Lockdown Recommendations

Lockdown Recommendations

I am lucky enough to work to work in a frontline role in the NHS at the worlds leading Heart and Lung Specialist Hospital, Royal Papworth.  As you can imagine it is crazy times at the moment and plenty more ahead of us. Needless to say time has been short this past week as, when not at work, I've been scouring the wastelands for food and supplies.  As a result I've not really had time to put something together for the blog, however I have tried to make time to read comics and books as a respite and diversion from the madness.

As much as I like to re-read old classics, I'm a sucker for something shiny and new to read.  I love the thrill of finding a new favourite or something jaw dropping by accident, this is even better when that thrill is cheap or free.  So I thought that I might quickly recommend some comics that I've really enjoyed recently and some that very generous creators and publishers have put out for free at this time to help those self isolating and social distancing.  Hopefully there will be something there that hits the mark for you too.

My first recommendation would be to get the Comichaus app, to use the tagline from the Awesome Comics Podcast guys "it's the Netflix of comics".  There is such a variety of small press and indie comics on there you cannot go wrong. I have found so many real gems during the time I've been using it.  

Most recently I've particularly enjoyed these three comics from Gustaffo Vargas: Lima, Manu and Trujillo. Cyberpunk comics set where pre Columbian culture meets hi and lo technology in a dystopian future (just around the corner).  I'd love to see this guy in 20000AD, he draws some great characters and cityscapes that would suit Megacity One.

You can try Comichaus for free for two weeks by following the link below after the trial it's only £3.99 a month.  https://www.comichaus.com/app

Talking of the Awesome Comics Podcast you should listen to their podcast for top class

banter, creator interviews, honest reviews and recommendations (https://awesomecomics.podbean.com/) I have a wish list longer than my arm after listening to this show each week.  From the Podcasts Tony Esmond, you can read The Whore Chronicles. I particularly enjoyed the story of Peggy with art by Sarah Harris read it here: https://www.dropbox.com/s/8m8djmtnqam5zsf/TWC_PressReady.pdf?dl=0

There are some superb comics to be found on Kickstarter that can be real bargains, especially if you go for digital options.  One I've backed is the latest from one of my favourite creators James McCulloch, called Camp VA70. Here's a quick description:

All animal life has been wiped out by a disease know as 'THE RED'. The agricultural industry crumbles under the weight of demand for food. The world needs help. Our saviours come in the form of an alien race, but their help comes at a price. They need our blood. Food in exchange for our blood. It seemed so simple...

You can back it here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/grandmasterwook/camp-va07-1/description

Thanks to Morgan Spiceman for the heads up about this link which gives information on how to gain access to 100 free comics: https://nerdist.com/article/100-free-comics/

Finally a very generous freebie from publishers of 2000AD, Rebellion a whole volume of Dredd with Case Files 05 The Law ar War which you can download

here: https://shop.2000ad.com/catalogue/GRN281?utm_source=The+2000+AD+Weekly+Thrill-Mail%21&utm_campaign=a3f189a7b1-2000+AD+NEWSLETTER+19-12-18_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_f96459e4a2-a3f189a7b1-82803961

So there you go, plenty to get stuck into for free or not very much, hope you enjoy them.  

Thanks to all the NHS staff, postal and delivery drivers and retail sector workers who are keeping us all safe, informed and fed during this difficult time.  Keep the faith guys and stay safe.

Bloodshot

Bloodshot

This week I was going to recommend another piece of work by Grant Morrison for you and look at the background to it.  But, time has run away from me and I've not had an opportunity to re-read the collected volume as I'd hoped.  However, I think that I've got a great alternative lined up. This isn't by a 2000AD creator but I think it has a lot of touchstones with some of the galaxys greatest comics characters and others from pop culture that we can all relate to.  

A couple of weeks ago, scrolling through my Facebook feed, I saw a trailer for a new film starring Vin Diesel called Bloodshot.  Now this name rang a bell from a freebie comic that I received at a local comicon. I dug around in my collection and found the single issue I'd gotten from the con, I gave it a read and decided to search out some more. I'm not adverse to a digital edition so, when I saw a deal to buy 8 volumes of Bloodshot trades for a great price via Humble Bundle I jumped at the chance.

