"Is a samurai helping the Aztecs to defeat Cortez?" Sergio Aragones Funnies#12

I may not visit the comic shop as often these days as I once did, but my infrequent visits at least tend to coincide with the infrequently-published (ie, bi-monthly) Sergio Aragones Funnies, which I've often blogged about on this site. It's a gentle ray of sunshine through the otherwise gray skies of Calgary.

And there, in issue #12, is the announcement of Funnies' cancellation.

Fortunately, in his introductory cartoon Sergio reveals Funnies is only ending its current run with Bongo Comics and will be moving to another publisher (unnamed but I assume rhymes with Mark Morse). Whew! Don't scare us like that, Sergio!

As usual for the series, this issue contains two multi-page tales, the first being "A Hero's Dream," the story of a man determined to become a costumed crimefighter, but repeatedly hobbled by the harsh realities of the real world. I wouldn't say this story is particularly funny - more melancholic. There is humour to be mined from people who expect the real world to work out as they see it in fiction, but this tale simply depicts a good-intentioned man being pummeled by his environment.

It actually made me think of a friend (no names) who once dreamed of being a crimefighter; one day as he was working out in the gym, the gym was robbed and the criminals got away; he remained completely oblivious of what had transpired. On another occasion, he saw a suspicious car in his neighbourhood and attempted a confrontation, only to learn it was a police vehicle - his neighbours were under surveillance for suspected crimes! I think an oblivious hero (such as my friend) would have made Sergio's story a little funnier.

Fortunately the other feature - Sergio's regular series of personal biographic material - never lets me down! This time, Sergio relates his fondness for the Japanese actor Toshiro Mifune and how he managed to meet his hero around 1960 when Mifune came to Mexico to film a feature. Sergio's first attempt at ingratiating himself to Mifune - hampered by Mifune's inability to understand Spanish and the duo's mutually poor English - is pretty funny. Surprisingly, Mifune's connection to Sergio's family lasted for more than two decades, as Sergio mentions how after his father's death, Mifune send a Christmas card to Sergio's mother every year until the end of her life. The collected anecdotes about Mifune & Sergio serve to humanize the actor, bringing him down from the pedestal Sergio set him upon (while simultaneously building a new pedestal). It's a very fine, warm, human tale.

As per usual, the issue contained activity pages and the single-page cartoons Sergio excels at; hopefully Sergio Aragones Funnies will return after only a brief absence!

Three days of reviews Part 3: "The old napkin trick never stopped working..."

Is it redundant to keep talking about Sergio Aragones Funnies? Here's a comic book which is of the same uniform greatness every month; each month features silent 1-page gags, activity pages, a comedic feature and a biographical feature from Sergio's life. So, we should all stop talking about this wonderful comic book, right? We can all take its assured quality for granted and instead discuss Trademark Protected Man#23 and what the new potato salad recipe means for the citizens of Knight City.

Then again, perhaps a comic book like Sergio Aragones Funnies should be talked about whenever it comes out. Perhaps if we started ignoring the old "sound and fury" brigade and never stopped talking about the fun, intelligent and well-made books it could make a difference to someone out there. Such is the premise of my reviewing Sergio Aragones Funnies#10.

This issue's comedic feature is "Titanic Tales," about a robber who boards the Titanic just in time for its catastrophic voyage. Ordinarily a story about someone evading the law only to wind up on the scene of a great disaster like the Titanic sinking (or the Hiroshima bombing) is where the story ends; here, Sergio prefaces the story by discussing the Titanic before introducing the robber. This was a pretty neat swerve - clearly, the surprise ending was not "but the ship was the Titanic! ha-ha-ha" so I was left uncertain of where Sergio was going with his joke. As it should be.

Of greater interest was "My Second Peso," the autobiographical story. Really, I follow Sergio Aragones Funnies primarily for these tales. This tale is a sequel to one from issue #2 where Sergio described the first time he was paid for his art. In this tale, we learn how a young Sergio would barter his artistic talents to businesses across town by decorating their windows in exchange for goods/services. Eventually, Sergio's abilities are noticed by some older boys who invite him to accompany them as they prowl for girls, figuring Sergio's artwork could be the answer to a maiden's prayer.

"My Second Peso" was well worth the cost on its own - it's a very genuine, human story as Sergio tries to fit in with an older crowd and be appreciated as an artist. Ultimately, it's a story of disappointments, but Sergio insists one trick he learned from those older boys - passing along sketches on napkins to beautiful girls - is one he kept using for years to come.

