Plastic Man

Comics College reveals Essential Reading of Comic Book Masters

One of my favorite regular columns is the monthly Comics College by Chris Mautner at Robot 6, hosted by Comic Book Resources. Each entry is a great introductory overview of what’s best to read from the great comic book masters and why they are so good, making this a fantastic source for newcomers or people who’ve always wanted to expand their reading. It also covers their lesser known work and stuff that maybe should be avoided.

The great part of the column is that it is looking at masters from all over the art form of comics. It’s not just superhero creators, or just alternative comics creators. It’s both those, as well as manga, newspaper strips, underground comics, euro-comics, comics journalism and more.

This month’s subject is the Norwegian cartoonist simply known as Jason. This prolific creator tells funny genre mash-ups with a deadpan economy of dialogue and understated emotion with characters struggling over love and guilt. Next month, George Herriman will be featured. His classic comic strip Krazy Kat is among the most highly regarded in the history of comics.

The Comics College column debuted in August 2009 and has covered the following comics masters past and present (click on the link to be taken to the column):

  1. Los Bros. Hernandez (Love and Rockets)
  2. Jack Kirby (The Fantastic Four, Jack Kirby’s Fourth World)
  3. Osamu Tezuka (Astro Boy, Phoenix)
  4. R. Crumb (Zap Comix, Book of Genesis)
  5. Neil Gaiman (Sandman, Mr. Punch)
  6. Chris Ware (Jimmy Corrigan: The Smartest Kid on Earth, Acme Novelty Library)
  7. Lewis Trondheim (Dungeon, Little Nothings)
  8. Harvey Kurtzman (Mad Magazine, Frontline Combat)
  9. art spiegelman (Maus, In the Shadow of No Towers)
  10. Eddie Campbell (Alec: The Years Have Pants, The Fate of the Artist)
  11. Harvey Pekar (American Splendor, Our Cancer Year)
  12. Kim Deitch (The Boulevard of Broken Dreams, Shadowland)
  13. Kevin Huizenga (Ganges, Curses)
  14. Hergé (Tintin)
  15. Charles M. Schulz (Peanuts)
  16. John Stanley (Little Lulu, Melvin Monster)
  17. Seth (George Sprott: 1894-1975, Wimbledon Green, It’s A Good Life If You Don’t Weaken)
  18. Frank Miller (The Dark Knight Returns, Sin City)
  19. Joe Sacco (Safe Area Gorazde, Palestine)
  20. Jason (I Killed Adolf Hitler, Hey Wait…)
  21. George Herriman (Krazy Kat)
  22. Jack Cole (Plastic Man, Betsy and Me)
  23. Adrian Tomine (Summer Blonde, Scenes from an Impending Marriage)
  24. Grant Morrison (All-Star Superman, We3)
  25. Jessica Abel (La Perdida, Artbabe)

UPDATE: I’ll keep updating the list over at The Comics Observer as Robot 6 posts new entries.

The Birth of Me in Comics

The Comic Book Database, a great resource site, has a cool new feature where you can search comic books by cover date. So, naturally I had to search for comics dated for my birth month and year: February, 1976. Play along at home!

Look out! That Assassin guy is right behind you doing exactly what you thought was impossible!

I can’t imagine it gets much awesomer than this British comic. I wish I was as tough as your boots. (Wait, did you say “Actual size”?!)

I’m not sure what’s more shocking. The Jaws double’s terribly chapped lips? Or Ghost Rider’s flaming skull and the ocean ignoring each other.

OK, I’m detecting a certain aquatic theme, possibly inspired by a certain pop culture-defining film (see: coat tail riders).

Well certainly Batman is too cool to be that lame.

Oh Batman. Really? The Olympics? Sigh…

Surely Marvel is above this kind of cheap pandering.

What in the — ?!

OK, why is Spider-Man dragging a poor innocent girl into this implausibly ridiculous yet dangerous game? Unless the little girl is subbing for the football in this demented version of Not-Soccer. You’d think something this EXTREME would bring in at least a few spectators but it looks like they couldn’t give tickets away to this game.

Later: “Eh, let’s go back to playing regular football.”

So, was it possibly football season when this issue came out?

Oh-ho! It’s funny because it’s sexist!

Oh ho! It’s funny because they have eating disorders.

Come on Captain America, help me out.

Watch out for the phallic-helmeted Trojan Horde! Let’s face it, no one can resist cataclysmic Kirby action.

To be fair, this was from a time when superheroes had to announce their ethnicity in their name. But only if they weren’t white.

Oh. My. God. I have no idea what’s happening or why, but I must have this.

If this issue doesn’t include lyrics and sheet music, I’m writing an angry letter.

Watch the hands, pal.

I understand this was the inspiration for Bill Murray’s Scrooged.

Don’t… look… behind… you. You might need more American flags printed on large sheets of cardboard paper.

Wow, this is crazy!

I think we all see what’s coming.

Dodging is so WILD!

What jerks. Worst friends ever.

Every twin I know has this exact same problem.

Stay back! It looks like someone might actually read this. We don’t stand a chance!

I love it!

This would never get published today. For several reasons.

So… Spider-Man and Storm (from the X-Men) are now thieves who steal from helpless old men? Uh… great.

And finally…

But.. but… I thought they were the same person! OK I admit it. I’m actually intrigued.

And that’s my birth month in comics! Here’s the full list, if you haven’t had enough.

(One thing to note that you may have noticed: Comics have traditionally been dated about 2-3 months in advance of their actual release date in an attempt to lengthen their shelf life, so most of these had probably been released in November or December, 1975. Still, it’s much easier go by cover date than try to determine when each individual comic actually hit stands.)