Reviews- DRAWING POWER: A COMPENDIUM OF CARTOON ADVERTISING and RACHEL RISING VOL. 5: NIGHT COMETH

DRAWING POWER: A COMPENDIUM OF CARTOON ADVERTISING (Fantagraphics, 2011; Softcover)

Not quite a collected edition, not quite an art book, Drawing Power: A Compendium Of Cartoon Advertising is a fascinating overview of the impact that comic strip characters had on the world of commerce. This book covers advertisements from the 1870s through the 1940s. Fans of classic newspaper strips will be especially interested in this book.

There are examples of Winsor McCay's and Doctor Seuss' advertisement artwork. Popular strips of the day like The Yellow Kid and Bringing Up Father were used to pimp anything and everything that they could slap their likeness on. Cigarettes? No problem! There are examples of every single popular character of the day (Mickey Mouse, Popeye, etc.).

As is the case with any material from this era, there are things that are politically incorrect, i.e. unfavorable racial caricatures, etc. I look at this sort of thing in a historical curiosity sort of light, although people looking at this with 2015 eyes will likely get offended.

This book is a delightful romp through the past, a glimpse into a simpler time. While it is tempting to think of the olden days as the good ol' days, they in truth were not in so many ways. I just appreciate how downright artistic everything seemed to be back then, from advertisements to building architecture.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 5 out of 5.

The OCD zone- Some of the later examples are comic book or strip-styled advertisements and are shrunk down, often requiring a magnifying glass to read.

Linework and Color restoration: These are raw scans of good resolution, although I dislike how the yellowing was left on many of them. I want to see things looking as close to new as possible, not with wear and tear.

Paper stock: Beautiful off-white uncoated stock.

Binding: Smyth sewn binding.

Cardstock cover notes: The cover has a unique coating that is textured with embossed lettering.

  
RACHEL RISING VOL. 5: NIGHT COMETH (Abstract Studio, 2015; Softcover)

Collects Rachel Rising #25-30 (cover dates April- December, 2014)

Writer and Artist: Terry Moore

Oh man, things are really heating during the seemingly perpetual winter in the town of Manson. Zoe is starting to challenge Rachel as the focal point for this series. This series is a real slow burn, playing out like a television drama with accents of Horror. Think of it as an undead version of Northern Exposure, only these undead are not brainless zombies and there is no moose. This title remains one of the bright spots in modern comics. Check it out!

Junk Food For Thought rating: 4.5 out of 5.

The OCD zone

Paper stock: Uncoated stock.

Binding: Perfect bound trade paperback.

Cardstock cover notes: The coating has a matte finish but is of a high quality in that it doesn't scuff easily. Too often this style of coating is easily scuffed, but not so here.

Review- RACHEL RISING VOL. 4: WINTER GRAVES TP

RACHEL RISING VOL. 4: WINTER GRAVES (Abstract Studios, 2014; Softcover)

Collects Rachel Rising Nos. 19-24 (cover dates September, 2013- April, 2014)

Writer and Artist: Terry Moore

The town of Manson is having the snowstorm of the century, much like my fine city of Detroit did this past winter when we shattered the previous record snowfall set in 1880-81. It always snows in Manson, just like it snowed almost every day in Detroit this past winter. Rachel and Jet are possessed by victims of Manson's dark past. Manson was the site of witch hunts 300 years ago, and Moore does a great job tying the past into the present. Now about the future...Malus isn't going to be satisfied by anything less than the end of all, is he (it)?

Sorry to be so vague, folks. This series is deceptively simple yet pleasingly nuanced. While it is a Horror comic, it is a subtle Horror bordering on drama. It's still not too late to jump on board, folks. No fair weather fans or bandwagon accusations here in comic books. If you find the prospect of paying 5 bucks a pop to see the “end” of Wolverine insulting then come on over here. They can have their 3D covers...I'll take Rachel Rising.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 5 out of 5.

The OCD zone- Pro: The issue covers feature the trade dress, a rarity in contemporary collected editions. Con: The covers are in black and white, like the issues. Pro: The MSRP is low for 6 issues; with that, I can let the lack of color for the covers slide. OCD yin/yang.

DVD-style Extras included in this book: None.

Paper rating: 5 out of 5. Good weight uncoated stock.

Binding rating: 4 out of 5. Perfect bound trade paperback.

Cardstock cover coating rating: 4.5 out of 5. Dull matte finish coating which is scuff resistant.

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Review- RACHEL RISING VOL. 3: CEMETERY SONGS

RACHEL RISING VOL. 3: CEMETERY SONGS (Abstract Studio, 2013; Softcover)

Collects Rachel Rising Nos. 13-18 (cover dates December, 2012- July, 2013)

Writer and Artist: Terry Moore

This title remains a charming, compelling take on the undead. I had to sit and think who does what and why, because there are so many of these “the dead have risen” stories in the wake of the success of The Walking Dead and I am enjoying them all. There haven't been this many cool Horror comics to choose from in at least 40 years.

Rachel Rising isn't a straight up Horror title. It's more of a drama with Horror overtones. Think of it as Northern Exposure meets Twin Peaks. It doesn't hit you over the head, it's not gory, and it's not bone chilling or disturbing...at least not yet, anyways. Zoe is in over her head with Malus (who is not named anywhere in the entire book! New reader friendly fail!), and I am looking forward to watching this unfold. 

