The 40 Years of Comics Project - Day 1136: Sandman Mystery Theatre #16, July 1994

Rapidly becoming the way of things these days, but I'll tell you all about this comic tomorrow!

The 40 Years of Comics Project - Day 1135: Sandman Mystery Theatre #15, June 1994

Have I ever gone into my pain here? I'm not sure I have.

The reason that I've been writing much less of late (or one of the reasons) is I've been having quite severe joint pain in my wrists. It's been a concern for some time, but this past Winter, with the very cold temperatures we've had here in Calgary, it's been quite bad. I'm glad to say I have some medication that assuages the pain somewhat, but it's not always effective, and some days, like today, it hurts to do anything with my hands. Even reading a comic. But I really do want to give this series the level of thought and discussion it deserves.

So, briefly (Ha!). There's a strangely cult-like vibe to the lesbians in this story. I was concerned that we were about to see an unfair depiction of queer people (which, given this series, would be ridiculous to think), but unsurprisingly, the creators went another, very cool, route. What's interesting to think about is this story of an extremely charismatic woman gathering other women as her followers. We've seen the tale play out of the charismatic man who woos young people into exploitative cults, but I'm not sure I can think of an example of it played out from a lesbian point of view. (If anyone can, do let me know!) There is always an overtly carnal/sexual aspect to the relationship, as there is in this one, and the relationship is always frowned upon by "society." Though, perhaps, we're also seeing some institutionally-induced aversion to polygamous situations.

What this puts me in mind of, then, is representation. This is not a particularly flattering portrait of lesbians. But to only have benign portrayals of any group of people ignores the fact that there are unpleasant people in every demographic, everywhere. That aside, it's a novel portrayal, a story with which we're familiar but from an unfamiliar point of view. Surely this is the kind of representation we need to see in media depictions of queerness. Not "Hey, look at us, aren't we lovely?" but "Hey, look at us, aren't we human?" There's also the lovely silver lining of Dian, and her reactions to the explicitly gay scenes she comes across. It's a testament to Guy Davis' art that Dian communicates so much to us through her expression in these instances. In Dian we see what I would consider the optimal reaction of someone ostensibly heterosexual being exposed to queerness: curiosity.

Par example: Dian tails a friend and spies on her tryst with another woman.

Represented in this tale is a powerful, believable gay woman using her influence for nefarious purposes and a straight person straying into the Questioning aspect of queerness. I never really grasped the inclusion of that term, but I suppose that even the act of questioning one's heterosexuality is in and of itself a queerness. If queerness seeks to break down binary definitions of gender, then the act of questioning that binary is queer. Interesting stories to be telling.

More to come...

The 40 Years of Comics Project - Day 1134: Sandman Mystery Theatre #14, May 1994

Read this. 'Twas good.

More to come...

The 40 Years of Comics Project - Day 1133: Sandman Mystery Theatre #13, April 1994

From what I can tell, the next stories are about female empowerment and the "fears" society had of such a thing. I'm excited to see where the story takes us. There appears to be a female killer on the loose, but this isn't the only kind of empowerment we're seeing. There is a brief moment of queerness as one of Dian's old college friends drunkenly kisses her, and then is seen to be part of a queer relationship. There's Dian herself, stepping out of the mold that her society has set out for her, but only tentatively just now. She's pushing at the boundaries, but not quite breaking them, I think. I had a professor describe Mary Wollstencraft's proto-Feminism in the same way, and my own brief exposure to her famous text convinced me also. Wollstencraft was very much of the idea that women should be treated with more equity, but she certainly didn't envision overturning the patriarchal system within which she lived.

I have to say it again - I'm stunned that the same medium, heck, basically the same genre in the same medium, a genre that grew in this medium, is producing both these stories and the ones I've been reading in Supreme at basically the same time. SMT is just so good. So, so good.

More to come...

The 40 Years of Comics Project - Day 1132: Sandman Mystery Theatre #12, March 1994

I will try to be a bit more verbose.

Punishments are meted out but, as usual, it is the survivors whose punishment is unending, rather than the mercy that is death. That sounds very much like something the Sandman, Mr. Dodds that is, would say. Which might say something about how much this series is getting under my skin. It's very good.

Matt Wagner promised to look into social ills in this series, and he's not shy about showing some of the worst. It's sad that a series set in the 30s had so much resonance in the 90s, and continues to do so in the second decade of the 21st century.

More to come...

The 40 Years of Comics Project - Day 1131: Sandman Mystery Theatre #11, February 1994

Again, no blog today. Bad pain.

