While "researching" a recent Nexus Graphica, I had reason to look through my collection of Comics Of Unusual Size. This set of the big and small and odd of comicdom offers many gems. Deciding that I really should share some of these largely forgotten and sometime rare pieces, I’m taking you through a tour of the more interesting selections.

One of the countless Barney parodies, Smarmy (1993), created by Joe Preston and Ian O’Keefe, recounts the disturbing tale of a sexually-deviant purple dinosaur who becomes a scout master.

Click on image for full sized version.

Art by O’Keefe

Words by Preston Art by O’Keefe

Preston and O’Keefe previously teamed far more successfully in "Soul in the Hole" for my 2001 Blackbird Comics anthology Modern Perversity.

from "Soul in the Hole"
Words by Preston Art by O’Keefe

I published Preston one more time in Wild West Show (Mojo Press, 1996).

from "Letters From Arizona" Wild West Show (Mojo Press, 1996)
Words by Preston Art by John Lucas and Martin Thomas

While "researching" a recent Nexus Graphica, I had reason to look through my collection of Comics Of Unusual Size. This set of the big and small and odd of comicdom offers many gems. Deciding that I really should share some of these largely forgotten and sometime rare pieces, I’m taking you through a tour of the more interesting selections.

I first met Tom Stazer when we were both working in the trenches at Blackbird Comics. He had already established a cult following for his hilarious sf parody Spaced (no relation to the Pegg and Wright TV series) and the funny animal series Lionheart (no relation to Richard I). For Blackbird he produced two issues of his post-modern anti-consumerist fable Crazy Bob. (if any of my publishing friends are listening, all three of Stazer’s titles deserve to be collected.)

Tom and I became friends which included him sending me one of the most disturbing and funny Christmas mini-comics/cards of all time. With his kind permission, I present Davey’s Magic Christmas in it’s entirety.

Click on image for full sized version.

Let’s take a quick look to see what’s arrived in the mail here at the Geek Compound.

The Complete Green Lama Volume 2: Featuring the Art of Mac Raboy

Promo copy:

Dark Horse Archives completes the entire Green Lama series with this second high-quality hardcover – collecting the final four issues of a Golden Age classic! The emerald-clad freedom fighter returns to mete out further justice courtesy of famed artist Mac Raboy and writer/editor Joseph Greene! And, while this 1940s anthology series is best known for its eponymous Buddhist superhero, it featured an astonishing variety of short comics and prose pieces. Daring do-gooders the Boy Champions, Merlin-powered Lieutenant Hercules, flying ace Rick Masters, and the mischievous sprite Angus McErc together show off the creative experimentation that caught fire in the wake of Action Comics #1!

Creepy Archives Volume 2

Promo copy:

This vein-chilling second volume showcases work by some of the best artists to ever work in the comics medium, including Alex Toth, Gray Morrow, Reed Crandall, John Severin, and others. Each archive volume of Creepy is packed with stories (usually up to eight short stories were featured in every issue!) running the gamut of gruesome subject matter, from reimagined horror classics such as "The Cask of Amontillado," to spectacularly mind-twisting shorts such as "The Thing in the Pit," or the macabre maritime yarn "Drink Deep."

I’ve been eagerly awaiting this book. I devoted part of the October "Nexus Graphica" to the Warren magazines and listed the first volume among my ten best graphic novels of the year.

From my review of Volume One:

Highly Recommended!

Let’s take a quick look to see what’s arrived in the mail here at the Geek Compound.

Eclipse 2: New Science Fiction and Fantasy edited by Jonathan Strahan

Promo copy:

To observe an eclipse is to witness a rare and unusual event. Under darkened skies the sun becomes a negative image of itself, its corona transforming the landscape into a strange space where anything might happen, and any story may be true…

In the spirit of classic science fiction anthologies such as Universe, Orbit, and Starlight, master anthologist Jonathan Strahan (The Best Science Fiction and Fantasy of the Year) presents the non-themed genre anthology Eclipse: New Science Fiction and Fantasy. Here you will find stories where strange and wonderful things happen–where reality is eclipsed by something magical and new.