Bloodshot is from Valiant Comics, a company that wasn't really on my radar after my time in the comics wilderness. Valiant was formed in 1989 by an ex editor-in-chief of Marvel comics, Jim Shooter and his business partners, after a failed attempt to buy Marvel. Bloodshot made his first appearance in 1992, but things really took off when Valiant was bought out and re-launched in 2012. You can read more about Valiant and their other characters here: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valiant_Comics

The character of Bloodshot has many influences in his DNA such as Robocop, as he struggles to find out who he was before scientists implanted the nanites. He has the Deadpool/Wolverine ability to heal and regenerate. However, he has less of the humor of Deadpool, Bloodshot  definitely comes from the Punisher mould of hard faced no nonsense killer. Other characters are left to provide the wit and light to his shade. So far, thankfully, I've not come across any caped superheroes, just characters enhanced by technology or mutated in some way to become weapons for good or evil.

But for all these influences Bloodshot manages to stand out as his own character, he is a badass killing machine and no quarter is given as to how the violence is depicted.  The art, that compliments the script from writer Duane Swierczynsk, is by Manuel Garcia & Arturo Lozzi with lettering by Rob Steen. Something you will find here, that seems sadly lacking in 2000AD of late, is some stunning visceral splash pages, like this .

For me, the Bloodshot comics are like a Jack Reacher novel, you know exactly what you are getting from them the minute you've read the first page.  I'm not too far into the series (vol 5 of the collected trades) but I have really enjoyed the ride so far. I'll be interested to read more and see how they sustain the character and the story. I hope the film isn't a disappointment, sadly tie-ins so often are. But no doubt I'll pay my money and hope for the best as usual.  

If you are a hardcore 2000AD fan and you want to dip your toes in some different waters, then Bloodshot could be right in your wheelhouse.

You can find a trailer for the movie here: https://youtu.be/vOUVVDWdXbo

Grant Morrison

Grant Morrison 

Okay, full disclosure I haven't read a massive amount of Grant Morrisons work.  Of course I know the name, not only from 2000AD but from his work for DC and Marvel too. I remember reading Zenith in 1987 but it wasn't much later on that my hiatus from comics began.  So, as much for my sake as anything else, here's a little synopsis of his career (God bless Wikipedia).

Much like Garth Ennis, Morrison started young his first work being published when he was about 17 years old in a British alternative comic called Near Myths.  1986 saw his debut in the galaxys greatest comic, with two Future Shocks soon followed by the well loved Zenith. Then, DC took him into their fold where he got the gig for writing Batman and Doom Patrol amongst others. From then on his star was in the ascendancy check out more here:  https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grant_Morrison

Happily, as I'm trying to write this blog to highlight some of the work of these creators, I have read a couple of very different books by Grant Morrison on my return to comics.  The first one was given to me as a gift from a friend. She went into Mega City Comics in Camden and told the guys there that "he likes 2000AD and he likes horror". The chap working there suggested the following graphic novel, which she promptly bought.

The book was the trade of 2015s Nameless, from Image, what an introduction to Morrisons work that was. I've read it a couple of times and I'm still not 100% sure of what it's all about. In a nutshell, it's a space based horror story, the hero of the tale has no name, he is the titular Nameless.  

Nameless is an occult expert called upon by an eccentric billionaire (think a more batshit Branson) to go into space and be part of a mission to save the earth from destruction by a 14 x 6 mile asteroid hurtling in its general direction. Sounds straightforward?  This story goes off on so many tangents and themes, space horror, body horror, ancient cultures, iconography you name it it's all there with a generous side order of blood and gore.  

The art by Chris Burnham is amazing throughout, his own imagination must have been

stretched by the imagery demanded of him by
Morrisons script.  His work, with excellent colouring by Nathan Faibairn, lets us revel in the madness, blood and gore of the story. Lettering is by another 2000AD alum Simon Bowland, who has worked on Kingdom, Jaegir and Survival Geeks to name just a few. 

So, if you like your sci-fi horror to make you think and even question what you are reading then this is for you.  Trust me you'll never be bored with this story, you may wonder what the fuck it's all about, but you wont be bored. 

Next time I'll look at a more mainstream, but no less thought provoking piece of work from Grant Morrison.