Waiting for Wednesday, Volume 3, Issue 8

Hopefully I’m able to actually post this up to the blog. Blogger is experiencing some difficulties this morning, you see, and as usual, I’ve waited until the very last moment to actually write anything post-able.

Now, it’s quite possible that there’s absolutely nothing wrong with Blogger, and instead, there’s something wrong with me. It wouldn’t be the first time, and I’m sure it won’t be the last.

So I’m currently typing this into a Word doc, and hoping that I’ll be able to copy/paste it onto the blog later on. (Preferably sometime before comics shops open up on the East Coast, because we all know how integral this column is to the publishers’ sales charts.)

We’ll see how that goes.

In the meantime, I wanted to touch upon the death of comic and animation writer and creator Dwayne McDuffie, who passed away suddenly yesterday.

As I mentioned yesterday, I am a fan of McDuffie’s writing, and that, in a single issue of JLA that he penned--and, more specifically, a single spread in that comic--he managed to nail the heart of the Batman character.

McDuffie's comics were often like that--character studies; little conversations amidst lots of action.

More than just his writing, however, McDuffie brought attention to the fact that comics were almost completely devoid of diversity. And he worked to change that.

CBR has a really nice feature on McDuffie, where friends talk about his life and his work. You can check that out here.

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There's really no good way to transition from the above, so I'm just going to get right into this week's new comics.

First up, we have The New York Five, issue 2, from Vertigo.
I know it doesn't make much sense to recommend a number two issue--and especially one that requires some knowledge of the characters, but this book is too good not to mention.

This series is the sequel to the now-collected New York Four ($9.99 in trade paperback, from DC), and follows the college lives of four young women. Written by Brian Wood, who is quickly becoming one of my favorite comics creators today, and drawn by the amazing Ryan Kelly, the original series debuted under the now-defunct DC Minx line.

The New York Five has made the move over to Vertigo proper, and so far, the series picks up right where volume one left off. And, while I'll give you the solicitation information for issue two in just a minute, this is really a recommendation to run out and buy volume one.

Because of the price point, I've noticed that several stores in my area are carrying the trade, so chances are the book might be there when you hit your store later today. If you like slice of (New York) life stories, then this is the book for you. Check it out. You will not be disappointed.

Here's the solicitation information for this week's issue from Vertigo:

Everyone has secrets, and Riley's are well documented! But what about the other girls in THE NEW YORK FIVE? In this second issue, Merissa and Lona deal with ghosts both at home in Queens and coming into JFK on the red-eye...

This book is excellent, and it gets the Official Exfanding Seal of Approval.

That's it for comics today, but I'd also like to remind you that the direct-to-DVD feature, All Star Superman, written by Dwayne McDuffie and based on the Grant Morrison classic, is out in stores now.
It was released yesterday, and I'm heading to Best Buy to procure my own copy tonight. From all accounts, it has received good reviews, and it looks pretty great. Morrison's story probably wasn't the easiest to turn into a film, but DC's direct-to DVD features have been solid overall, and I've enjoyed each of the ones I've purchased.

And with that, I need to get a move on. Before I do, though, what are you Waiting for?

Dwayne McDuffie

Incredibly sad news to report, unfortunately.

Comics and animation writer and creator, Dwayne McDuffie,has passed away. McDuffie wrote countless comics, he founded Milestone Media, he created the popular character Static Shock, and he wrote for and produced the beloved Justice League Unlimited cartoon.

Most recently, McDuffie penned the animated adaptation of Grant Morrison's seminal Superman tale, All Star Superman, the DC Comics direct-to-DVD feature that was released in stores today.

On a personal note, McDuffie wrote one of my favorite JLA stories, in an issue dealing with the death of Bruce Wayne. It was touching, and poignant, and to me, the best thing that came out of DC in regards to that particular event.

It's a little odd to use the phrase, "a personal note," simply because I never had the good fortune to meet Mr. McDuffie. But that's the case most times with authors and writers and creators and artists that I look up to and whose work I enjoy.

With regards to that particular JLA story, I've read that issue several times, and each time I've closed the pages and felt the emotional weight of the story. I felt a connection to that story, and so, that story--written far away and without even a thought of my existence in mind--became something special for me.

Thank you for that, Dwayne. Fortunately, we'll always have your stories.

Our thoughts and best wishes go to Mr. McDuffie's family and friends.

