mystery' comics. Tom's dream as a cartoonist was to create adventure comics, which was as dead a genre in the mid-1970s comic strip and comic book industries as horror comics were. We were obsessed and definitely out-of-step, or out-of-time (pun intended). Tom was in profound, deep love with the Burroughs archetypes, Hal Foster, and Good Lord, against all odds, he's done it: Tarzan, Zorro, and now Prince Valiant, Tom fulfills that dream every time he's at the board now, but he took on a lot of gigs he wasn't so into to get to fulfill that dream. Swamp Thing wasn't the ideal fit for Tom, but it seemed sort-of close—"hey, the bayou swamps are a jungle," he said at one point to us—and he did a great job, but he knew when he was ready to move on, Swamp Thing was ideal for the crazy shit that fueled John Totleben and I as artists, individually and/or together.

Horror, for me, is my preferred method to "tell stories of reality, with the freedom of writing truth, and not fairy tales"—or, rather, dark, confrontational fairy tales.

On the other hand, to complete the thought, whereas fantasy fueled most of my Kubert School classmates, the new generation I worked with as in instructor at the Center for Cartoon Studies (from 2005 to 2020), they'd grown up with comics and graphic novels my generation hadn't even dreamed possible: Maus, Persepolis, Alec, Stuck Rubber Baby, Dirty Plotte, American Elf, Phoebe Gloeckner, Fun Home, Lynda Barry, and so on. Not all, but many, of our students weren't fueled at all by the often-mercantile obsessions of my 1970s generation, what I came up in: they wanted to really "tell stories of reality," their stories, often autobiographical and intimate in nature, "with the freedom of writing truth, and not fairy tales," which was a marked difference from my classmates at Kubert School.

What examples did we have? I was an avid Sam Glanzman fan, so I arrived at Kubert School loving Glanzman's "U.S.S. Stevens" autobiographical and semi-autobiographical work, but Justin Green and Harvey Pekar and Wimmen's Comix and a bit of Robert Crumb weren't the kid of role models my classmates were emulating or even into, much. When I was part of CCS when we opened our doors in the summer classes of 2005, the generational shift was plain to see, and very exciting. I did the best I could, teaching as best I could, but my own personal obsessions and interests as a cartoonist rarely aligned or meshed with what really drove the 21st century cartoonists I was so lucky to be in the classroom and studios with. It was amazing, really. That's the new environment we're in, that's the new mainstream I was referring to earlier.

Does the future of comic books lay in translating the world of comics into that of stories that feature reality over fantasy? Or is the fantasy aspect of comics more important as a form of escape, than the journaling aspect of telling true life stories.

The future of comics is in the hands of the next generation, and they're already very busily attending to that future with their ongoing work and works. However, what was an essentially unrecognized or orphaned genre before the 1960s and '70s—memoir, autobiographical comics and graphic novels—has come very much to the foreground, and is among the staple marketable genres in the contemporary comics landscape, and has already seen adaptation into other media forms as well (i.e., Harvey Pekar and his collaborators' American Splendor, Alison Bechdel's Fun Home, etc.)

I mention this, and these, because fantasy is hardly gone from comics and graphic novels, while "reality over fantasy" genres like memoir, history-based and contemporary journalistic graphic novels, essay-form graphic novels, etc. are thriving, too.

As we may have already touched upon, I don't necessarily see fantasy as a pejorative, as inherently escapist. I went to considerable lengths in my recent Midnight Movie Monograph: David Cronenberg's THE BROOD (Electric Dreamhouse/PS Publishing, UK) to discuss how genres like horror aren't escapist, for me, they're "confrontist," if you will—fantasy fictional narratives that allow the creator(s) and reader(s) to confront aspects of our existence that are cultural taboos, in many cases. For me, doing horror comics were almost always a means of confronting my own fears, that which could not otherwise be articulated or even given sufficient form to grasp, much less express and explore in some substantial way.

