Review: La Perdida

La PerdidaBy Jessica Abel ($19.95; Pantheon Books)Wow! I missed La Perdida in its serialized form, first hearing of it when the final issue hit the stands last year, but considering it took five years to finish, I'm guessing reading it collected in one impressive tome was for the best. Unlike decompressed superhero comics where "writing for the trade" often implies unnecessary padding, Jessica Abel crams heaping handfuls of story into each chapter of her gripping tale of self-discovery and self-deceit, but they are unquestionably parts of a larger whole; an excellent, completely engaging and essential whole that belongs on every…

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On the Web: Xavier’s School For Gifted Dancers

In the spirit of truly fulfilling our promise to bring you comic randomonia, CBC presents the first installment of On The Web. OTW will bring you the best, and perhaps the worst, video clips the internet has to offer comic fans around the world.Without further ado, in the tradition of that dancing baby that everyone saw when they first got onto the internet, CBC presents Xavier's School For Gifted Dancers!

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Yeah, Sounds About Right

I Am A: Chaotic Good Half-Elf Ranger Thief Alignment: Chaotic Good characters are independent types with a strong belief in the value of goodness. They have little use for governments and other forces of order, and will generally do their own things, without heed to such groups. Race: Half-Elves are a cross between a human and an elf. They are smaller, like their elven ancestors, but have a much shorter lifespan. They are sometimes looked down upon as half-breeds, but this is rare. They have both the curious drive of humans and the patience of elves. Primary Class: Rangers are…

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PROPS: Gingko Press

I've still not gotten around to doing a New York Comic-Con wrapup, here or at PopCultureShock -- my week-late Establishing Shots column may get written in time for next week, if I'm lucky -- as there's several comics I picked up that I want to read first, but I wanted to give props to one book in particular:Alphabet City: Out on the Streets, by Michael De Feo. It's an ABC board book with a twist, as De Feo opts for presenting a mix of typical and offbeat words in unusual locations. ie: "F" is represented by a simple, hand-drawn flower…

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LINK: Elsewhere, in the Comics Blogiverse

Traffic's been up in these parts over the past couple of months, making me feel the need to post something relatively substantial every day, but the 9-to-5 hasn't been letting up and I've been attempting to get to bed before midnight on a regular basis, especially since the Con. Started on a post about making friends and enemies in comics that quickly devolved into snark and sarcasm, so I saved it to revisit with a clearer head at a later date, if at all. Instead, I'll spread some love...The blog links in the left column have been pruned and updated,…

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On The Shelves: 3/8/06

Support GOOD Comics! Try something new EVERY month! My weekly look at select comic books being released Wednesday, 3/8/06. The full shipping is list available at ComicList. [NOTE: Not all of these titles will actually arrive in all stores. If your LCBS offers a pre-ordering service, be sure to take advantage of it. If not, find another one; or try Khepri.com or MidtownComics.com] PICK OF THE WEEK BrownsvilleABRAMS Moms Cancer HC, $12.95 No idea what this is, but it's a catchy title that would certainly get me to pick it up and give it a flip-through. That it's published by…

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COMMENT: Men of Tomorrow, Today?

I've had Gerard Jones' enthralling must-read, MEN OF TOMORROW, on my mind a lot the past few days, thanks as much to the Speakeasy fiasco as my general feelings about the comics industry lately. So much of what I see happening with seemingly naive creators getting screwed over by inept publishers with big plans and little common sense -- and even in the corporate comics world, what with hastily revised plotlines resulting in lackluster stories potentially killing fledgling careers, etc. -- reminds me of the Donenfelds, Liebowitz', Siegels, Schusters, Fingers, et al, of the early days of the industry. Back…

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