Because despite appearances sometimes I do listen when people speak to me, here's some hot news forOKOliver and any other Walter "Simonsdaughter" Simonson fans :
"Superman #666, shipping in August, will be a double issue and feature Superman in Hell and will have art by Walt Simonson. Zatanna and the Phantom Stranger will guest star."
Double the Simonson means double the fun. Draw hither August, at speed.
Brilliant. Simonson is under-appreciated, a great artist that never did a Watchmen or Dark Knight Returns and so remains in the background. Maybe that has to do with his writing, he writes stories which could be described as fun and enjoyable rather than penetrating and meaningful, he plays around with a story rather than deconstructing and analysing it,I think he is a great writer of juvenile fiction and I don't think there is anything wrong with that. What makes him great is his technical ability rather than his draughtsmanship, his page layouts that are antithesis of Warren Ellis' idea of a "paper-film" but yet are perfectly comprehensible, his love of the sound effect "THOOOMM"
Everything OKOliver and NT said ring true. Simonson "just" writes/draws great genre funnybooks and feels no shame in making them fun. He's very similar to Chaykin (CHAYKIN!) in that draughstmanship takes second place to making the whole package work as a whole (pictures, sound fx, even the gutters are all integral and orientated to making the final page a work of sublime design genius.) Of course,he takes more time than Chaykin! so the end results are better. Yes! Simonson is better than CHAYKIN! (but I still like CHAYKIN! more, go figure). Personally, I think draughtmanship is overrated and should be just one element of the page rather than the sole focus. By doing this though Simonson opens himself to being dismissed by modern audiences because his figures are "funny looking". To me that's part of what distinguishes comic art from illustrative art. Bring on the "funny looking"!
"Paper film"! God, Ellis talks utter rot sometimes. What about a "chocolate book" or a "wooden eye"?
And on a less pseudy note. Hey guys! Howsabout we get a petition up to get DC to reprint Orion in hardback*. The full run. Maybe get Walt-o to finish it too (okay maybe aiming a bit high there). Orion is truly a work for the ages. Three signatures should do it. Guys! Come back...
For those interested: Simonson's Thor run is essential reading for fans of great funnybooks and is available in 3 volumes from Marvel, with a 4th and final volume rumoured to be pending.
*OKOliver's idea, but I can't get it out of my head. It's a great idea (the book, not the petition).
Yes, Orion is great and should be collected. Maybe DC will do it after Jack Kirby's Omibus' have come out. The 4th Thor book should be out in August, leaving just 8 issues which would make a 5th book sometime, hopefully. Maybe Simonson should do more Starslammers, he seems to manage about one story a decade. In the 80's it was a marvel graphic novel, in the 90's it was a mini series, a new decade (well 7 years into it) demands a new Starslammers story.
I have never read Starslammers. This makes me a bad Simonson fan. He loves that series, started it in College y'know (of course you know). If he does do a new installment maybe the publishers will collect the lot. That'd be nice.
Todd Rundgren?!? What an awesome place for his name to appear, on a comics Forum! And for everyone who doesn't let age get in the way of good music..tonight on BBC1 at 10.35 pm there is *****"Imagine: Scott Walker"*****. The reclusive genius/nutcase rocks again.
NT are you saying Starslammers is bad quality wise or is it that the wait between episodes has killed it for you? Not having read it, I gotsta know.
I know who Todd Rundgren is. I grew up in the 70's you know (partly). I was trying to see if you'd volenteer information as to where your name's from. I think the extremely articulate All Star review is in the Ultimates thread. http://forums.okcomics.co.uk/discussion/384/ultimates-2-13/#Item_7
What you mean the "Nimbus" tag? I'm sure you and I have talked about this before. But as you ask..... Nimbus Thitherward is the title of a excellent Rundgren bootleg recorded at the Hammersmith Odeon during the mid seventies. The first bootleg I ever bought.
It does doesn't it. I consider it a personal challenge to find something good to say about it. I like a challenge. Glad to finally find out where your name comes from, it has been the source of much discussion at chez Cranston. Where did Todd/the bootlegger get the name from though? (I don't know, I'm asking).
To be honest I don't know. It was just one of many weird titles that bootleggers use/used, but a title that I've always liked. And as I posted it's a bloody good bootleg as well.
And by the way ~ don't know if you're interested but Nostalgia Ventures are issuing reprints of the 30s/40s pulp Shadow & Doc Savage novels in the original formats. OKMan has managed to get me the latest releases of each.
The next issue of Will Eisner's The Spirit is a summer special featuring stories by a number of creators including Uncle Walty:
"Written by Kyle Baker, Jimmy Palmiotti and Walter Simonson; Art by Kyle Baker, Jordi Bernet, Chris Sprouse and Karl Story; Cover by Darwyn Cooke
A Spirit Summer Special featuring a trio of tales! We start off with a supermodel gone bad, then follow a path of intrigue through an old tenement building, and finish off with an unjustly accused cabbie. Three stories with humor and heart, told in the best tradition of the Spirit. "
