The 40 Years of Comics Project - Day 71: The Score #4, 1990

And so The Score comes to an end. I have to admit, once Philip Sand's vocation was revealed in the book, I knew exactly what the mysterious "score" was going to be, but its importance was well-masked. (That's an in-joke for anyone who's read the series......ah, just me then). This is definitely a series I'll go back to, but I think it's also one that needs to be read graphic-novelly rather than serially. There's a certain pace to the story that I think necessitates its being consumed in one sitting. Part of this, for sure, is Mark Badger's art, which is just gorgeous. The constant fluidity and dynamism of his composition is a huge part of the flow of the narrative. Jones' writing is pretty solid too, and I'm curious to see if that carries over into any of his mainstream work. I find that you'll occasionally find a writer who is really good on the personal projects, but just phones it in on the work for hire. It's a pity, but I think a truth that can be applied widely over pretty much any field. I'm thinking here of James Robinson and his work on Starman, as compared to, unfortunately, just about everything else I've read by him. Bart chatted with me once about Art Spiegelman, and how he's basically a mediocre cartoonist who had one big hit. I think this happens far more often in comics than we like to imagine, but the pool of creators who get wide exposure is so small that instead of casting the net for the next brilliant work farther afield, the industry tries to replicate what is really just a one-hit wonder. If that makes any sense.

But I'll let you know how Jones turns out, should I happen to read any of his other stuff in the next little while. I'll be researching Badger a bit more too, as I'd like to see what he does in different media.

So, moving on....perhaps back to Kirby's 2001. I feel like I need to finish that series, and his Machine Man stuff is coming up relatively soon. The limited series by Barry Windsor-Smith was one of the first comics I bought at my local general store back in the dark ages.

See you tomorrow.