Following in the footsteps of the multiple-award-nominated Eclipse One, Eclipse Two delivers new fiction by some of the genre’s most celebrated authors, including Alastair Reynolds’s star-spanning saga of Imperial assassination and courtly intrigue; Stephen Baxter’s tantalizing tale of impermanence and memory, as first contact with an alien artificial intelligence has very real consequences; Nancy Kress’s claustrophobic fable of shared space, life delayed, and critical choices; and Ted Chiang’s evocative story of an all-metal world, its argon-breathing inhabitants, and the scientist who performs the ultimate self-examination.

This Is Not a Game by Walter Jon Williams

Promo copy:

Once upon a time, there were four of them. And though each was good at a number of things, all of them were very good at games…

Dagmar is a game designer trapped in Jakarta in the middle of a revolution. The city is tearing itself apart around her and she needs to get out.

Her boss Charlie has his own problems — 4.3 billion of them, to be precise, hidden in an off-shore account.

Austin is the businessman — the VC. He’s the one with the plan and the one to keep the geeks in line.

BJ was there from the start, but while Charlie’s star rose, BJ sank into the depths of customer service. He pads his hours at the call-center slaying on-line orcs, stealing your loot, and selling it on the internet.

But when one of them is gunned down in a parking lot, the survivors become players in a very different kind of game. Caught between the dangerous worlds of the Russian Mafia and international finance, Dagmar must draw on all her resources — not least millions of online gamers– to track down the killer. In this near-future thriller, Walter Jon Williams weaves a pulse-pounding tale of intrigue, murder, and games where you don’t get an extra life.

Luke Skywalker and the Shadows of Mindor by Matthew Stover

Promo copy:

Emperor Palpatine and Darth Vader are dead. The Empire has been toppled by the triumphant Rebel Alliance, and the New Republic is ascendant. But the struggle against the dark side and the Sith Order is not over. Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, Han Solo, Lando Calrissian, and their faithful comrades have had little time to savor victory before being called on to defend the newly liberated galaxy.

Powerful remnants of the vanquished Empire, hungry for retaliation, are still at large, committing acts of piracy, terrorism, and wholesale slaughter against the worlds of the fledgling New Republic. The most deadly of these, a ruthless legion of black-armored Stormtroopers, do the brutal bidding of the newly risen warlord Shadowspawn. Striking from a strategically advantageous base on the planet Mindor, they are waging a campaign of plunder and destruction, demolishing order and security across the galaxy–and breeding fears of an Imperial resurgence. Another reign of darkness beneath the boot-heel of Sith despotism is something General Luke Skywalker cannot, and will not, risk.

Mobilizing the ace fighters of Rogue Squadron–along with the trusty Chewbacca, See-Threepio, and Artoo-Detoo–Luke, Han, and Leia set out to take the battle to the enemy and neutralize the threat before it’s too late. But their imminent attack on Mindor will be playing directly into the hands of their cunning new adversary. Lord Shadowspawn is no freshly anointed Sith Chieftain but in fact a vicious former Imperial Intelligence officer–and Prophet of the Dark Side. The Emperor’s death has paved the way for Shadowspawn’s return from exile in the Outer Rim, and mastery of ancient Sith knowledge and modern technology has given him the capability to mount the ultimate power play for galaxy wide dominion. Dark prophecy has foretold that only one obstacle stands in his way, and he is ready–even eager–for the confrontation.

All the classic heroes, all the explosive action and adventure, all the unparalleled excitement of Star Wars come breathlessly alive as the adventures of Luke Skywalker continue.

While "researching" a recent Nexus Graphica, I had reason to look through my collection of Comics Of Unusual Size. This set of the big and small and odd of comicdom offers many gems. Deciding that I really should share some of these largely forgotten and sometime rare pieces, I’m taking you through a tour of the more interesting selections.

Legend states that sometime in 1970s cartoonist Michael T. Gilbert ran across an old, coverless comic book featuring Mr. Monster. Unable to find anything about the obscure character, Gilbert decided to modernize the monster-hunter feature for Vanguard Illustrated #7 (Pacific Comics, 1984). Throughout the next two decades, the often-humorous and always interesting Mr. Monster stories appeared in various publications from Eclipse, Dark Horse, Atomeka, Fantagraphics, Caliber, Image, and Tundra.