But, holy shit, things get dark. As. Fuck. in this one.

I forgot how unapologetic early Vertigo is.

More to come...

The 40 Years of Comics Project - Day 1130: Sandman Mystery Theatre #10, January 1994

Won't be blogging this. Having some bad pain in my wrists the last few days.

I have decided that I'm going to try to track down the rest of this series, though. It's amazing.

More to come...

The 40 Years of Comics Project - Day 1129: Sandman Mystery Theatre #9, December 1993

There's three nice things about this comic. First, Wes and Dian go on a date. It's a moderately successful one from the sound of things, and Dian's desire to simply sit and chat the night away is, as anyone whose had such a desire knows, a very good sign. Second, the boxer featured in this issue is set up to become an underground fighter, and seems to be taking that option at one point in the comic, but then is revealed to have gone to the police. We're programmed to expect deceit, I think. The third thing is Matt Wagner's "On the Ledge" column in which he sets out exactly what he hopes to achieve with the series. Quoth the scribe "...the focus of this series will be on crimes and attitudes spawned by hate -- by prejudicial animosity towards what a person is as opposed to what they have either done or what they own.  Be they based on gender, ethnic backgrounds or age, these are the crimes that, I feel, might show us how to redefine our ever-changing world..."

I can get behind that.

More to come...

The 40 Years of Comics Project - Day 1128: Sandman Mystery Theatre #8, November 1993

The killer pays for his crimes, his conspirator revealed, but really it's the last panel, where Wesley asks Dian to dinner that is the important moment in today's issue.

And I hope you'll forgive me, but that's all I've got for today. Very tired, looking forward to relaxing long weekend.

More to come...

The 40 Years of Comics Project - Day 1127: Sandman Mystery Theatre #7, October 1993

Where the last couple of issues have simmered, this one started to boil, threatening in tomorrow's issue to boil over.
(I'm cooking dinner tonight - got kitchen on the brain!)

I know at some point in the future, Dian finds out that Wesley Dodds is the Sandman. The two spend their lives together, so I know that there is romance in the offing, and revelations. I just don't know when it's going to happen. And as I get deeper into the comic (I know, I know, it's three issues, but it's really good), I know I'm going to want to track down all the issues I'm missing. If only to see their romance blossom.

Which is a lot of comics.

This brings me to a conundrum. Do I splurge and get the trade collections of the series, even though I have just under half of the series scattered throughout the entire run, or do I track down the individual issues, which can sometimes be found for quite cheap?

That said, I've just had a very quick browse for the trades, and they seem to be out of print already. Back to the dollar bins I go!

The Sandman faces off against the killer, and so does Jimmy.

Oh, and right there at the top of the letters page? An apology for the colouring in issue #5. It was blamed on a particular colour drying very differently than what they thought it would (I think), and there was much apologizing. 2 issues later! That's a pretty great response time, really, given the point in production today's issue must have been when #5 came out. There's a reason Karen Berger is revered in comics - an editor who understood the fan base to whom she catered, and treated them like intelligent human beings, rather than dollar signs. I'm sure I'm romanticizing her, but I don't really care. So many of my favourite comics came out of her Vertigo.

More to come...

The 40 Years of Comics Project - Day 1126: Sandman Mystery Theatre #6, September 1993

I'm guessing that had the series been called The Dian Belmont Mysteries, it would likely have not sold as well in the comic shop. Perhaps on BBC, but not the comic shop. This is not a criticism, though. I love the fact that we're in a lot of ways experiencing this story from Dian's perspective, and only catching fitting glimpses of Wesley Dodds in costume. I think it's best to remember that Dodds isn't actually what we might call a superhero at this point in his career, but more of a Mystery Man. And, as a Mystery Man, it's suitable that we're mystified by him as well.

My qualms with the colouring of Chinese characters is somewhat assuaged in today's issue where they seem to have realized the error from the last issue and have actually coloured the characters with something closer to a skin tone. As I read through many of these series, I do actually keep an eye on the letters pages, so I'm curious to see if a) Sandman Mystery Theatre ever actually has a letters page and b) if anyone says anything about the Chinese colouring in issue 5.

The era within which these stories are taking place is kind of fascinating. I haven't seen it yet, but I wonder how much the Great Depression will be dealt with, or the amazing culture coming out of Harlem during this time. There's a wealth of setting and culture to explore, both good and bad. A series like this, published 60 years after the era within which it's set gives a writer the chance to really deal with some of the regressive social attitudes of the time. A similar thing happened in the criminally short-lived Agent Carter series. To see a feminist show set in a decidedly unfeminist era reminds us that there have always been people fighting for equality. Hopefully Mr. Wagner will take advantage of that distance of time to look at some of these moments.

