instant reactions, nine years later

I remember picking up DC Comics' "9-11: Artists Respond" paperback soon after it was published in early 2002 (the turnaround time, looking back, was pretty amazing).  It featured short stories portraying many creators' reactions to the New York terrorist attacks, some of which were told using DC's popular super heroes.  One such story stands out in my mind, though it's been almost nine years since I read it, where Superman laments that he's just a fictional character and thus can't do anything to stop the suffering in the real world.

Regardless of the story, what really sticks with me was how raw the book was from an emotional standpoint.  Whereas comics, especially from the likes of Marvel and DC, usually have a very "safe", calculated message to portray ("don't do drugs, kids!"), a lot of the stories included in DC's 9-11 book were the comic book equivalent of an instantaneous reaction.  Not all of it was hopeful and positive, either - you could feel the anger, the despair that others felt by reading their stories.

DC's paperback was listed as volume two, and while there was a big ad for the first volume on the back cover of the book, I never took the time to seek it out.  A few months ago, though, I found it on sale at nearby Fanboy Comics for only five bucks, so I jumped at the chance to pick it up.

I'm sure that one of the reasons I bought the DC version, complete with Superman and Krypto on the cover, each in awe over "real life" heroes such as doctors, police officers, etc., and not the first volume was the fact that I wasn't nearly as willing to read independent comics in 2002 as I am today.  That's not saying the majority of the comics I buy aren't Marvel and DC, but my reading stack's much more diverse now than it's ever been before.  Volume one was published jointly by Dark Horse, Chaos!, and Image, and featured mostly independent creators, many of them still not familiar to me.

I just finished reading this particular volume, and I'm as astounded as I was in 2002 when I read the second volume of short stories - not just by the impeccable quality, but again by the raw, unfettered emotion that obviously stemmed from witnessing such a horrific event.  Reading these stories took me back to that unseasonably warm fall day in September, and there were a few times that I had to put the book down and clear the lump in my throat before continuing.

It's difficult to reconcile that so much time has passed since the event, and it's distressing to realize how cynicism and distrustfulness have taken over so much of our social and political landscape; it's disheartening to realize how we've pushed the immediate aftermath, one of such good will and hope, to the back of our minds once more.  I was in college in 2001, and now I teach college; most of my students this past semester were all of nine years old on the date in question.  How long before the students I'm teaching, legally capable of making major decisions such as joining the military, have no recollection of the 9-11 attacks?  As I said, it's all hard to reconcile.

There are dozens of stories and pinups in this collection, and each of them tells a unique story.  Most of them, I'd imagine, would look much different if DC or Dark Horse or Image were to put the book together today - I think it would lose some of the immediacy that makes it great.  Frank Miller's "I'm sick of flags, I'm sick of God" might be the angriest comic I've ever read, and it's all of three panels.  Dave Cooper's "9/12" puts the shock of the events into perspective.  Anthony Johnston and Mike Norton's "Sunday Mourning" is heartbreaking.  Marc Rosenthal's "If", when looked at through the lens of 2010, makes me think of what could have been.

It may seem counterproductive to bemoan the September, 2001 attacks nearly nine years after the fact.  The world has, in many cases, moved on and new tragedies have arisen to take our attentions.  Reading this book, however, brought the immediacy of all the emotions I felt as I wandered around campus (hopelessness, fear, despair, uncertainty) flooding back.  In an few more years, when we all have just a little more perspective, these two comic book collections would be tremendous as texts in a history or English class that focused on the subject.  If someone wanted to recreate or remember the atmosphere of the days just following September 11th, all they'd have to do is read a few stories from these collections.  It's brilliant, chilling material that deserves to be recognized for it's significance.

Crochet, anyone?

I just received this image of a crocheted Yeti (capital "Y") in my inbox from none other than June Gilbank of PlanetJune.  I commissioned June to create the likeness of the Yeti character after seeing some of the other work she's completed - yes, pretty much everything she's done is adorable.  JUST LOOK AT THIS MONKEY:

I'm pretty thrilled with the way things turned out, and just as thrilled that June will be selling the pattern on her website (in case you want to make your own) with a link and a reference to the Teddy and the Yeti website/comic...so now I have an inroad with the crochet crowd...yes!

I will also be selling this Yeti - but the completed figure as opposed to the pattern.  That is, I will be doing that once I either learn how to crochet or find someone who is capable.  Uh, Mom?  I've never seen you crochet before in my life, but I'll bet you're able with your magic mom powers.  We'll see.  This is just one step in the process, but it's a big one.  Look for this to show up in the online store once we get up and running with the needlework.  If nothing else, I'll be sure to have a basketful on hand for the New York Comic-Con.