If you aren't reading Sergio Aragones Funnies... my gosh, why are you reading this blog post? There's so much you're missing, friend! To the comic shop, quickly! I'll always be here, but those back issues are already commanding a small fortune!

Review: Sergio Aragones Funnies#8

At some point last year I assumed Sergio Aragones Funnies had been quietly cancelled. It's often difficult to know what the present status of a non-"Big Two" comic book series; for a time, I assumed I'd missed an issue and kept checking at shops and online to see where issue #8 was - to no avail.

Issue#8 arrived a full 14 months after #7 and opens with an explanation of Sergio's absence: he'd undergone major back surgery. Although he states (above) he can't "put in fourteen-hour days" any more (seriously? 14 hour work days? we should all have his work ethic), he'll continue to work on his own book, Funnies, plus Groo, Mad and Simpsons. Funnies will now be a bi-monthly book. Somehow, even when he's slowing down his pace, Sergio still finds a way to make 90% of comics pros seem lazy by comparison.

As is typical for Funnies, issue#8 includes a variety of features written/drawn by Sergio; there are one-page gag strips (just like his Mad material), puzzle pages (just in case kids are reading?) and a short humourous story; in this issue, Sergio tells a western story: "the Bank Robbers." This tale concerns two robbers who experience many pitfalls in their attempts to make money through outright theft; eventually, they invest their meager fortunes in a bank of their own and quickly discover the best way to steal money is to do it honestly! I was reminded of a line from the movie the Long Riders (1980) where Frank James (Stacy Keach) muses how his preferred occupation was farming - after "banking" (by which he meant, "bank robbing"). Sergio;s "the Bank Robbers" is clearly a reaction to the recent economic meltdown - crafting its own scenario where thieves escape punishment through the veneer of "respectability."

My main reason for supporting Funnies is to get at Sergio's back-up features where he relates interesting anecdotes from his life history. This issue, it's "the Mexican Trip," a story about how Sergio was placed in charge of the Mad magazine creators' annual vacation. Not being much of a Mad fan and fairly unfamiliar with many of Mad's personalities, I wouldn't have imagined I would be too interested in seeing Sergio's "vacation slides" (as it were), but "the Mexican Trip" is successful. As Sergio prepares for his friends' arrival in Mexico, we see him make several unusual arrangements, but their meaning is unclear; as the story develops, we discover Sergio prepared a variety of practical jokes to greet his friends. Each joke is set up in the opening when Sergio makes the arrangements, but Sergio doesn't inform the readers of his intentions until the jokes unfold.

I would be pleased to keep following Sergio Aragones Funnies even if the schedule slipped to annual publication; I choose to accept bi-monthly as the gift which it is.

Comic books of 2011: the good

In the 1990s, I was an avid fan of Siskel & Ebert's television program, watching every broadcast. I'd hoped to open this post with a particular clip, but sadly, I can't locate it on Youtube.

This moment has always stuck with me: the duo were reviewing the film Gamera: Guardian of the Universe; Ebert liked it, Siskel did not. Siskel covered the film first and closed off his review by saying he couldn't recommend the movie and instead suggested viewers seek out the original Godzilla, King of the Monsters from 1956. Ebert was almost livid in his reaction, asking Siskel (words to this effect) "If we're just going to recommend old movies, why don't you and I stay home all year rewatching Citizen Kane?"

In several of my discussions about the current state of comic books over at Colin Smith's blog, he and I have bandied words to the effect of "Kirby knew how to do this," "Toth would have done it right," "Wood forgot more than most artists have ever known," etc. I think all we mean to do is point to ready examples of clean, inventive comic book storytelling. The danger of such statements is you begin to imply comic books of the past are inherantly superior to what's being produced today.

It would be very easy to stop reading new comic books. If I spent the rest of my life just reading old stories by Kirby, Toth, Wood, Colan, Williamson, Krigstein, Maneely, Kurtzmann, Cole, Eisner, Barks, Kelly, Frazetta and Everett, I think I would be reasonably happy (and would have plenty to enjoy, even at the pace I take in comics). However, I'd be allowing my tastes to stagnate, denying myself the pleasures found in contemporary works which communicate how people living today feel about the world around them.

