Comics comics comics...

I've been a lazy blogger. It's true.
I've just been linking videos and not saying anything. So I took those last couple of posts down because they were ridiculous. If you miss them let me know and I'll recreate them (just like the battle at North Bridge in Lexington/Concord!).

I haven't been paying attention to blogging because I've been trying to get some more writing done in the non-webworld. Mostly about a new comics anthology. So, in the process I've been reading and re-reading some really great work.
(linking to books is better than youtube, right?)

Megan Kelso's excellent collection, The Squirrel Mother (Fantagraphics).
Beautifully drawn with coloring that's subtle and evocative. Nearly perfect. Lucky me got an advanced reader but look for it during the summer.
I'm sure I'll remind you.

Illustrated by some of the best cartoonists around this collection of the serial comic, Real Stuff, includes stories about coming-of-age in the '50s and '60s. Usually told with a mix of two of
my favorite abstractions: sad and funny.

Then there's Ghost of Hoppers. Jamie Hernandez's writing and illustration just keeps getting better and better. It seems almost impossible. Hernandez has continued to impress me with his character development and strange, exciting plot lines.
I've finally decided that I will never stop reading his work. NEVER.

Last but not least...
I've been re-reading Local in preparation for the release of #5.
What's so astonishing about Local is not necessarily Brian Wood's writing.
Although, it's definitely substatial and my favorite of his work thus far. What's really the clincher with Local is Ryan Kelly's top-notch illustration. Especially considering that this is his first major comics project. Consistent and absolutely beautiful, this comic wouldn't be half as great without Kelly's illustration.
It's the first serial I've ever collected and it's so great I may even buy plastic baggies and cardboard backers for storage. That's fucking crazy.