This is a separate entity from the Yeti doll crafted by codename: Punkvixen from the Etsy website.  Those are still on their way and are about twice the size of this crochet version, and I plan on having both available (for the discriminating consumer) at some point.  Just look at it this way: my ancillary potential Yeti merchandise just increased by 100%. The world is now a better place.

Jeff vs. Jeff: this time, it's personal

One of my favorite things about attending the Pittsburgh Comicon this past April was getting to meet fellow creator and fellow Jeff McSomething, Jeff McComsey, much beleaguered on this blog for nothing else than having a name very similar to my own.  I even intimated that Jeff and I might fight at the show, and as you can see by the picture at top, not only did things come to blows, but we apparently decided to battle it out in the style of 1910 prizefighters.  Great form, McClelland.

In any case, Jeff McComsey turned out to be a man of great talent with a predilection for drawing historical figures as zombies, both of which I can admire.  At the show I picked up a few of his books, "American Terror" and the mini comic "Sgt. Killroy", pictured below:

Both were very enjoyable reads: McComsey's fluid style lends itself to the futuristic noir-ishness of "American Terror" and the classic feel of "Sgt. Killroy"; to me, it felt like a mix between Sgt. Rock and the Evil Dead movies...both works of art in their own right.  Jeff was even kind enough to do some sketches for me, including one of the WWII-era Japanese Emperor Hirohito:

The flag in the background is a nice touch, though I might be more a fan of the militaristic "Rising Sun" variety.

Jeff's working on a new book featuring Sgt. Killroy and other WWII-era zombified tales in "FUBAR", which sounds like tons of fun.  I'll post a page from his blog below.  You can find out more about FUBAR (the acronym which first originated in WWII times, as a matter of fact), American Terror and other McComseyisms at the following sites: http://mccomseycomix.wordpress.com/ and http://zombiefubar.wordpress.com/.  Check 'em out!

anti-marketing

I'd like to think that I have a pretty good sense of humor, and I'm always looking to make a joke when the situation calls for it.  This inclination has gotten me in some trouble before, because what I mean to say isn't always what ends up coming out of my mouth; whether it's a lack on context or just the wrong thing at the wrong time, I've wound up saying inappropriate things a few times when I'd have been better off keeping my mouth shut.  I'd like to think that I learn from my mistakes and don't do it as often as I used to (read: there are times when I actually think before I speak), but there are still instances where a well-meaning joke comes out all wrong.

For the latest example of why I really shouldn't just say the first thing that comes into my head, we have to go back a few weeks to the Pittsburgh Comicon.  Overall, the show was great and I think I did a good job presenting Teddy and the Yeti to a comic reading public that was often unaware that it even existed.  I was friendly, talking to passers by and just generally putting on a happy face for the show (not that there was any reason not to do so - it was a fun show).

I really screwed up in talking to one potential fan to the point where I doubt he'll ever pick up Teddy and the Yeti, even if I announced that the new creative team was Alan Moore and Jack Kirby (it's not, by the way).  On the odd chance that he actually reads this posting, though - dude, I'm sorry.  Holy crap, I'm sorry.

You see, a gentleman walked up to the ol' Wagon Wheel Comics booth and started flipping through one of the issues, and I attempted to strike up a conversation with him as he browsed.  He was wearing a Superman shirt, which of course wasn't anything out of the ordinary, as we were at a comic book convention.  The bottom of this shirt, though, was tucked into his pants, and you could see the image of Superman's belt and red shorts printed on the shirt before it disappeared under his jeans.  This isn't something you usually see - most "classic" Superman shirts are simply solid blue with the "S" logo printed on the chest.  The shorts were something new, so I wanted to ask if he was wearing MORE than just a shirt - I wanted to know if he had on the whole Superman costume.

So, in short, what I WANTED to say was "are you wearing an entire Superman costume under your clothes?"  Which would have been a perfectly legitimate question, and if he was, he probably would have been happy that someone noticed.  In reality, though, what I ACTUALLY said was "is that a onesie you're wearing?"

Yes, I asked a grown man if he was wearing clothing for babies, perhaps complete with a snapping butt flap in the back.  You can see how this might be somewhat offensive.  The man looked at me, put his copy of Teddy and the Yeti back on the table, and walked away.