As I grow older (I turn 70 in the spring of 2025, my friend), I find the life-and-death aspects of aging are essential challenges I've already "rehearsed," if you will, and found ways to deal with via much of the fantasy I've read, enjoyed, experienced, explored via the arts (comics, literature, cinema, music, etc.). That many, if not most, of the adults in positions of authority constantly and consistently tried to discourage and steer me away from such essential works fascinates me even more now: what were they afraid of? If we are fortunate enough to live into ripe old ages, we have no choice but to confront and deal with some truly dire, terrible, distressing issues and life-changes, including the deaths of loved ones (many, sadly, before their time). I'm thankful I ignored the attempts of such "guidance" and never flinched from the more extreme forms of fantasy (such as horror) that allowed me to imaginatively engage with societal and personal taboos, areas of emotional distress and discomfort, and so on via fantasy. It's a very, very useful tool.

Now, I mention the book I wrote about the 1979 film THE BROOD because that was a film that helped me very, very much cope with a major life change and disruption that my culture provided almost no other means to deal with, much less understand and grapple with in any mature or positive fashion. That's all detailed in my book about that particular film, should anyone wish to read about it—suffice to say, it's part and parcel of why I don't necessarily value non-fiction autobiographical forms of communication over the way many (most?) creators utilize fantasy and fiction to engage with aspects of their own lives in what often proves to be much more direct ways—that is, metaphorically, one can give shape to the most dire aspects of our existence that are just to unwieldy (or more often, just too banal) to otherwise describe, articulate, or vicariously experience.

It's the rich diversity of the current comics environment I find most invigorating. You or I could cite contemporary works of imaginative fantastic fiction in graphic novel form or comics form that's as essential as the contemporary works of non-fiction comics/graphic novels. We couldn't have said the same in the 1960s, or even the 1970s, when creators as polar-opposite as Sam Glanzman (via his U.S.S. Stevens WWII autobiographical comics) and Justin Green (via Binky Brown Meets the Holy Virgin Mary) were just introducing variations on what have become memoir comics and graphic novels. Comics seemed such a narrow market-defined field prior to the expansion of genres that have made the 21st century comics and graphic novel environment so, so, so much richer, diverse, adventurous, and exciting. I feel very, very fortunate to have not only lived long enough to see and enjoy this new arena, but also to have had a hand in being able to work with and educate some of the current generation of creators pushing so many envelopes, breaking so many glass ceilings. It's amazing, really!

Oh, one other thing I should mention:

The perception may malinger that "I left the industry," as you cited in your introduction to our conversation, and that's true, as far as it goes. But from 2005 to 2020, I was a teacher at the Center for Cartoon Studies, and that was a further full-time engagement with "the industry" via teaching and working with the new generation of cartoonists and graphic novelists that no one should ignore or underestimate. Many of our former CCS students are now working in all avenues of "the industry," as it now exists, in multiple capacities, and however modest my hand or influence in assisting them to move forward on their own respective paths, that was a very meaningful part of my own creative path and life. Their accomplishments are wholly their own, but some of us at CCS did play various roles in their respective creative journeys, and that was a very hands-on participatory role we (and by "we" I mean all of the instructors at CCS, past, present, and future) were fortunate enough to play.

It was as rich, enriching, and vital as any of the visible roles I'd been fortunate enough to play in comics prior to my announced 1990s 'retirement' from the industry, such as it was in the 1990s. I could argue my post-retirement as an active writer/artist in the American industry was far, far more vital, important, and rewarding, and all the more for remaining invisible.

Thank you Stephen, it has been an absolute privilege chatting with you, and learning as we chat. You are a true leader in the industry. 


All images and words are copyright © that of Stephen R Bissette and/or the owner of said images.

TOP SHELF ANNOUCES A NEW WORK WITH GEORGE TAKEI



Top Shelf Productions is proud to announce It Rhymes With Takei — a new full-color graphic memoir from the team behind George Takei’s award-winning bestseller They Called Us Enemy, telling the untold story of his journey from closeted actor to international gay icon. Scheduled for publication in June 2025, It Rhymes With Takei will offer an unprecedented view into the heart of this beloved star and a celebration of the warp-speed changes he has witnessed in one lifetime.