Thus, I've remained with contemporary comic books. I've taken some risks on new material and untested talent which haven't paid off, but I've also happened across new works which are really meaningful to me, entertaining me, bolstering my imagination, encouraging me to open my mind.

Therefore, here are the contemporary comic books of 2011 which I'm pleased to recommend:

Given how I complained about storytelling in comics yesterday, I feel I should begin with a series which wears brilliant storytelling like a glove: Usagi Yojimbo. The advantage Usagi has, of course, is that Stan Sakai is responsible for everything on the page - plot, script, art and letters. I'm very nearly completely caught up with Usagi now and it's a rewarding book, telling stories today which are as solid as those 20 years ago. It's particularly great to see how the cast of characters develop over time, revealing new layers and altering their connections to each other.

On a very similar wavelength is Sergio Aragones Funnies, which is likewise the brainchild of one man, Sergio Aragones. As I've said before, while I enjoy Sergio's gag cartoons and humorous stories (even the occasional dramatic tale), what I most enjoy are his biographical pieces. The most recent issue (#6) recalled an episode from his childhood and even though it's not life-altering or momentous (he and a friend once accidentally boarded a moving freight train), it's easy to see why it's remained etched in his memory; now it's etched on paper. I suppose what I really enjoy in Sergio is his openess and honesty.

Comic Book Comics completed its 6-issue run in 2011, but it could have easily kept going another 6 issues. Or 12. Or 18. It amazes me whenever I find a piece of information on comic book history I was previously unaware of. I wish Comic Book Comics had found the space to cover other turning points like the foundation of Image Comics, the Marvel bankruptcy or the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles saga, but I'll treasure all of what they did deliver. Learning about comics history with Comic Book Comics is like having the stories told to you by a close friend.

Although I'm an all-around Marvel Comics guru, I don't care much for Daredevil. It's a serious blindspot in my mastery of Marvel - there are huge chunks of Daredevil I've never read (not even all of Miller), even though there are five Daredevil comics I'd place on my all-time favourite list. I've never really warmed up to protagonist Matt Murdock and the deeply depressing life he leads, but Mark Waid may yet change my way of thinking. Thanks to his collaborators, Marcos Martin and Paolo Rivera, he's turned in one of the most beautiful super hero comics I've seen in years; the amount of love and craft on every page is invigorating, especially in how Murdock's radar senses are brought to life by sound effects. In most super hero comics, sound effects seem to be workmanlike at best; Daredevil uses sound effects in ways I normally only find in indie comics, such as Matt Murdock dodging bullets represented by sound effects (above). Daredevil is the super hero book I most anticipate - quite a reversal!

Speaking of Daredevil, someone had the bright idea to have the Black Panther take over Daredevil's job as defender of Hell's Kitchen in Black Panther: the Man Without Fear/Most Dangerous Man Alive. I haven't put any real stock into Black Panther since Christopher Priest left the franchise and this series was saddled with depriving the hero of his supporting cast, setting and special weapons while putting him into Daredevil's setting. To top it off, writer David Liss is a newcomer to comic books, being an import from the world of prose. You wouldn't expect Black Panther to work, and yet... it's both true and liberating to the character. Removing the Black Panther's special weapons, army of loyal allies and political power scales him back down to a point where he can actually lose; what's great then is that he gets to display new strengths, relying on his initiative and reflexes to get past problems. To top it off, it's hopeful.

In Black Panther's Fear Itself tie-in, the Hate-Monger uses his emotion-altering powers to inflame locals, fanning racism to turn them against the Black Panther. However, the Hate-Monger's most ardently racist supporter - Chambliss - isn't even under the man's power. When the crisis is averted, Chambliss goes to the Panther asking to make amends; he's then made a janitor in the Panther's diner. So yes, we all get a good laugh at the racist, but at the same time, the Panther is extending a second chance to him; very cool and all too rare. Finally, most of the series has boasted the art of Francesco Francavilla, who's just been exploding on the scene at various titles (Detective Comics, Captain America & Bucky); he's one to watch, for sure.

It probably also helps David Liss that his mini-series Mystery Men was illustrated by Patrick Zircher. It flew under most people's radar, but as a 1930s super hero tale it was well-crafted and told at a breakneck pace. Virtually every character in Mystery Men was created by Liss for the series, but in just five issues he makes his characters come to life, including some of the background characters met along the way. Somehow Liss and Zircher managed to tell an alternate history epic where Ayn Rand helped conspire in the Lindbergh baby kidnapping; that's chutzpah, there.

