Review- PERFECT NONSENSE- THE CHAOTIC COMICS AND GOOFY GAMES OF GEORGE CARLSON

PERFECT NONSENSE- THE CHAOTIC COMICS AND GOOFY GAMES OF GEORGE CARLSON (Fantagraphics, First Printing, 2014; Hardcover)

Collects material from Jingle Jangle Comics #11, 13, 15, 16, 19, 20, 22, 23, 25, 28, 31, 35, 36 (cover dates October, 1944- December, 1948)

Writer and Artist: George Carlson

Word to the wise: This is more of an art book than it is a collected edition. Only 69 out of the 318 pages are reprints of comic books. The rest of the book is a compilation of Carlson's artwork across various publications over the course of about 40 years. Carlson did 700 pages of comics among many other things. Since this is a comic book review site, I'll lean on that section of the book more heavily than the rest.

Carlson is considered a forgotten legend of the Golden Age of comics. His artwork has a whimsical, childlike quality to it. His comic book work leans heavily on anthropomorphic animals and bad puns. To be fair, his work was intended to be read by children nearly 80 years ago, not dissected by a middle aged man in the 21^st century.

His artwork graced many children's publications, and he was probably most famous for his work on the Uncle Wiggly children's books. It's wild to think about how an artist who was once so popular and beloved is now nearly forgotten. This is the purpose of this book, to remind people how important Carlson once was.

His comic book work leaves me cold, though. I do not enjoy “kiddie” comics but I understand their historical significance. This book just isn't my cup of tea, even if it is beautifully made and thoughtfully put together.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 2.5 out of 5.

The OCD zone- This is the part where I go into tactile sensations and materials used in physical media. Those with heart conditions, high blood pressure, or women who are pregnant should exit my blog at their earliest convenience, as their safety cannot be guaranteed beyond this point.

Linework and Color restoration: The restoration is tricky. They tried to keep the “Ben Day” dots intact for nostalgic purposes, but they clearly used computers to correct off register printing. The reds and the yellows are redone in solids, adding an odd contrast that most folks won't notice but which drove me nuts. Fully restore comics or scan and print them warts and all, but this weird hybrid approach doesn't work for me. Your mileage, as always, may vary.

Paper stock: Bright white uncoated stock.

Binding: Sewn binding.

Hardback cover notes: The image is printed on the matte casewrap. The white logo on the front cover actually appears on the first page of the book, as the hardback has a huge die-cut on it. The back cover appears to have either a descriptive sticker or it is spot varnished, but my gut feeling is the former.

Review- THE JOE KUBERT ARCHIVES VOL. 1: WEIRD HORRORS & DARING ADVENTURES

THE JOE KUBERT ARCHIVES VOL. 1: WEIRD HORRORS & DARING ADVENTURES (Fantagraphics, First Printing, 2012; Hardcover)

Collects selections from Abbott and Costello Comics #10, All-New Comics #10, Black Cat #1, 2, Boy Comics #110, The Challenger #2, 3, Cow Puncher Comics #2, Crime Does Not Pay #142, 143, Eerie #3, 7, 9, Green Hornet Comics #30, The Hawk #2, Hollywood Confessions #2, Jesse James #6, Meet Miss Pepper #5, Parole Breakers #2, Planet Comics #32, Police Lineup Vol. 1 #3, Son of Sinbad #1, Strange Terrors #4, 5, Strange Worlds #8, 18, Three Stooges #1, Weird Horrors #8, Weird Thrillers #4, Whack #2, and Witchcraft #1 (cover dates September, 1944- April, 1955)

Writers: Robert Bernstein, George Vincent, Charles Biro, and other unidentified writers

Artists: Joe Kubert with penciling by Carmine Infantino (Strange Worlds #18 and Jesse James #6), Bob Bean (Meet Miss Pepper #5), and inking by Norman Mauer (Whack #2)

Joe Kubert is as prolific as any of the comic book journeyman of his era. While he is most famous for his Silver Age DC work (Hawkman, etc.), his Pre-Code work for all of the various publishing houses here is interesting as well. The quality of the writing is all over the place, which is common for the era, but his artwork is consistently good. I am unsure if Steve Ditko ever claimed Joe Kubert as an influence, but I can spot many similarities in the ways that they draw the everyman in the crowd.