There is a subtlety to the artwork that really works for this material. I find the lack of color and the fact that it is constantly snowing to be interesting and appealing as well. There is supposedly going to be a television series based on this comic book. If they do do it, it should be filmed in black and white. I realize that this will never happen, as it would go over like a lead balloon in the 3-D Blu-Ray HD era of home viewing. It would be an interesting artistic choice, though. Anyone looking for a great read or change of pace should check this series out. Having so many great titles to choose from these days is a wonderful problem to have.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 4.5 out of 5.

The OCD zone- While all of the covers are included, they are all in black and white (as is the title itself). I understand that this was an economical choice but thought that it was worth mentioning.

DVD-style Extras included in this book: None. Moore doesn't use chicken shit marketing stunts like variant covers to pad the book's numbers.

Paper rating: 4.5 out of 5. Decent weight uncoated stock paper.

Binding rating: 4 out of 5. Glued binding.

Cardstock cover coating rating: 4.25 out of 5. The cover has that dull low gloss coating. I much prefer the glossier laminated feel that Volume 1 used. The coating seems durable enough with reasonable handling, i.e. no scuffing like some of these dull finish covers. It's just not my preference.

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Review- RACHEL RISING VOL. 2: FEAR NO MALUS

RACHEL RISING VOL. 2: FEAR NO MALUS (Abstract Studio, 2012 ; Softcover)

Collects Rachel Rising Nos. 7-12 (cover dates April- October, 2012)

Writer and Artist: Terry Moore

Things were set to simmer in the first book, and are now about to boil over. For those just tuning in, Rachel is clinically dead but is out walking among the living. Now her friend Jet, who has also recently died, rises from the grave (or more accurately the medical examiner's table) with a broken neck. There is some real black humor in the scenes where they are trying to keep her body together. 

There are a few reveals here, such as why the dead are able to walk and interact with the living in the town of Manson. There are also more questions heaped upon the answers. Terry Moore has served up a fresh, modern take on Horror that relies more on subtlety and tension than gore and shock. Things progress at a slower pace. This feels closer to a television series than a movie, as there are no slam bang POW! Type moments. Moore's artwork is quiet and subdued, but is beautiful all the same. 

I am interested to see where Volume 3 goes. The problem with this being a slow burning read is that the anticipation of the payoff builds the longer that it takes, and the danger of a letdown increases. Moore has been around the block a few times, and hopefully has all of this mapped out and won't fumble the ball. I have faith in him.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 4 out of 5.

The OCD zone- This book is value priced at MSRP $16.99. The single issues were priced at $3.99, so you save $7 by going the collected edition route. This book is slightly smaller than the periodicals, and the covers are printed in black and white, so there's that to consider. Two of the six covers are presented in color on the front and back covers of the book. I am a wait for the trade cat anyways, but those things may be considerations for some folks so I thought that I'd throw that out there.

Paper rating: 4 out of 5. This book has a decent weight uncoated stock paper which works well for black and white material like this.

Binding rating: 4 out of 5. Glued binding. Nothing to get excited about.

Cardstock cover coating rating: 4 out of 5. The cardstock cover has a strange feeling waxy coating, and is thinner than a standard Marvel or DC trade paperback. It's actually more malleable and rests in one hand like a giant periodical, which is kind of cool.

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Review- RACHEL RISING VOL. 1: THE SHADOW OF DEATH

RACHEL RISING VOL. 1: THE SHADOW OF DEATH (Abstract, 2012; Softcover; Black and White)

Collects Rachel Rising Nos. 1-6 (cover dates August, 2011- March, 2012)

Writer and Artist: Terry Moore

I did something that I haven't done much since the '80s: I read this book the day that I bought it. This just seemed so intriguing that I didn't want it to languish in backlog limbo for a year or so. It's not that I'm a diehard Terry Moore fan. Indeed, his collaboration with the dreadful Humberto Ramos drove me off of Runaways. It's just that the concept sounded so interesting that I knew that I would drive myself nuts wondering what in the heck this was all about, so just read it already! So I did.

Moore's artwork is effective and works for this material. I think that the black and white approach works for this title, as full color comics that have wide open panels like this annoy me for some reason. His writing is severely decompressed and fast moving, as I finished the entire book in under 40 minutes. I wasn't trying to be Speed Reader from The Great Space Coaster or anything, I just plowed through it in one sitting. I couldn't put it down. Rachel Rising is a satisfying read that is worthy of your hard earned money, and is available at finer comic emporiums everywhere.

The gist, with some SPOILERS- Rachel wakes up dead, only she isn't aware that she's dead. Everyone that she knows believes that she's dead and that they are seeing things. Her medical examiner Aunt finally figures out that her pulse beat is 6 beats per minute, so she is in a state very near death, and medically speaking, shouldn't be alive. There's a little girl with a “guardian angel” who makes her do evil things. This guardian angel makes other people murder folks as well. Including Rachel, who seems to rise from the dead each time she's murdered. There is also a serial killer on the loose, who murdered Rachel in the first place. So yeah, lots going on here, and we are left with more questions than answers. I'm in for Volume 2, which won't be released soon enough!

The OCD zone- This is slightly smaller than a standard sized trade paperback. This is not a slight, just a point of reference for my OCD-suffering brethren out there. The paper is uncoated stock but is smooth to the touch. The covers are not in color (with the exception of Issue 1, which is used on the front cover), which would be a pet peeve if this book were not value priced at below the MSRP for the 6 floppies. I'll let it slide, Moore and Abstract. The covers are included in their proper chapter marker place, minus Issue 1, which is on the cover. The first issue begins immediately after table of contents. Oh, and there is no mention as to what printing this is (it's obviously the first) or where it was printed. I'm sorry, but this is The OCD zone, and the tiniest things send us into a tizzy in this neck of the woods!

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