The State of Books

We've been following the unfolding story of Borders Books for the past several months now, and as noted last week, the retail giant has finally filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

Additionally, they've announced the closing of 200 retail locations in the United States. Well, when the news came down, it started a bit of speculation as to which stores would close.

But, since we now have things like the Internet, that list managed to leak online not even an hour after the news broke, and any such rampant speculation was rendered pointless.

Ah, technology.

When I checked out that leaked list, I was surprised to find pretty much all of the Borders shops in my area on it, other than one store in my home city and another about 20 miles away, just over the state border.

As far as Borders go, my state was routed.

I knew things were going to be bad when I read about the Borders on Park Ave. closing, and about the closing of a store near my office whose rent is paid by another large retail chain in the area.

I thought for sure that store would be safe, because they didn't have to worry about things like rent.

But I guess even a store with (relative) minimal overhead couldn't earn out enough money in this weird publishing environment to avoid closure. For anyone wondering, you can check out the complete list of store closings, right here.

My big concern (aside from the fact that the number of bookstores in my state was just reduced by 70%) is, what happens next? Will the remaining 400 or so Borders stores stay in business, or will there be another round of closings?

Are they using these big, Final Days Sales things--which are generating lines of people outside their doors, by the way--to get some quick cash flow to pay down some of their debts, and then focus on further cut backs? Will Borders even be a viable option for publishers in the coming weeks and months?

And, since we're seeing these huge lines at Borders since the sales announcements were made, doesn't that tell book stores and publishers that, yes, people want books, but they don't want to pay upwards of $25 for new product?

Will that change the way we look at price points?

Obviously, I have no answers to any of the above. But to think that this is the last we'll hear of Borders' problems is naive.

So, how about you guys? How many stores in your area are getting the axe?

Exfanding Review: Daytripper

Even though I only write a limited number of reviews on the blog, I do actually read a lot of books. And I read a lot of books from across lots of different genres and styles. I read plenty of comics, sure, but I also read my fair share of novels, short stories, biographies, political news, and random dissertations found online.

Also, I like plays. Beckett, mostly.

And being fairly well-read, I have come across many pieces of work that I put down, and, while I enjoyed the contents, I mostly just forget about. That kind of thing tends to happen when you have more books than you have room for your books. As with anyone who reads often, though, once in a while, there's a book or a comic or a play or a short story that makes me stop and go, "huh."

And I mean that in a good way.

For the most part, I only read what looks interesting to me, so the great majority of what I read has that, "huh" effect on me. But then there are those works that just...linger. They stay with me. They haunt my dreams, and they tend to not go away for a while. If ever.

Daytripper, written and drawn by brothers Gabriell Bá and Fábio Moon, and published by Vertigo, is one of those books.

A graphic novel about the most important days and moments in a life, Daytripper is that rare comic that manages to absorb the reader, wholly, into its world. The settings, the characters, the landscape.

And, while this book is filled with elements of magical realism, the world created by the extraordinarily talented brothers seems so real, so much like something you've lived through, that this sweeping narrative about lovers and friends and goddesses and murderers manages to feel familiar.

Which, I suppose, is a trait found in literature's greatest stories of magical realism.

In Daytripper, the main character, Brás de Oliva Domingos, is an obituary writer for his local newspaper. In each issue of the series, we see Brás at a different stage in his life. Accordingly, chapters are titled by Brás'age during that particular story--21, 11, etc.

There are alternative realities revealed here; different paths that Brás might have taken, or should have taken, or actually did take. We meet women that Brás may or may not have met and friends who may or may not be alive. If he does one thing, his life veers off to the right. If he does another thing, his life moves left.

And each issue is self-contained, for the most part, but there's a cohesive narrative thread that runs through the entire series.

I don't want to keep writing about this book, simply because I don't want to spoil anything for anyone out there who's interested in giving it a try.

So I need to wrap this up soon, but I don't feel like I've given this book enough credit. I certainly have failed to express my love for this work in words, which makes me a pretty lousy writer, and a complete failure as a guy with a blog about comic books.

Oh. The art. I can talk about the art.

Oh, my goodness, the art. Anyone familiar with the brothers' other work (Umbrella Academy, Ursula) knows just how special these guys are as illustrators.

The covers are ink-washed and beautiful and the interiors are filled with expressive faces, beautiful, real women, and landscapes that you know and have been to, even if you haven't.

Daytripper is that rare comic that, if it had no words, I would happily buy it for the art. And if it had no art, I would happily buy it for the words.

There. That says it all.