While with Tundra, Gilbert planned for three Mr. Monster titles that employed the talents of George Freeman, Scott Deschaine, and Tom Buss and others: Mr. Monster Monster Attacks(1992), Mr Monster Presents Crack-a-boom! (published by Caliber, 1997), and Mr. Monster’s Gal… Friday (published by Image, 2000). As with most things Tundra, the company went under before the latter two could be published.

For the 1994 San Diego Comic Con, Gilbert produced a b&w ashcan promoting all three titles with teasers from several stories. The Mr. Monster Ashcan Comix No. 1 was signed and limited to 200 copies.

Back cover by Buss

Layout by Gilbert Art by Buss

Layouts by Deschaine Art by Gilbert

Layouts by Gilbert Art by Freeman

While "researching" a recent Nexus Graphica, I had reason to look through my collection of Comics Of Unusual Size. This set of the big and small and odd of comicdom offers many gems. Deciding that I really should share some of these largely forgotten and sometime rare pieces, I’m taking you through a tour of the more interesting selections.

Published sometime during the late 90s in Bastrop, TX, the mini-comic Jumbo Shrimp #1 was apparently meant to be a companion piece to the full sized comic Jumbo comics short stories(sic) #5. Since I don’t have the big Jumbo, I don’t know if this mini was an excerpt from the main book or additional stories.

Typical of most small press anthology titles, this small comic offers some slice-of-life, gratuitous sex and violence, and just some odd stories. None of it produced particularly well. Contributors include Rick Howe, Timothy Markin, Mark L. Stinson, Bobby Tran Dale, and Jim Conatser. The whole shebang appears to be edited by painter Liam Brooks (I can only assume the cover was painted by him. No credit is give).

Timothy Markin & Mark L. Stinson

Bobby Tran Dale

Jim Conatser

While "researching" a recent Nexus Graphica, I had reason to look through my collection of Comics Of Unusual Size. This set of the big and small and odd of comicdom offers many gems. Deciding that I really should share some of these largely forgotten and sometime rare pieces, I’m taking you through a tour of the more interesting selections.

Over a three year period in the 1990s, artist Chris Cilla and writer Greg Petix (of the Weird Lovemakers) produced the daily strip "Swonk" for The Arizona Daily Wildcat. The cartoons were initially collected in The Pocket Swonk and the Howling Swonk.

But what is a swonk? The duo attempts an explanation.

Um.. ok…

Like many college strips, the subjects range from college life to politics to life observations.

And like most strips, the humor is hit and miss.

As with many of us raised in the seventies and eighties, their works were heavily influenced by Marvel comics of the era, as evident by the back covers of each volume.

Eventually, the duo compiled a third collection "A Moon, A Girl… Swonk."

Let’s take a quick look to see what’s arrived in the mail here at the Geek Compound.

Jack Kirby’s The Demon Written by Jack Kirby; Art and cover by Jack Kirby and Mike Royer

Promo copy:

One of Jack "King" Kirby’s most memorable creations returns in this title collecting the entire, original 16-issue series from the early 1970s! Part man, part elemental fury, Etrigan the Demon was bound to Jason Blood by Merlin to defend Camelot, only to become a demonologist in the modern-day DC Universe.

I’m a huge Kirby fan, owning more collections of his work than any other individual artist. The quirky, supernatural tales of Etrigan are among my absolute favorites.

Much like the excellent Fourth World reprints, DC wisely chose a non-glossy paper stock to emulate the originals paper quality. What DC did not do wisely was promote the fact that previously unpublished pages of Demon art are included in this package. I’ll let Mark Evanier explain from his introduction.

As if all 16 issues in one hardcover wasn’t enough! At $50, this tome is a steal. Beat up copies of any of the original issues for a minimum of $2. In this kind of immaculate condition, you’re talking at least $5 an issue. You do the math.