I realize that I'll never be able to apologize to this guy - I've scared him away forever, like I said.  But OH MAN, that is not what I meant, and I'm embarrassed to have insulted him in such a manner.  Sigh.  I'm sorry, man, I'M SORRY!!!

Obsession for Men

Everyone has a hobby, and I'm convinced that everyone has something they're obsessed with to different degrees.  How we control that urge to collect is what separates a fan from a collector from a hoarder, and we all have our limits on what constitutes as "too much".

For me, it's comics, obviously, and in drawing up plans for my future house (that's right...a house in the FUTURE) I've included a room specifically designed for permanently storing my comics that currently reside in dozens of long boxes ("permanent" is relative, of course.  After I'm dead, I doubt I'll care how my comics are stored).  As long as I stick to one obsession and don't branch out into others, I think I'll be okay, but there are always leaks in the dam, so to speak.  My DVD collection grows month by month, I've managed to snag every figure in Toynami's Futurama line, and I'm slowly procuring all of "Weird Al" Yankovic's singles on both vinyl and CD.

For my friend Larry, co star on the increasingly popular (really!) Internet show Franks and Beans, it's the Dukes of Hazzard.  Not coincidentally, that's how I got the lovely picture of John Schneider holding up a copy of Teddy and the Yeti #2.  Every collector has his or her limits, though.  I try to buy all of the books with the Thing in them, but I don't have a shelf full of Fantastic Four trade paperbacks - I stick to the individual issues.  So when I picked up a copy of Deadpool #22 and saw the above image, I asked myself, "is Larry gonna feel the need to buy this, too?"  It's a genuine reference, but it's a little out of the norm with the usual 1/44 scale models and the like.  Then I turned a few pages and saw this:

The THEME SONG, even!  So it comes down to the type of obsession one has regarding these things.  What's it gonna be, Larry?  What do you choose?

A Mile High salute and other notes

- Mile High Comics placed an order last week for copies of Teddy and the Yeti #3, meaning that the online retailer (they also have physical locations, most notably in Denver, Colorado) now has all three issues in stock.  Other online stores have ordered copies of certain issues of T&Y, but Mile High is, as of now, the only store to order all three.  My thanks go out to William Moulton and all the rest at MHC for their continued support of the book.  I'm really not sure how to ask about the coincidence of a guy named William Moulton working in the comic book business (the creator of Wonder Woman was William Moulton Marston) - perhaps it's a nickname and other people working there take the pseudonyms "Joe Shuster" and "Jacob Kurtzberg".

You can click here to see Mile High's Teddy and the Yeti page - the first two issues are listed, and the third will be added soon.

- I've made some looooong overdue updates to the main website.  The main page no longer says something ridiculous like "preview the upcoming second issue!".  I've also update the store page, so you can buy both the first and second issues - I even made sure that combined shipping stays in effect if you purchase different issues.  The third issue isn't up for sale yet for two reasons: one, I'm a jerk, and two, I don't have any copies on hand right now.  Once I get ahold of some, I'll make sure that's there as well.

This blog page (...the one you're looking at right now) also got a minor update - along with listing online retailers that carry Teddy and the Yeti, I've compiled a list of physical comic stores that sell issues of the book as well.  For stores like Olympic Cards & Comics in Lacey, Washington and Evil Genius Comics in California, PA that have websites, I linked directly to those.  For stores without websites like Impossible Dreams in Bridgeville, PA and Gary's Comics & More in Morgantown, WV, I linked to at least the address on a map.  The list is over on the right somewhere...check it out.

- The website The Grouchy Gastronome has published another one of my blogs on food: the most recent one is titled "Hell Sandwich", which I think was a great naming decision on the part of she who runs the site.  Apparently I like to cheat places out of sandwich giveaways, and I finally stopped to think about some of the more lasting consequences.

- Finally, because this has become a regular feature here apparently, here's the latest episode of the popular Internet show Franks and Beans, "Rip Off".  I'm quite proud of it.

the new art mystery

Hey, look!  It's new art featuring Teddy and the Yeti!  Keen observers will note that these pencils are done by none other than Alan Gallo, the artist for the New Dimension Comics exclusive cover of Teddy and the Yeti #1.  No, Duane hasn't left the book - this is a one-page story that I don't want to get into too many details about right now.  But everyone appreciates new art, right?  Right.  So I wanted to post this - a clip, anyway - for all to see.

And hey, check out the Yeti's sleek new wristwatch!  Shiny.