Category Archives: Books

Review: The Education of a Comics Artist

Books, Comics, , , , , , , ,

The Education of a Comics Artist, a collection of short essays and interviews edited by Michael Dooley and Steven Heller, offers a fascinating look into the methods and motivations of some of the top practitioners of visual storytelling. The book presents an amazing lineup of contributors—Jim Steranko, David Mack, Chris Ware, Art Spiegelman, Marjane Satrapi, Kim Deitch and many more legends in the field—weighing in on disciplines ranging from editorial cartoons to comic strips, Archie Andrews to alt comics.

Every section is insightful, with creators reflecting on the influences and insights that inform their work. Some articles are accompanied by black-and-white illustrations, but text is the main focus, with artists elaborating on the creative process that results in ink on paper.

Later portions of the book examine the conceptual framework that surrounds visual storytelling, with articles and interviews on teaching, understanding and—oh yeah—making money from comics. The thoughts on display are diverse, lively and occasionally contradictory, making for a rewarding view into how comics of all types are created.

Review: “Captain Freedom” by G. Xavier Robillard

Books, FLYMF Alums,

“You can’t fight me,” he sneers. “You don’t have insurance anymore.”
“I’ve got COBRA.”

That exchange, delivered during a mid-air melee, sums up the comedic blend of “Captain Freedom,” the new novel by G. Xavier Robillard. Secret lairs and teenage sidekicks share space with product endorsement deals and online archenemy-matching services. Heroics are evaluated by their impact on the comic-book company bottom line. And if you need to go back in time to spoil a nefarious plot, it’s no problem to rent a run-down time machine from a skeezy Enterprise knock-off. (The release form contains a warning not to do anything to affect the course of history, but it also notes, “This rule is total bullshit, but you agree to it anyway, just as you agree to pay your work for any office supplies that you use for personal reasons.”)

Captain Freedom is the kind of guy who’d steal all of the office supplies he could get his hands on, even as he saves Cleveland in the process. The book approaches his life as a gag-a-minute memoir, using its oblivious slacker hero to bring to life as many superhero gags as possible, from remote tropical islands that host volcanic bases to the perils of the hero’s weakness (in this case, soy).

Continue reading Review: “Captain Freedom” by G. Xavier Robillard →

Review: Kerry Temple, “Back to the Earth: A Backpacker’s Journey Into Self and Soul”

Books, ,

“Many years ago I was taught by stones, stones collected from south Texas and rocky Colorado, Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and the sun-blazed cathedrals of Zion National Park, Wyoming’s Big Horns and the plain-dressed woods of rural Indiana. A shaman’s stone from South Dakota. Leopold’s wilderness prophecies and a fall while climbing that taught me to sit still.”

That is how Kerry Temple sums up his lessons in “Back to Earth: A Backpacker’s Journey into Self and Soul.” The book is a lyrical meditation on knowledge gained from nature, the solace Temple has found in long hikes and backwoods journeys. As the book begins, he’s at a loss; his marriage his ended, and his path has become misdirected, diverted by the tiny, cumulative compromises of everyday life. In an effort to re-focus, Temple moves to an isolated cabin in South Bend, Indiana, one without radio or television or even a clock. There he contemplates, recollecting old journeys and talismans he has collected along the way, rocks that evoke scenery, beauty and lessons learned and forgotten.

Continue reading Review: Kerry Temple, “Back to the Earth: A Backpacker’s Journey Into Self and Soul” →

G. Xavier Robillard Publishes “Captain Freedom”!

Books, FLYMF Alums,

FLYMF Alum G. Xavier Robillard has published a book, “Captain Freedom: A Superhero’s Quest for Freedom, Justice, and the Celebrity He So Richly Deservers.” It sounds like a fun spoof of superhero tropes—the book’s description reads:

Freedom’s fifteen minutes are over!

Software pirates! Mostly extinct dinosaurs! Giant barbarians! Crooning criminals! Captain Freedom’s beat them all, saved the world, and looked fantastic doing it—but he couldn’t fend off middle management.

The Superhero lifestyle is all that Captain Freedom has ever known. What’s he supposed to do now? Enter politics? Write a children’s book?

Freedom’s in a bad way and he’s only a stint in rehab away from a lifetime of celebrity reality shows. But with the guidance of his new life coach, maybe Freedom can stumble in a new direction—even if it means having to make peace with his parents . . . or finally commit to a single long-term archenemy.

Robillard is promoting the book via his blog, The Taste of Freedom, which features regular updates on superhero-themed topics. Check it out for more info, or better yet, support him by picking up a copy of the book!

His work for FLYMF included “When George Lucas Gets His Hands on Other Blockbusters.”

Review: The Exciting Life and Death of the Amazing Henry and Other Stories by Bobby D. Lux

Books, FLYMF Alums, , ,

Bobby D. Lux’s short-story collection, The Exciting Life and Death of the Amazing Henry and Other stories, offers an exciting combination of voice and setting. The book’s thirteen stories revolve around the Morelli brothers, Vincenzo and Ernesto, both of whom serve as mob enforcers. The non-cumulative stories walk them through the stranger realms of their service, spending time with the brothers as they intimidate their way through community theater, costumed-dinosaur races and the forced “retirement” of the greatest ape magician in the tri-county area.]

Lux does an excellent job of characterizing the Morelli brothers, balancing talkative Ernesto against gruff Vincenzo as they squabble their way through a lifetime of jobs. Vincenzo is particularly well-crafted—blunt and uncompromising, but also resentful of the distancing he’s imposed upon himself.

The stories are imaginative, balancing fantastic elements—superheroes, reclusive movie stars with futuristic technology—with the understated sentiment of homeless men in gas stations, toughs in bars and paralyzed veterans in isolated diners. The variety of settings keep the stories fresh, even as Ernesto and Vincenzo provide a narrative anchor. Occasionally the tales can spin a little wild—“An Occurrence at Tommy’s” shifts Ernesto from hitman to Wrestlemania star to U.S. President in a matter of pages—but that only reflects the imagination behind them. There are also some hiccups in the copy, but they don’t detract from the strong voice and inventive settings. An exciting read.

Bobby was a longtime FLYMF contributor; he has a number of stories in FLYMF’s Greatest Hits. Bobby’s FLYMF work includes When The Camera Stopped Rolling, Mike Tyson Movie Reviews, O’Neill ‘Scopes’ An Early Career, Monkey Dance, Outrageous Claims, In Memorium, Adventures In Time Travel, The Worst Story Ever, Batman Begins By Superman, The Coreys, Tonto’s Shocking Discovery, Vegas Wedding, The Solution To America’s Problems, Superman Returns, The Pirates Of Swenxof, and “Sly” Nostalgia.