Random comic book stuff

I think ...

1. That "Modern Masters: Mark Schultz" is awesome. He's the writer/artist who created "Xenozoic Tales." The book has lots of beautiful art and interviews with Schultz, who I met at the 1997 (I think) Mid-Ohio Con and found to be a wonderfully nice person.

2. That I got two other "Modern Masters" books, one about John Byrne and another about Bruce Timm (of the animated Batman show) and they are both really awesome as well. I am assuming that this whole series of books is worth looking into, especially if one of the volumes is about an artist you like.

3. That the Sergio Aragones/Mark Evanier written issues of "The Spirit" from DC have begun. The first issue came out today. The artist is Mark Ploog, and although I have not read it, it looks great.

3. That "Glister" by Andi Watson (of "Skeleton Key" fame) is really charming. When the next issue comes out, maybe I'll do something in more detail. It's about a little girl who lives in a very magically charged England. The art looks a little like Harvey Kurtzman, one of the all-time greats of comic book art.

4. That "Age of Bronze," the re-telling of the Trojan War by Eric Shanower is really, really great. I got the first volume at a comic shop last week in San Diego (oddly enough, Shanower's home town, although I did not know this at the time). It's researched carefully and very thoroughly and drawn in a clean style that tells the story really well. The old Greek legends get awfully complicated, but Shanower manages to create a narrative. So far, I have only the first volume, but I shall be looking for more. I really appreciated the pronunciation guide in the back of the volume. Now I know how all those complicated Greek names are supposed to sound.

5. That it's time for me to go to bed. Good night!