Box Office Pain

Reading Box Office Poison, I kept noticing little things, like someone's chin or neck, or a particular pose, that reminded me of another cartoonist's work that I love.

About halfway through, I noticed a character with the surname Kreider. I flipped to the list of Robinson's cartooning friends to whom he expressed gratitude, and sure enough, Tim Kreider was listed.

Later in the book, one of the overlapping speech balloons in the party scene contains the title of Kreider's comic, "The Pain -- When Will It End?"

Do yourself a favor and read the entire archives.

Of particular interest to you superhero-types are The League of Indecency and More Superheroes Nobody Wants to See.

And by far the most useful one for my own life, Our New Line of Greeting Cards.

But seriously, read them all. And buy his books. So I command!

I cheated.

I read Nausicaä while waiting for advice, since I knew nobody would tell me that I simply must read it seventh. I spotted a couple things that made me giggle like a moron.

Kurotowa is introduced and tells Princess Kushana about the state of the battles on the main front, including the armies of the Dorok principalities:


Haha. Dorks.

Later, Kurotowa explores a lost city beneath Pejitei, where he finds...


A pop culture reference, 22 years early! Damn, Miyazaki's good.

And so I can have some Western comics content: If you don't like John McCrea, you don't like comics. I'm just sayin'.

Attention Dorkwads!

I got these 20 books out of the library today, and I need your help:

David B., Epileptic (which I've already read the first half of, but I think there might be new stuff in those parts in this edition)
Chester Brown, I Never Liked You
Charles Burns, Black Hole
Darwyn Cooke, Selina's Big Score
Guy Delisle, Pyongyang
Will Eisner, The Contract with God Trilogy (of which I've read the first book)
James Kochalka, American Elf
Jeanne Martinet (and the original artists), Truer Than True Romance
Hayao Miyazaki, Nausicaa Of The Valley Of The Wind
Jim Ottaviani & Big Time Attic, Bone Sharps, Cowboys, and Thunder Lizards
Alex Robinson, Box Office Poison and Tricked
Marjane Satrapi, Persepolis, Persepolis 2, and Embroideries
Seth, Clyde Fans Book One, Wimbledon Green, and It's a Good Life, If You Don't Weaken
Bryan Talbot, The Tale of One Bad Rat
Bill Willingham (& various artists), The Sandman Presents: Taller Tales

They're due in three weeks (though I can renew them online if there are no holds). Where the hell do I start? Where the hell do I keep them? What the hell was I thinking?

I'm still in the middle of a novel and a David Foster Wallace short story collection, too.

Inspiration strikes!

During my nightly jaunt 'round the blogodome, I came across Mike's latest entry.

One quotation in particular struck my fancy:

"no it wouldnt...stupid thread...ur being stereotypical here.."

I thought, "What if Superman were an illiterate internet-thing?"

Dear Mr. Bendis,

I wouldn't have minded an issue of Powers with only 26 story pages. Really.

I can only hope this is all leading up to a scene in which all the spoken-word people gather to tell each other how brilliant they are and get splattered by a meteor hurled from orbit by the superpowered team of Henry Rollins and Russell Simmons. If that happens, all will be forgiven.

Sincerely,

Leigh

PS: Thank you for giving the current issue's malcontent some dialogue that I can't possibly mock in ways that everyone who read the issue hasn't already thought of. It makes both our jobs easier.

PPS: Also, thank you for making Ultimate Spider-Man good again. Please never add terrible ranting loons to that book.

Not Safe For Work At All

Back in August of last year, Kevin did post a wondrous post, introducing me (and I'm guessing, many others) to the world of Iceman. Be sure to heed the warning in that post and consider it to apply to this one (and the comments! (thanks, Spencer!)) too.

I've been looking back there occasionally, often with dismay at the number of things that have been removed. At least the Teen Titans and Robin/Clayface pictures are still there to amuse and horrify (respectively).

But sometimes, there's a new comic.

A new comic that shows us Blob's penis, Beast's anus, and Xavier's leadership. And let's not forget that Wolverine's cock has an elbow (click through to page 13 for that!).

I have to wonder whether Scott shaves, or if he just uses his optic blasts Superman-style.