Pre-Code Horror comics all kind of feel the same after a while, and the ones collected here are no exception. I'm a big fan of the genre so I love them, but I can understand the criticism that some folks have about them all running together into a blur. The Widow's Lover (Weird Thrillers #4) is a cut above the rest, no pun intended.

Some of the genres are of little interest to me. I find most Western comics and War comics to be a chore to read, and some of these old Science Fiction comics can be a bit too silly. I love old Crime comics. I dislike Humor comics, as they are often very unfunny if you aren't aware of the context and reference points. You would have to approach them from a scholarly standpoint. They almost require annotations.

The Son Of Sinbad material was my favorite in the entire book. As hard as it may be to imagine today, there was once a world of no cable television, where three major networks and a handful of UHF channels showing reruns dominated the airwaves. In this world the ABC Sunday night movies were a big deal, and I loved the Sinbad ones in the '70s. I would be all over a collection of Sinbad comics, but nobody aside from print-on-demand companies like Gwandanaland Comics would even consider it.

This was a good but uneven read. One can only assume that there will not be a second volume in this series, as this book is already five years old and a follow up was never solicited. Oh well. I'm over these artist-centric collections anyways.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 3 out of 5.

The OCD zone- This book is wider than a Marvel Masterwork, DC, or Dark Horse Archive.

Linework and Color restoration: High resolution scans with some tinkering. Some line bleed was fixed and some solids were done, which looks jarring when the rest of the panel has the so-called Ben Day dots. All or nothing, folks. I can tolerate full blown restoration and I can tolerate raw scans, but the hybrid approach doesn't work for my money.

Paper stock: Bright white uncoated stock.

Binding: Sewn binding. Lays flat. The book block has room to flex within the casing.

Hardback cover notes: Matte casewrap. No dustjacket. 

Review- PRINCE VALIANT VOL. 4: 1943-1944

PRINCE VALIANT VOL. 4: 1943-1944 (Fantagraphics, First Printing, 2011; Hardcover)

Collects Prince Valiant Sunday strips 308-412, originally published on January 3, 1943- December 31, 1944

Writer and Artist: Hal Foster

It takes me forever to get through one of these books. I sit and stare at the artwork so long that I spend months and months reading each volume.

Prince Valiant is set to return home to Thule and has several minor adventures along the way. Nothing makes Val happy, as his heart yearns for the hand of Queen Aleta of the Misty Isles. So he does what any young man would do: he goes out and finds her. This is where the book ends, with Val kidnapping her on the eve of when she is going to pick a suitor to marry. Val and Aleta are on the run, being pursued by Aleta's subjects.

This stuff is required reading for lovers of art. There aren't many artists who are Hal Foster's peer, and his writing remains sharp and witty many decades later. I know that many comic book fans are leery of dipping their toes into the waters of the newspaper strips, but if you have ever been curious about how serious comics started then pick this book up. The writing and artwork are head and shoulders above anything published at the time and hold up even today.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 4.75 out of 5.

The OCD zone- While presented smaller than the original publications, these books are large enough that you get the feel of the artwork and can read the text with ease. They are also easier to handle than many strip books which are unwieldy due to the dimensions of newspapers 70-odd years ago.

Linework and Color restoration: The strips are scanned from pristine syndicate proofs. Color restoration is faithful to the original strips.

Paper stock: Matte coated stock with the slightest sheen to it.

Binding: Sewn binding.

Hardback cover notes: No dustjacket. Image part of the paper of the casewrap. Portion around the spine has a faux leather casewrap.

Review- SETTING THE STANDARD: COMICS BY ALEX TOTH 1952-1954

SETTING THE STANDARD: COMICS BY ALEX TOTH 1952-1954 (Fantagraphics, First Printing, August, 2011; Softcover)

Collects selections from Best Romance #5, Joe Yank #5, 6, 8, 10, New Romances #10, 11, 14, 16-20, Today's Romance #6, Battlefront #5, My Real Love #5, Out Of The Shadows #5, 6, 10-12, Adventures Into Darkness #5, 8, 9, The Unseen #5, 6, Crime Files #5, Intimate Love #19, 21, 22, 26, Fantastic Worlds #5, 6, This Is War #5, 6, 9, Lost Worlds #5, 6, Jet Fighters #5, 7, Popular Romance #22-27, Who Is Next? #5, Exciting War #8, Thrilling Romances #22-24, and The Unseen #12, 13 (cover dates February, 1952- March, 1954)