George Takei has shown the world many faces: actor, author, outspoken activist, helmsman of the starship Enterprise, living witness to the internment of Japanese Americans, and king of social media. But until October 27, 2005, there was always one piece missing—one face he did not show the world. There was one very intimate fact about George that he never shared…and it rhymes with Takei.

Now, for the first time ever, George Takei shares the full story of his life in the closet, his decision to come out as gay at the age of 68, and the way that moment transformed everything. Following the phenomenal success of his first graphic memoir, They Called Us Enemy, Takei reunites with the team of Harmony Becker, Steven Scott, and Justin Eisinger, now joined by the award-winning colorist José Villarrubia, for a jaw-dropping new testament. From his earliest childhood crushes and youthful experiments in the rigidly conformist 1950s, to global fame as an actor and the paralyzing fear of exposure, to the watershed moment of speaking his truth and becoming one of the most high-profile gay men on the planet, It Rhymes With Takei presents a sweeping portrait of one iconic American navigating the tides of LGBTQ+ history.

Combining historical context with intimate subjectivity, It Rhymes With Takei shows how the personal and the political have always been intertwined. Its richly emotional words and images depict the terror of entrapment even in gay community spaces, the anguish of speaking up for so many issues while remaining silent on his most personal issue, the grief of losing friends to AIDS, the joy of finding true love with Brad Altman, and the determination to declare that love openly—and legally—before the whole world.

Looking back on his astonishing life on both sides of the closet, George Takei now presents a charismatic and candid witness to how far America has come…and how precious that progress is.

It Rhymes With Takei
by George Takei, Harmony Becker, Steven Scott, Justin Eisinger, & José Villarrubia
ISBN 9781603095747 | $29.99 (US)
Full-color hardcover, 6.5” x 9” | 328 pages
Coming June 2025
Now available for pre-order!

Pre-orders are already live at:
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Books-A-Million | Hudson Booksellers
or speak to your local comic shop or bookstore!

George Takei announces new graphic memoir, IT RHYMES WITH TAKEI

Award-winning team reunites to depict the astounding personal journey of a gay icon


Monday, October 14, 2024

THE WATER OF LIFE: A Whiskey Film and creative process


Whisky Media Alert: World Premiere of ‘Independent Spirits’ Docuseries to Launch at Scotland’s First Independent Bottlers Festival

Leith, Scotland — October 15, 2024 — Whisky lovers mark your calendars as the long anticipated four-part docuseries Independent Spirits will make its world debut on March 15, 2025, as part of Scotland’s inaugural Independent Spirits Festival, an event exclusively celebrating independent whisky bottlers.

The Water of Life Presents: Independent Spirits - A Whisky Series
Created by the visionary team behind The Water of Life - A Whisky Film, this new series shines a light on a lesser-known yet highly influential sector of the whisky world: Independent Bottlers.

Initially planned as a companion piece to The Water of Life, Independent Spirits evolved into a comprehensive four-part series, capturing the creativity, passion, and craftsmanship that drive this sector of the industry. The series is co-directed by Greg Swartz and Guy Satchwell, and produced by Blacksmith & Jones, the production company that Swartz co-owns with producer Trevor Jones.

Swartz shared insights into the making of the series: “One of the greatest challenges—and joys—was telling the story – in an accessible way – of exactly what it is that indie bottlers do, and why they are such an important part of whisky’s story.”

Satchwell and Swartz have spoken with more than 50 prominent figures in the whisky industry, from giants like Gordon & MacPhail, Cadenheads, and Elixir; to innovative, smaller bottlers such as the Thompson Brothers and Single Cask Nation.

Independent Spirits - The Festival

A conversation between Swartz and whisky YouTuber Aqvavitae (aka Roy Duff) led to something of a shared light-bulb moment: Scotland lacked a dedicated festival for independent bottlers.

Along with whisky writer David Stirk, they created the first-ever Independent Spirits Festival, a unique event designed to showcase this thriving segment of the whisky industry.

