I Done Gone to the Library: A Follow-Up

Like I said: I went to the library.

My reading stack is getting ridiculous. I've got a Hellblazer omnibus, two volumes of Akira, Judenhass (still), and the first Satellite Sam trade. That's just the comics. I'm working my way through the first book of Shadow Claw and after that is Live and Let Die and then God knows how many WWII books after that. I'm just glad that, while at the store today, I realized that I needed another book like I needed a hole in the head (so I only bought the new League of Extraordinary Gentlemen).

And then Jan's Atomic Heart. And maybe a Parker novel and a George V. Higgins novel, but that's it.

I swear.

Here are the books from the library that I actually managed to read (and finish)--

Lost Dogs-- Jeff Lemire.

I was right. So very right. And I don't want to feel this pain any more.

It hurts so bad and I want to go home, but I'm already there.

On the plus side-- and there is a real plus side-- is that a book like Lost Dogs is proof that whatever project it is that you want to complete, there are people that will meet you half way. Lost Dogs is a rough looking book. Actually, I take that back, Sweet Tooth is a rough looking book. Lost Dogs is primitive. The color scheme is almost non-existent, the character models are. . . "fluid," let's say, and the brush work is downright sloppy. But it works and it's good because it does all come together to tell a story. It doesn't work as a collection of drawings. It does work, though, as a comic book. I really like it.

I like it not only because it's a simple story, well told (in the afterword Lemire goes on about how he failed to write and draw a massive sci-fi epic, which is funny, because I remember reading an Alan Moore interview where that same exact thing happened to him). I also like it because it encourages me to work on my own stories. They don't need to be showy or clever or stand out. They just need to be good. They need to be good in whatever capacity that means.

No matter how rough it is or how much of a bummer it may or may not be or how little of a name you are, there is an audience for your work. People will read it if it's good.

The Infinite Horizon-- Duggan and Noto.

The Infinite Horizon is not very good. Unlike a lot of times when I take a contrarian position, this time, I am legitimately baffled. Befuddled, even. Boggled.

That isn't to say that it isn't useful. The pages are overcrowded with text that seems to fill out what should be in the art. As much as I have liked using that in the past, it isn't until now that I realize just how annoying this is when you aren't the one writing it. When it comes to voice overs not everyone can make Apocalypse Now and when it comes to comics not everyone can be Neil Gaiman.

Having read this and having made my own half-assed diagnosis, I've come to the conclusion that I need to write less and let my artist do his thing. I have this blog if I want to babble on forever.

It's an odd comic overall. It doesn't quite feel like it's in the real world and it doesn't ever commit to being a fable. It's not gritty enough to be a war book and it pulls too much out of real world events to hit on the kind of legendary narrative that Star Wars or, hell, even Kings managed to nail.

I don't know what this is.Worse yet, I don't care enough about the story to ignore this flaw in the storytelling. The Infinite Horizon has received fairly positive reviews and I can't account for that other than these people are clearly sick and need help.

Pray for them, dear reader.

Maybe go read the current run of Black Widow. That's got some real good Phil Noto in it.

THE AD ZONE

A Quality Interruption is officially here. . . Sort of. It's just a place holder, really, to remind you that it exists. And now I'm reminding you that the reminder exists.

You can see my overwritten comics in the anthologies Old College Comics Presents and The Freshman Fifteen. You can buy a meatspace copy of it or a digital version! They're a good value, they're independent, and every issue you buy is one step closer to me getting a check for this thing that's more than fifteen dollars. Isn't that a dream worth helping along?

You can follow me on twitter, too. I guess.

Also, one last thing: Thank you, everyone who reads this. I really appreciate it. I don't get money for this. I don't get kudos. All I get is some odd numbers on the back end of this website. And that's all. And that's quite enough.