Writers: Kim Aamodt and other, unidentified writers

Artists: Alex Toth with Inking by Sy Barry, John Celardo, Mike Peppe, Mike Sekowsky, and Mike Esposito)

The genius of Alex Toth may be lost on younger fans, as he was one of those artists whose voice was so different than his peers that those who followed in his footsteps stripmined his brilliance to the point where it became the norm. When you compare his Standard Comics output to his contemporaries he is head and shoulders above everyone aside from the stable of artists over at EC.

That said, the stories in and of themselves are unremarkable at best and banal at worst. Most of the writing is average or worse for the era, with the occasional story standing out. I enjoy this era of comic books, but if you are a fan of modern decompression style comic books then this book might be a chore for you to read. Toth did a lot of war and romance comics, and those are heavily featured in this book. I am not a big fan of either genre but Toth's artwork made them palatable. His Pre-Code Horror work is collected here as well.

His Horror and Sci-Fi stuff really pop, but to be honest none of the stories in this book are what I'd call great. This book is still a worthwhile addition to any serious comic fan's library. This is over 400 pages, so it is dense and will take a while to plow through it but it is worth it.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 3.25 out of 5.

The OCD zone- This book is larger and wider than a standard trade paperback, which is great because Golden Age comics were wider than modern comics. The material is presented in it's original size here.

Linework and Color restoration: High resolution scans, cleaned up and presented in a warts and all fashion. Some fans like the line bleed and off register printing found in collections like this, others prefer full blown “frame up” restoration. Your mileage may vary.

Paper stock: Heavy duty uncoated stock.

Binding: Perfect bound trade paperback. The binding feels a bit wonky to me, as the weight of the book block feels like it is trying to pull itself out of the cover. Handle this one with care, folks.

Cardstock cover notes: Thick cardstock cover with high quality matte lamination embellished with spot varnish. 

Review- IMPOSSIBLE TALES: THE STEVE DITKO ARCHIVES VOL. 4

IMPOSSIBLE TALES: THE STEVE DITKO ARCHIVES VOL. 4 (Fantagraphics, First Printing, 2013; Hardcover)

Collects selections from Do You Believe In Nightmares? #1, Mysteries Of Unexplored Worlds #4, 7, Out Of This World #6, 7, 12, Strange Suspense Stories #33, 35-37, Tales Of The Mysterious Traveler #6-8, 10, This Magazine Is Haunted Vol. 2 #14, 16, and Unusual Tales #10, 11 (cover dates July, 1957- March, 1959)

Writer: Joe Gill

Artist: Steve Ditko

Coke vs. Pepsi. Judas Priest vs. Iron Maiden. Steve Ditko vs. Jack Kirby. These are all age old arguments that fans seem compelled to have to choose one side over the other. I was as guilty of this as anybody in the 1980s. While I liked Ditko and Kirby (as well as Priest and Maiden), I made sure to emphasize my preference for Ditko to any of the four or five other nerds that I knew who read comic books back then (as well as my preference to Priest over Maiden). While there is no denying the genius of Kirby folks seem to have pushed Ditko into the background these days, which is a shame.

The stories in this book fall into the familiar themes of comics from the 1950s. Cold War paranoia, atomic radiation/mutants, time travel, forbidden knowledge, cursed objects...basically watered down post-Code Sci-Fi and light Horror found in many comic books of the day. The “preachy” aspect found in many 1950s comics is so prevalent that you might overdose on its righteousness. The writing is competent if by the book, but that isn't the real draw here anyway; it's Ditko's artwork.

The Mysterious Traveler

The Mysterious Traveler is the host of many of the stories collected here, and he has a Phantom Stranger sort of vibe to him. Dr. Haunt is another host, although his appearance is something of a precursor of Doctor Strange, at least in terms of his cape. These hosts were a dime a dozen during the '50s. Also curious is the recurring theme of mutants, specifically the notion that they are hated and feared by a world that they try to help. Does that sound familiar to you? It should. It became the foundation of The X-Men a few years later. While Ditko had nothing to do with those characters it only goes to show you how liberally things were borrowed back then in comics.