Both the festival and the docuseries are true celebrations—not only of the bottlers themselves, but of whisky as an art form in Scotland and across the globe.

Roy mentions: “Anyone in love with whisky only needs to glance at their shelf to realise how much we’ve come to rely upon the independent bottlers and distillers that exist today. As festivals struggle to accommodate the sheer numbers of brands in the space, it made sense to put together a festival that could cater not only for the launch of the film series, but also the like-minded bottlers that are its focus and their curious fans. It’s an exciting project indeed; roll on March 2025!”

David Stirk added: “A festival dedicated to independent bottlers is the perfect way to bring together the companies and fans of this unique sector of the whisky industry. The combined premiere and gathering of the best-known independent bottlers will allow a spotlight on the most passionate fans, aficionados and advocates for whisky in all its guises. I am thrilled to be a part of the team bringing this together in Leith, a city with a long and important history, especially for Scotch whisky and independent bottling.”

“With The Water of Life we were forced by the pandemic to be innovative with our distribution, the traditional models were gone. With Independent Spirits, we're taking what we learned and building on it; releasing this series while simultaneously launching a festival is something that has never been done. We aim to continue with these live, extrasensory, experiential screenings throughout our distribution. An Independent Spirits event will always be a whisky experience, not just a screening,” said Jones.

The one-day festival will take place at the Leith Theatre and the adjoining Thomas Morton Hall.

Premiere & Festival Details

- **Premiere Screening** All four episodes of Independent Spirits will be shown from 12-3pm at Morton Hall, located adjacent to the Leith Theatre.

- **Independent Spirits Festival** The festival will run from 4-8pm at the adjacent Leith Theatre, bringing together more than 400 attendees, including some of the most influential figures in whisky.

There will be two ticket prices:

£45 which gets you access to the noon showing and the festival (total 220 tickets).

£40 for access just to the whisky festival. 4-8pm (Note: All tickets will come with an included at-home streaming rental of the entire series).

All exhibitors and attendees will receive a download code to access the film series for future viewing.

This event promises to be a landmark occasion for whisky lovers and industry professionals, offering an intimate look into the artistry of independent bottlers, as well as a chance to network and explore the future of whisky innovation.

ENDS

**For media inquiries, interviews, and event coverage:**

info@wateroflifefilm.com

Greg Swartz: +1 323 363 8339 Trevor Jones +1 917 495 5718

LINKS

Independent Spirits Festival www.independentspirits.co.uk
Exhibitor List https://www.independentspirits.co.uk/exhibitor-list
David Stirk https://stirkconsultancy.com/about-us/
Roy Duff https://www.aqvavitae.com/
The Water of Life - a whisky film www.wateroflifefilm.com
Leith Theatre www.leiththeatre.co.uk

Tuesday, October 8, 2024

Lots to chat about, but no news or serious stuff please.

Today's Edition of Poplitiko
By Alex Ness
October 9, 2024


RECENT EVENTS


I received both good news and bad healthwise, but I am more interested in focusing on the good stuff. Fortunately I have the world's greatest G/P Dr. at Stellis Health Buffalo, MN-- Dr. Teresa Wrobbel. She has saved my life more than a couple times.  I am posting this so I'll never forget to mention her.

ATTENTION AUTHORS!


Are you writing and receiving no reviews and no attention to works that you feel are great?  Do you want reviews from a person of interesting personality, beauty, intelligence, and insight? My new friend Nicole accepts works for review, and goes to Goodreads to leave her review. She is bright, ambitious, interesting, and worth considering for her work. She is on the former twitter, now X, so you might not think to look there, but she leaves numerous reviews there as well. Oh did I mention, she is also a fashion model, and has aspirations to go far into many different fields?  I recommend her as a reviewer because I find her to be honest, straight forward and could help most authors expand their presence online and their works receive more attention as well. If you want to help her expand her reach too but you aren't a writer, she takes donations, and I am sure has a good purpose for them.

For now, she is hoping you will contact her and contribute to keep her work afloat, her numbers are $1500, but if that doesn't work, she will perhaps find crowdfunding options available.

