Strangers

the kinks - strangers (mp3)

The Top 10 Comic Book Artists Working Today Countdown List Extravaganza (According to Me, with All Due Respect to You.) #1

Oooh... What a disappointing match. The US was dominant in the first half and was legitimately the best team for the first 45 minutes. The second half was a disaster. The 2-0 US lead was cut to 2-1 almost immediately after the second half kickoff, and Brazil dominated going forward to win 3-2. Oh well. We still have comics to pick up our spirits. With that I present...

#1. Mike Mignola

If I had to pick only one family of books to read and give up all others, I doubt I'd even have to give it any thought. The Hellboy Universe or "Mignolaverse" (Hellboy, B.P.R.D, Various other one-shots and miniseries) is just that perfect storm of great art, story, and sensibility. Despite Mignola still writing most of the stories in his universe, it's a rare treat to see him pencil a complete book these days (he still draws most covers though). Last year's Hellboy one-shot "In the Chapel of Moloch" was a terse masterpiece prompting me to dig out all my old Mignola-drawn issues to re-marvel at their quality. The moody Medieval landscapes, the Gothic and Romanesque architecture and sculpture, the World's legends and myths intertwining with Hellboy's own growing mythology, the Lovecraftian monsters and occult weirdness intertwine between the frames of the books while Hellboy himself always fires back with a sense of humor and a desperate wisecrack. Mike Mignola; Number One with a bullet on my list. Thanks for reading, Pardners.

G.I. Joe PSAs

Download Yerself some Camp Standing Rock mp3s

Hey Y'all - Head on over to The Groenlings site where I posted some new old CSR tunes from the 2003 tape, "A State of Virginia."

http://thegroenlings.wordpress.com/2009/06/28/new-old-camp-standing-rock-tracks-from-the-a-state-of-virginia-tape/

The Top 10 Comic Book Artists Working Today Countdown List Extravaganza (According to Me, with All Due Respect to You.) #2

Ya ever had these Planters "Heat Peanuts"? They're real nice n' spicy. Gonnna have a glass of Boulevard with lemon here too in a minute, but first, it's...

#2. Mike Allred

Everything Allred does is just cool and interesting. His art reminds you a bit of animation cells, but with really great (and always very experimental) sequential storytelling chops. He plays with the restrictions of page and panel more than anyone else I know of - stretching the boundaries of what can be done in a standard comic book format. His creator-owned Madman comic is where his virtuosity is showcased the most, but whenever he pops up elsewhere (recent God Sized Thor one-shot, his X-Statix run) I tend to ignore the text and look at the pretty pictures. The fact that his wife Laura does all of his coloring gives all of his stuff a consistent and quickly recognizable quality. Damn! Comics are Sweet, Son!

The Crazy World of Arthur Brown

Two things -

First, I'm really loving the Top 10 comic artists. We should do more Top 10 lists (or, with my attention span, maybe Top 5 or Top 3). But I've been lazy and haven't been commenting, so I just wanted to make sure you knew I've been enjoying all of them quite a bit.

Second, I just found out I'm one of the winners of the Michael Moorcock question contest! Cory Doctorow emailed me to tell me, and he gave me the contact info of the publisher. They told me that Michael picked my question himself as one of his favorites. So I'll be getting a copy of that book someday soon! That's pretty awesome.

The Top 10 Comic Book Artists Working Today Countdown List Extravaganza (According to Me, with All Due Respect to You.) #3

Man it's hot and humid up in here. They just announced a Tornado watch for the area around Grand Forks so I guess Summer is finally here. Blah Blah, The giant clock hanging around my neck just chimed, so it must be artist time. Up next we have...

#3. Frazer Irving

Although his resume doesn't include much work in American comics yet, the work I've seen thus far has been stunning. Irving's Gothic pencils on Seven Soldiers of Victory: Klarion the Witchboy showcased his unique voice. The recent Azrael: Death's Dark Knight miniseries was a masterwork of stark frames, expressionistic visages, rad computerly painting, and an ass-kickin' anti-hero. If there is a comic with his name on it, I'll buy it. Sign me up, Buckaroos!

The Top 10 Comic Book Artists Working Today Countdown List Extravaganza (According to Me, with All Due Respect to You.) #4

We've passed the half-way point and are gliding down the home stretch. Here come the Big Bananas... er... something.

#4. Frank Quitely.

Frank Quitely is just performing at an extremely high level lately. His All-Star Superman (w/ Grant Morrison and Jamie Grant) miniseries was almost unanimously praised by fans, critics, bulldogs, and craters. It is one of the most beautiful examples of sequential storytelling ever created and that ain't no lie. The first issue of Batman and Robin seems to be an early indication of more greatness to come. I can't get enough of his stuff. Just look at the bottom panel seen here (click on the picture, blow it up, and look closely if you haven't already) and I dare you to not get chills. Wow! Why is this modern master #4? Must be even more greatness to come, so you better stop back tomorrow, doodz.

The Top 10 Comic Book Artists Working Today Countdown List Extravaganza (According to Me, with All Due Respect to You.) #5

I'm listening to the spare and beautiful track by Mihály Vig posted right below this entry and I'm thinking it is a very fitting track as a nice audio companion to the work of the next artist on my list. Please join me. Download the track that suits so well the work of the artist known to me and you as...

# 5. P. Craig Russell

I've always been especially drawn to Illustration. It's no surprise that many of my all-time favorite comic artists are those who are able to successfully marry the sensibilities of illustration with strong storytelling ability. For my money, the greatest comic book illustrator is P. Craig Russell. From his Elric work to the "Ramadan" issue of Sandman, I've loved his elegant, flowing line work. His recent Sandman: The Dream Hunters comic adaption of Neil Gaiman's novel of the same name reminded once again how great an illustrator and sequential storyteller this guy really is.

I occupy space and have mass. I breathe in and breathe out.

mihaly vig - valuska (mp3)

the valerie project