Xombi lasted a mere six issues; six issues of glorious insanity. Big, bold imaginative ideas by John Rozum with art to match by Frazer Irving. Everyone reading Xombi realized it couldn't last, but I for one was glad they made the effort. Even with no experience of the original 1990s version of the comic and despite the dense text, I accepted Xombi on its terms and its bizarre ideas were as much charming as usettling. More about Xombi here.

Finally, who would have thought Journey into Mystery would work its way into our hearts? It became a darling of comic book fans almost immediately, with its adventures of a child-sized Loki trying to save Asgard and his brother Thor by playing tricks on everyone. Every issue has held so much deft plotting and characterization by Kieron Gillen, it's a joy to behold. Young Loki's desire to good by committing little evils creates an interesting balance in the book, where we readers don't want Loki to fail, but fear his solutions will only increase the misery of others.

State of comics: today

"If your hobby becomes your profession, find a new hobby." - Mark Gruenwald

I always feared there was some truth to the above quote. For most of the last decade I've been toiling on projects about Marvel Comics and it gradually transforms my hobby into a chore. It becomes increasingly difficult to approach a Marvel comic - or any other super hero comic - with a genuine fascination in the narrative of the fictional universe. I can't bring myself to care about where any particular stories are going...but I can still appreciate the craft displayed in a good story which is well told.

Since I have this problem with super hero universes, it's really up to the non-super hero books to keep me going as a hobbyist; today I brought home five new comics, all them from non-super hero publishers (five different publishers too). It's been a very long time since I've shared my thoughts on what I'm buying, so why not join me? Thank you.

Sergio Aragones Funnies#3 contains various features by Aragones, some of them the type of gag cartoons he publishes in Mad, but there's also an interesting story about a feature Aragones spent some time sketching up, only to learn it had all been done before. My favourite part of this series, however, are Sergio's autobiographical features; he's lived an interesting life and this issue's tale relates how he met a famous cellist. Sergio's biographical stories are always modest and genuinely human; I hope Funnies carries on for years to come.

Of all the stories which have been told about Lewis Carroll's fiction, Snarked#0 is definitely one of them. It's written/drawn by Roger Langridge, whom I only discovered as of his Muppet Show comics, but he's quickly becoming a favourite writer of mine. Because this is a $1 preview issue, Snarked doesn't do much more than establish the setting and cast of characters for the series, which stars the Walrus and the Carpenter of Through the Looking Glass fame; the Walrus is a grifter and the Carpenter is his dim-witted accomplice. Looks good!

G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero#170 continues Larry Hama's return to the franchise he made world famous. This issue carries on various running stories about the return of Sneak Peek (and what he's been up to), Roadblock, Lady Jaye & Flint preparing for a mission (allowing Hama an opportunity to discuss handgun maintenance), Cobra Commander walking through his wax museum (a wonderfully absurd moment typical of Hama), Jane defeating Crystal Ball & Firefly (Crystal Ball being reduced to a joke) and Storm Shadow learning how his family's ninja clan wound up with a Russian branch. So far this series has been heavy on plot and I don't think it's broken out the sort of excellence I know Hama is capable of...but the plot, characters, quips and insights into the armed forces are enough to entertain me until then. Interestingly, Hama's G.I. Joe was the only book in this stack with a writer-artist collaborating team.

I picked up Stan Sakai's Usagi Yojimbo#140 despite having missed #139 while in Angola; #139 was the first of a two-part tale, so I've spoiled myself on the resolution. This story bring back Inspector Ishida, a brilliant detective who's one of the series' best recurring characters. Part of why I enjoy seeing Ishida appear in a Usagi tale is that he's uncommonly good at catching criminals. After years and years of reading super hero comics where criminals are almost never punished, it's cathartic to read the opposite now and then.

Digging back a little ways, I bought Dave Sim's Cerebus Archive#5 as I've been gradually working my way through the series. I've never read Cerebus or much else of Sim's work, but reading Sim's account of how he attempted to break into the comic book industry in the 1970s is utterly fascinating. Of particular note in this issue is a 5-page story Sim had to fluff up to 8 pages and it did suffer from the transition. There's a lot to learn in Cerebus Archive, even if only as a series of cautionary tales.

Over all, this was a good day for me as a comic book hobbyist - humour, action, adventure, biography and a history lesson; while books such as these are being published, I shouldn't want for lack of entertainment!