Find Nicole at: https://x.com/Efobiii  Contact Nicole by clicking this phrase

REASONS TO SMILE

This might sound silly but, as a person who has worked in the field of Politics, briefly, I am grateful the mudslinging orgy of hate formerly known as the Presidential election is in its final days. I had chosen to not vote, but after a series of what I consider vulgar and foolish statements (not mine, the candidates) I am able to vote without a reason to feel forced into that particular vote.

RECENT READS/TASTE IS THE THING


Since I've been sick rececntly, I've been in a recliner trying not to vomit or run to restroom. With the time now used but not free to do other things, I reread two more series that makes my heart happy. 

Alan Dean Foster's Icerigger Series
Dennis McKiernan's Iron Tower series


Not in regard to these authors, but whenever I mention who I like, I'm insulted by people when I mention specific people and I find it rather foolish. 1) We all have our own taste, why does it matter what someone else likes? 2 ) Do you make less of an income if someone reads or watches something you dislike? How does it impact your life? 3 ) If I like it, and receive pleasure from it, I've not announced it is the greatest work of all time, why not shrug your shoulders and say, good for him.

The Icerigger series was a cold world with pirates medieval warfare and space ship ports. It mixed wonderful components, it had humor, and the lead male was easily my mediocre self. Intelligent but not a heroic archetype, yet still devoted to the cause. Alan Dean Foster is an author who has written many great books, but is remembered for adapting movies into novels. Icerigger would make a fantastic movie.

The Iron Tower series, was written during a time of being laid up with a broken body. Initially it was the second series written in that fantasy world, but the publisher pulled the 3 books that made homage to a Tolkienesque epic. It is enjoyable on many levels, and it is a work by an author I like very much.


LOCAL GEM FOUND


SPEED PRINT INC saved my bacon. After dealing with many weasels while searching for a printer, Jen Bateman an artist and member of MnCBA (Fall and Spring Con folks) led me to Matt from Speed Print Inc. Many printers I dealt with supposedly local, had 800 numbers, fake store fronts, and printed from Asia and demanded 80 dollar shipping after you signed the contract. That is not cool.

Find the good guys at https://speedprint.net/

Instead I went with Speed Print INC and for fair prices, quick service, and kind dialogue, I was very pleased with every thing!
LINKS

My Poetry AlexNessPoetry.Blogspot.Com 
This place Poplitiko.Blogspot.Com
Published Works AlexNessPoetry.Blogspot.Com/2007/01/My-Work.html
Personal: AlexNessFiction.Blogspot.Com/

Social Media
https://bsky.app/profile/alexanderness63.bsky.social
https://x.com/alexnesspoetry


Friday, September 27, 2024

100 Top Shelf copies available! Only 1 per customer.


100 Top Shelf copies available! Only 1 per customer.

We are thrilled to offer you a truly magical opportunity! In anticipation of the long-awaited The Moon and Serpent Bumper Book of Magic—a masterpiece created by the legendary Alan Moore and his magical mentor Steve Moore—Top Shelf Productions and Knockabout Ltd are excited to announce an extremely limited edition of 200 signed copies, available for $150 (US) each.

This exclusive edition, signed by Alan Moore himself, is a rare collector’s item. These copies will ship ahead of the book’s official October 16th release, making this a must-have for true fans of Moore’s work and collectors of occult literature.

With only 100 copies available* from Top Shelf, this is a once-in-a-lifetime chance to own a piece of literary and magical history.

Secure your signed edition now before it vanishes into the ether!

*Limited to 1 per customer

The BUMPER BOOK OF MAGIC lands on Oct 16th!

“The authors make a compelling case for the importance of mysticism and magical thinking for the development of human consciousness and civilization in this marvelously entertaining, stunningly illustrated and designed masterwork.” - Library Journal (Starred Review)

The most acclaimed writer in comics history, Alan Moore, joins his late mentor Steve Moore (no relation) for one last graphic grimoire: a sprawling and stunning introduction to magic in all its timeless forms, brought to life by six wondrous and whimsical artists.