Starfist: Wings of Hell by David Sherman and Dan Cragg

Promo copy:

No one captures the action and sacrifice of war better than real combat vets David Sherman and Dan Cragg. Now their blazing space epic Starfist continues as Marines of the Confederation’s Thirty-fourth Fleet Initial Strike Team (FIST) go head-to-head against the deadly Skinks. Of course, Company L’s third platoon has fought these aliens before, but never before in these numbers. . . .

Planet Haulover has been invaded by Skinks. Until now the aliens’ existence has been kept confidential. But Force Recon’s shocking report leaves the Confederation no choice but to mount a military campaign and reveal to the public its biggest secret: the threat of fierce alien predators bent on human destruction. What’s no secret is that the four army divisions and two Marine FISTs sent to Haulover aren’t nearly enough to defeat the well-entrenched aliens, who have a tunnel system second to none.

Back home, the Confederation’s president is being denounced as a warmonger bent on exterminating “harmless” aliens. And if she loses the upcoming elections, the Confederation will have a lot more Skinks than those on Haulover to worry about.

Newly promoted Lieutenant Charlie Bass and his third platoon have more pressing concerns, such as staying alive. But what would be a suicidal mission for most–whether it’s raiding a well-defended Skinks base or destroying the enemy’s most lethal weapons during a desperate firefight–is for them just another job.

Dr. Grave: The Unholy Twelve by Ed Clayton

Promo copy:

Collecting issues #1-4 of the original comic series, DR. GRAVE: THE UNHOLY TWELVE contains an illustrated cover by Guy Davis and an introduction by fellow comic creator Rob Schrab. Grave fights to prevent the Unholy Twelve from unleashing his greatest nemesis, Satan. No matter the amount (or quality) of booze he imbibes, women he seduces, or indignities his manservant Shandar suffers, Dr. Grave will stop at nothing to save us all!

Let’s take a quick look to see what’s arrived in the mail here at the Geek Compound.

Dexter – The First Season

Promo copy:

Dexter is based on the compelling novel "Darkly Dreaming Dexter" by Jeff Lindsay. Orphaned at the age of four and harboring a traumatic secret, Dexter Morgan (Dexter Morgan (Emmy- and Golden Globe- nominated actor Michael C. Hall from "Six Feet Under") is adopted by a police officer who recognizes Dexter’s homicidal tendencies and guides his son to channel his gruesome passion for human vivisection in a constructive way – by killing those heinous perpetrators that are above the law or who have slipped through the cracks of justice. A respected member of the police force, a perfect gentleman and a man with a soft spot for children, it’s hard not to like Dexter. Although his drive to kill is unflinching, he struggles to emulate normal emotions he doesn’t feel, and to keep up his appearance as a caring, socially responsible human being.

Yeah, I know this isn’t exactly new, but I just got it. I saw these discs several years ago, but never owned them. I reviewed the Season Two set a few months back, where I made comments about the first season.

(For those with Blu-ray, watch for Jan. 6 release of that format’s Dexter Season One.)

Traitor

Promo copy:

Academy Award® nominee Don Cheadle (Hotel Rwanda, Crash) and Guy Pearce (Memento, L.A. Confidential) star in Traitor, a taut international thriller set against a puzzle of covert counter-espionage operations. When straight-arrow FBI agent Roy Clayton (Pearce) investigates a dangerous international conspiracy responsible for a prison break in Yemen, a bombing in Nice and a raid in London, all clues seem to lead back to former U.S. Special Operations officer, Samir Horn(Cheadle). But a tangle of contradictory evidence emerges, forcing Clayton to question whether his suspect is a disaffected former military operative—or something far more complicated.

Obsessed with discovering the truth, Clayton tracks Horn across the globe as the elusive ex-soldier burrows deeper and deeper into a world of shadows and intrigue. Traitor is written and directed by Jeffrey Nachmanoff (screenwriter of The Day After Tomorrow).

Special Features:
Audio Commentary Featuring Director Jeffrey Nachmanoff and Actor Don Cheadle
Action! The Stunts And Special Effects of Traitor
International Espionage: An In-Depth Look at Traitor’s Exotic Locations

That Was The Year That Was. Part One.

Our final five selections will be announced in the January 1 column.