It's interesting that members of the Kirby Cult (the brain dead creator rights sycophants who claim that Jack Kirby created the world in six days but God took the credit for his work) defend the Kirby estate's assertion that Kirby had a hand in creating Spider-Man. Kirby may have thrown the name out there and had a concept (which was rejected by Stan Lee), but the Spider-Man concept and costume as we know it is pure Ditko. Don't believe me? Then take a look at the cover to Out Of This World #7 (February, 1958 cover date), where Ditko clearly had the web design down pat.

This brings us to another discussion, though. In recent years it has come to light that New York based Ben Cooper, Inc., a Halloween costume manufacturer which was at one time the largest one in the United States, may have created the look of Spider-Man. Those of us who grew up in the '70s and '80s remember the cheesy plastic masks with a string and vinyl suit licensed costumes sold in a box. These were Ben Cooper costumes. The company designed a costume in 1954 called Spiderman. There are similarities in the web design, but beyond that who knows. Ditko lived in New York and the costume company was in New York so it is possible that Ditko knew of it. There are rumors that Jack Kirby worked for the costume company before returning to Marvel around 1956. So who knows where the truth lies in any of this. Did Kirby steal the name from Ben Cooper? Did Kirby give the name to Ben Cooper? Did Ditko lift the web design from the costume for the cover of Out Of This World #7 and then reuse it for Spider-Man five years later? We will likely never know since Ditko doesn't talk to anybody.

Dr. Haunt's cape is similar to the design of Doctor Strange's cape.

Editor Blake Bell has arranged the stories in these Archives by job number, meaning that they are presented in the order that Ditko originally drew them in as opposed to publication order. Everything between these two covers was done during his most prolific period, 1957. This era also represents the beginning of his prime in my opinion. Ditko's idiosyncrasies are now fully developed and his ability to create mood and tension is cemented in place. It's all onward and upward from here!

Junk Food For Thought rating: 4.25 out of 5.

The OCD zone- The two stories in Volume 3 that were each missing a page of story are collected here in their entirety. I can sleep at night now.

Linework and Color restoration: High resolution scans with minimal tinkering, only yellowing removed. As far as raw scans go these look great.

Paper stock: White uncoated stock.

Binding: Smyth sewn binding, book lays mostly flat.

Hardback cover notes: Image printed on matte casewrap which is resistant to scuffing.

Review- MYSTERIOUS TRAVELER: THE STEVE DITKO ARCHIVES VOL. 3

MYSTERIOUS TRAVELER: THE STEVE DITKO ARCHIVES VOL. 3 (Fantagraphics, First Printing, 2012; Hardcover)

Collects the Steve Ditko drawn stories from Mysteries of Unexplored Worlds #4-6, Out of This World #4-6, Strange Suspense Stories #33-36, Tales of the Mysterious Traveler #5, 6, 8, This Magazine Is Haunted Vol. 2 #12, 13, and Unusual Tales #8, 9 (cover dates June, 1957- July, 1958)

Writers: Joe Gill, Jack Oleck, and other unidentified writers

Artist: Steve Ditko

I like how this series of books is presented chronologically by job number instead of publication. What that means is that these stories are presented in the order which Ditko penciled them, not in the order which they were originally published. This approach allows us to see Ditko's art progress and refine over time.

Most of the stories run the typical 'Atomic Age' gamut, that weird post-Code type of Science Fiction, light Horror fare about paranoia, fear of Communist infiltration, space aliens, and the like. There is a lot of Twilight Zone precursors here, albeit usually not at refined as that show would be.

One of my favorites in this book is His Fate from This Magazine Is Haunted Vol. 2 #12, one of those concepts which seems tired to modern audiences but interests me: the relationship between the ventriloquist and his dummy. A lot of these stories seem predictable, but that is only because this stuff has been regurgitated and strip-mined in the ensuing decades, robbing it of all originality.

The Desert Spell shows Ditko experimenting with Zip-A-Tone, something that I am a sucker for. It is obsolete due to Photoshop, but just like how George Lucas filming Star Wars with models looks more real to me than CGI, Zip-A-Tone is a more effective form of shading than gradient blends to my jaded old eyes. The story is also great, about a Nazi awaking from suspended animation with plans to resurrect the Third Reich, only to...ahhh, but that would be telling. Read it yourself.