The Moon and Serpent Bumper Book of Magic (regular HC edition)
by Alan Moore & Steve Moore 
with various artists
ISBN 978-1-60309-550-1 | Diamond Code: AUG241295
$49.99 (US) | 352 pages | Full color hardcover | 9" x 12"
Browse preview pages | Pre-order now from your favorite shop!

Announcing a very limited edition of THE MOON AND SERPENT BUMPER BOOK OF MAGIC — signed by Alan Moore!

Only a few copies available, so they'll go FAST!


Thursday, September 26, 2024

C'est la Guerre

I am in a very good mood, but I have an honestly huge amount of bad stuff to consider and share at the right time. But I know, when I do, I'll have company to help tell it...


So, I have new books out, many planned, and plans... I have begun to consult for organizations and their various endeavors.  The rest will require stamina, grace, creativity and sales. So if you find you want something I've written or many of them, please inquire. I might not have out of print books, but who knows what can happen just by asking. (Not being glib or inappropriate, I've had family members pass, and their offspring or survivors send me the books and I suddenly have one more book that used to be sold out and impossible to buy again.)

But until I can explain it all ...

A FULLY UPDATED COMPLETE WORKS PAGE

My email is alexanderness63@gmail.com
Don't sign me up for spam.

Have nice day.

Tuesday, September 17, 2024

News, chatting, questions and answers...

The Latest news or ideas or stuff like that
By Alex Ness
September 18, 2024

NEWS

I appeared at Crypticon, a 3 day con, and had a great day, selling out numerous works. Blown away by the beautiful humans I met. Some humans at other shows are nowhere near as open and kind. I sold a great deal, but mostly being told by people they like what I've written, people wishing me well, people saying you better be here with more stuff next time, is fuel for more great days. I promise, there will be more books coming. My sponsor was Hot Comics/Mike Harmon. He's a good man, kind man, bright man, and a man who is the epitome of a good owner of a comics shop.

SPEED PRINT INC
saved my bacon.  After dealing with many weasels while searching for a printer, Jen Bateman an artist and member of MnCBA (Fall and Spring Con folks) led me to Matt from Speed Print Inc. Many printers I dealt with supposedly local, had 800 numbers, fake store fronts, and printed from Asia and demanded 80 dollar shipping after you signed the contract. That is not cool.

Instead I went with Speed Print INC and for fair prices, quick service, and kind dialogue, I was very pleased with every thing!

Personal Sales I'm selling books/chapbooks for close to cost + postage. Alexanderness63@gmail.com
for more news.

Q&A

I had promised to do a Q&A when I returned from hiatus. But I want to finish a number of works, so I'll answer the one Q that I want to A.

Who is the comic publisher now who you like the most, and who is the one you like the least?

I haven't been happy with most publishers of comics, but have to say Image for their variety and quality. I enjoy their openness to new ideas, and follow a number of their ongoing comics. I do not say that because I have friends there, I have friends at most publishers.

THE FOUR NEW BOOKS, 3 Chapbooks, 1 Book

I did sell mostly Cthulhu, Jack the Ripper and chapbooks and my Sasquatch book put out by Viper Comics and Josh Howard oh so long ago. Below is a display of the new books. To order Tales of Lost Kingdoms it is 12 total with postage being inclusive. The chapbooks are $5 a piece but choose all of the new chapbooks plus my work from last year's Crypticon, a chapbook about Crime and killings in southern MN, done with Joe Monks, for $20 postage paid.


THE NEW BOOK

TALES OF LOST KINGDOMS

I was going to do this as a book, but after 2019 to 2024 I've had health issues. So I know, I might never get it out. I asked friend and poet, artist and editor Peter Urkowitz if he'd add his own poems and format and edit it, so we could release it, and he said of course.  He did a great job.

All of the poems and essays about the worlds and kingdoms that are legends but my have truth to them, are illustrated inside with ancient and public domain arts. The cover is from a work that the publisher screwed up and tried to make me use the art for free but hell no I would not. So I told Josh, he said keep it is yours. So I sent him a Ray Harryhausen hardcover and a few more good kinda books. And now, 20 years later, it found a home... with some background work by me, using public domain art.