More to come...

The 40 Years of Comics Project - Day 1125: Sandman Mystery Theatre #5, August 1993

I couldn't do it anymore. I had to take a break from Supreme. I needed something thoughtful.

I'm amazed that this comic was coming out around the same time as the Supreme stuff I've been reading. They really couldn't be more different.

I've had my eye on this series for a long time, ever since I read the crossover between this and Neil Gaiman's Sandman. Wesley Dodd's is a very significant character in the DCU, and this Vertigo series does him the justice he deserves. Add to the the jewel that is Dian Belmont, and I'm now asking myself why it's taken so long to read this. Perhaps I'll pull out the trade of the first arc and read that for my graphic novel.

Anyway, a killer appears to be stalking the streets of New York's China Town. In the late 30s I'm sure this would have been a very mysterious place. I am concerned about the colouring of the Chinese characters in this issue. They're very yellow. I get that the palate for the series is very monotone, but I think a little more realism to the skin tone would have been less...crass? Especially for a comic being published in the 90s. We weren't that backward back then!

I'll have much more to say about Dian and Wesley as I get stuck into the series (kinda excited for this one!) - I'm curious to see how the series deals with the inherent sexism of the time, especially through the lens of such a strong female character.

More to come...

The 40 Years of Comics Project - Day 795: True North II, 1991

The first of the inevitable slew of comics I've picked up at the con this weekend. This issue features 53 different creators (so I will not be tagging them all) doing 2-4 page stories about censorship. It's perhaps a little-known fact that the Canadian border is (or was) quite restrictive on what kinds of comics could be shipped to comic stores in Canada. This comic comes about as a direct result of the Toronto police actually raiding stores in the city, and, I think, Aircel Publishing's warehouse, on charges of distributing pornography to minors and obscenity. Back when I had my comic store, Diamond Comics simply refused to ship anything even remotely "mature" across the border because there was no way they could guarantee that the comics would ever reach the stores they were meant for.

The editorial on the back page articulates the argument against this kind of censorship quite well. Derek McCulloch notes that "[m]any of the comic books I find myself...called upon to defend are ones I find personally repugnant...No matter what I may think of this title or that, though, there is presumably someone out there who...read them and enjoy [sic] them; it would be a gross kind of hubris for me to think my opinion of the material superseded anyone else's." This is absolutely the crux. While we have governments in place to maintain a particular level of civilized discourse and conduct, such strictures have a way of becoming restrictures, when one person, or a small group of people come to believe that the way they think of things is obviously the best way.

Oh. Right. We live in Trump's world now. You know these things already.

Some of the comics in today's selection were really cool, some not quite to my taste. But that's the point of art, right? We all have our own tastes, and we should all be able, as long as we're not hurting anyone, to indulge them.

To be continued.

The 40 Years of Comics Project - Day 228: Jay & Silent Bob Minicomics Adventure

I am sorry, and this is not the blog stalling. I promise. I've just taken a few days off. I'm still reading a comic a day. I'll blog them all up tomorrow and Monday and get back on track.

Just needed a bit of a break.

See you tomorrow.

(Oct. 11, 2015)

I picked this comic up last night because I was a little inebriated, it was very late, and I was in the midst of a Rick and Morty marathon with my son. I thought that, as a minicomic, it might take me less time to read.

Except that instead of being like the Bone minicomics (which we'll get to), this one is actually a full-size comic shrunk down to about 3"x5". So not only did it not take less time to read, but because the print was really small, and my eyes a little fuzzy at the time, it took me ages to get through. Or it felt like it did, anyway.

That said, it was an entertaining comic, as all of Kevin Smith's Jay and Silent Bob comics are. I'd forgotten all about this little adventure, and the amazing action figure accessory it inspired of Walt Flanagan's dog. Perhaps I'll pull the Jay and Silent Bob action figures out and do a toy post about them. Assuming, of course, that they're not sitting in storage at my parents' house.

I was surprised to see Matt Wagner art on this one. I've come to equate Askewniverse comics with Duncan Fegredo or Jim Mahfood. This was an interesting departure, but I think I prefer Food's work overall for the Clerks/J&SB comics.

Okay, almost done. Just gotta get through an actual comic for today, and thing's will feel right again!