I am glad that Blake Bell and Fantagraphics have continued this line of books. Ditko's early work is great and is worthy of a spot on your bookshelf.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 4 out of 5.

The OCD zone- There are a number of omissions in this book. The final page of the story The Missing Room is omitted, ditto The Menace of Maple Leaves. Both stories are reprinted in their entirety in Volume 4 and Fantagraphics has printable PDFs of those pages on their site.

The Ditko penciled covers to Out of This World #4 and Strange Suspense Stories #33 are also sadly absent.

Linework and Color restoration: High resolution scans with minimal tinkering, only yellowing removed. As far as raw scans go these look great.

Paper stock: White uncoated stock.

Binding: Smyth sewn binding, book lays mostly flat.

Hardback cover notes: Image printed on matte casewrap with spot varnish.

Review- HEROIC TALES: THE BILL EVERETT ARCHIVES VOL. 2

HEROIC TALES: THE BILL EVERETT ARCHIVES VOL. 2 (Fantagraphics, 2013; Hardcover)

Collects selections from Adventures Into Weird Worlds #4, 5, Amazing Man Comics #9-11, Amazing Mystery Funnies Vol. 2 #3-5, Cracked #3, 6, 24, Famous Stars #2, Journey Into Mystery #20, Journey Into Unknown Worlds #14, Nightmare #1, 2, 4, Personal Love #24, Psycho #3-6, Reg'lar Fellers Heroic Comics #6-9, Silver Streak Comics #1, 20, 21, Suspense #5, 6, Target Comics Vol. 1 #3, 4, 7-9, and War Stories Vol. 1 #1 (cover dates March, 1939- September, 1971)

Writers: Bill Everett, Allen L. Kirby, Doug Allan, Bob Davis, Ray Gill, and Gardner Fox

Artist: Bill Everett with Joe Maneely (splash page assist on Suspense #5)

Finishing up Bill Everett's Golden Age comics and going into his non-Marvel work until the time that he retired, this book is a joy to behold. Skyrocket Steele is a generic Flash Gordon ripoff, while Amazing-Man and Hydro-Man are a ton of fun. I find it interesting how these characters were split across each volume as opposed to being presented in just one book, since this is grouped by character or genre. Not a complaint, just an observation.

Can you imagine the Internet OUTRAGE if this were shown in a comic today? Those PETA losers would cry all over their soy milk. 

Everett's style is unique and completely genius, and it makes reading comics that I normally wouldn't be interested in enjoyable. I dislike Romance and Western comics but liked the ones in this book. Thankfully Marvel allowed Blake Bell to present 8 of his 1950s Atlas Horror stories, seven of which haven't been reprinted in the Marvel Masterworks line. The Scarecrow (Journey Into Unknown Worlds #14) and I Deal With Murder! (Suspense #6) are both genius, and it makes me sad that Marvel has mothballed their Atlas line of hardcovers. Who knows what other treasures await? The Skywald stories suck, but what do you expect? Skywald's output sucked! They plagiarized 1950s Horror comics for crying out loud. Even Everett's art couldn't save them.

I love Everett's lettering. 

I am glad that Blake Bell went the distance and saw this project through. Many of these comics are scarce and none of them are cheap. Top it off with the fact that the scanning process can sometimes destroy a comic and you have a sacrifice made for the good of all. Yes, some comics may have been sacrificed so that this book could be made, but not Everett's work has been scanned and digitized and will now live for eternity.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 4.25 out of 5.

The OCD zone- Fantagraphics always makes nice books. They never arrive on time but they never disappoint, either.

Linework and Color restoration: High resolution, digitally cleaned up raw scans. All anomalies and imperfections of the original four color printing process are present, including line bleed, off-register printing, and benday dots. I have had many discussions with folks on the Internet about it, and many of the misinformed out there believe that benday dots were some sort of artistic choice; they were not. Many artists were disappointed with how their work looked when they saw the final product but accepted it due to the limitations of the technology of the day. Benday dots and line bleed are no more artistic choices than pops and surface noise on vinyl records are. They are byproducts of the reproduction of said formats.

Paper stock: Thick uncoated stock with zero sheen.

Binding: Smyth sewn binding. The book does not lay completely flat.

Hardback cover notes: The image is printed on the casewrap, which has a dull matte finish coating which is resistant to scuffing.