Write to AlexanderNess63@gmail.com and let me know you want one of those deals, and on my facebook page I have many more deals.

FINAL WORDS


Thanks to Crypticon and Michael Harmon for their kindness and giving me a table to sell my works.

LINKS

My Poetry AlexNessPoetry.Blogspot.Com 
This place Poplitiko.Blogspot.Com
Published Works AlexNessPoetry.Blogspot.Com/2007/01/My-Work.html
Personal: AlexNessFiction.Blogspot.Com/

Social Media
https://bsky.app/profile/alexanderness63.bsky.social
https://x.com/alexnesspoetry

Tuesday, September 10, 2024

MOVIES I DIDN'T ENJOY AT ALL

PERHAPS THE WORST MOVIES I EVER SAW
By Alex Ness


I've mentioned that I like monsters and vintage horror, not splatter porn or gore. So I'll be asked when and why that I watched these. I was at a convention with a friend and I was in the hotel room, while they did their professional links, promotions, contacts. The pizza was good. But the waiting in the room for 48 hours of boredom was brutal. I read my books that I brought along, and had so many naps I was sleeped out. Interestingly, either for the patrons of the event or the people that were brought along, they had free direct movie channels had one channel that was horror galore.

I tried watching these commercial free movies... It wasn't fun. I was told I should have brought booze. I wasn't in Hell for pain yet, I didn't have to take meds to endure life. But I couldn't just drive off.  So I slept, watched, bought tons of Diet Mountain Dew and watched crap. Other than otherwise just as uninteresting movies, the other channels available were all Golf.  Not a fan of Golf, or a weekend in summer when the temps tempted freezing in the am. It was really cold.

SAW
IMDB LINK

I didn't want to watch this, I kind of figured it would be what it was. And no, I didn't figure out everything supposed to be a clever surprise. But I did guess a number of things.

I thought it was nasty, and violence porn.

SAW II
IMDB LINK


Yep, because I thought it couldn't get worse. It wasn't really a useless exercise in violent jump scare bullshit. But it was escape room torture porn. People who enjoy such madness, probably enjoy such a movie. I didn't really hate it so much as I began to watch it as a research of what kind of people would enjoy this, what kind of films entertain people who want to be abused, given a toxin, and a time limit in which to figure out a puzzle or something or die.

SAW III
IMDB LINK


Now, I know what you are thinking, what the Hell would you think could be worth watching this if you hated the first two films in the series. Well you'd be right... I could never have watched this and enjoyed it.  I did think some of the scenes of torture were better in terms of effects. Otherwise there is absolutely nothing new with this, well except instead of testing the will to survive, the willingness to slaughter one's own body before quitting or achieving success.  This time a doctor must be kidnapped to lengthen the torment, and the torment's purpose is to hurt someone long enough to test the willingness to forgive and go beyond the self's willingness to simply survive. But sadly, the wildly unbelievable roller coaster ride was not worth the time or cost.

I appreciated the desire to bring in more than simply survive or puzzle solve, or go beyond simple brutality. But it was so poorly concocted that I logically couldn't buy into it. I got it free so I didn't actually buy it but nonetheless. I wish I had been drunk, so I could forget. Now, truthfully, my memory now is shit and this is about 15 years ago. 

My life isn't better altogether, I made a lot of mistakes on the way, and my health went to Hell shortly after. I wonder if it wasn't the movies that triggered it.


IN OTHER NEWS: As I found a printer locally who seems to be reliable by next week you should be able to order some inexpensive works with prose and more featuring original works. 

LINKS

My Poetry AlexNessPoetry.Blogspot.Com 
This place Poplitiko.Blogspot.Com
Published Works AlexNessPoetry.Blogspot.Com/2007/01/My-Work.html
Personal: AlexNessFiction.Blogspot.Com/

Social Media
https://bsky.app/profile/alexanderness63.bsky.social
https://x.com/alexnesspoetry

My Email is AlexanderNess63 at gmail.com