Warren Peace Sings the Blues

One Piece Is Awesome, Example #49

2013-05-20T18:00:00.000-05:00

Following the Thriller Bark storyline in One Piece, Eiichiro Oda has kind of gone nuts, moving the overarching plot forward at a breakneck pace, with incident and information accumulating in an exhausting fashion. The Straw Hat Pirates reached a major waypoint in their journey around the world, but while preparing to outfit their ship for an underwater journey to Fish-Man Island, they got mixed up in a huge conflict with the government after learning of the generally accepted practice of slavery practiced by the privileged World Nobles. Oda introduced nine other "rookies", pirates with a level of notoriety similar to Luffy's, and revealed that Luffy's brother Ace had been captured by the government, who were planning to publicly execute him in order to spark a war with Whitebeard, one of the world's most powerful pirates. But before the crew can do much about this, they get scattered to various islands across the sea by a powerful opponent, and Luffy ends up on an island of warrior women ruled by Boa Hancock, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea. And when he finds out about Ace's predicament, he rushes off to break into the maximum security underwater prison Impel Down and rescue him, where he ends up teaming up with various former opponents like Buggy the Clown, Mr. 3, Mr. 2 Bon Clay, and Crocodile. It's a non-stop rush of action that is compacted into a relatively short number of volumes (considering the length of the epic Water Seven storyline, which was about 15 volumes long), so while it's a blast to read, one almost has to struggle to keep up, with barely a chance to pause and appreciate all the wacky jokes, crazy characters, and explosive action that Oda throws in. But there's one moment in volume 55 that made me marvel at its pure, mind-boggling insanity, and that's when Luffy ends up in a secret floor of the Impel Down prison which is ruled by one of Oda's craziest characters yet:

Yes, that is Emporio Ivankov, the world's greatest drag queen, who has managed to build a genderless society of acceptance in the middle of the world's most dangerous prison, a place where he puts on drag shows accompanied by fishnet-wearing weirdos and plots to eventually break out and join the revolution against the government. If I ever needed proof that Oda is an insane genius, this is it.

One Piece Is Awesome, Example #48

2013-05-19T12:00:00.000-05:00

If one were so inclined, an argument could be mounted against the basic premise of Eiichiro Oda's One Piece, in that its main character's goal is to become "king of the pirates", but he doesn't seem all that interested in the typical pirate activities of looting and plundering. He and his pals do seem to enjoy sailing the seas, drinking grog, and having adventures, but they end up as outlaws more by accident than through purposeful acts of piracy. Over the course of their adventures, they've ended up in opposition to the powers that be, making them wanted criminals, but that's not really Luffy's goal; he just ends up embroiled in high-stakes battles out of a sense of honor and loyalty, rather than any big plans to oppose the corrupt forces of totalitarian control. In volume 52, there's a moment in volume 52 that kind of snaps him and his philosophy into focus, coming when a crewmate of the previous pirate king, Gold Roger, asks him if he's up for facing the dangers to come:

That's actually a pretty important, character-defining moment, revealing that Luffy isn't like the other pirates. He's not out to acquire loot or subjugate his enemies, he's a liberator. He's a pirate in the sense that he stands up against the forces of control and oppression, and this puts him in direct conflict with the government and anybody else who wants to rule the world. Seeing him define himself is thrilling, just another moment that gets us on board for his further adventures, ready to cheer when he fights for the defenseless and refuses to back down against those who think they deserve power over others. It's inspiring stuff; I can't wait to see more, always more.

One Piece Is Awesome, Example #47

2013-05-18T12:00:00.000-05:00

As the plot of Eiichiro Oda's One Piece has progressed across nearly 50 volumes, the main subplot of the series looks to involve our heroes standing up against the power-hungry and corrupt, especially the World Government and its sanctioned group of pirates, the Seven Warlords of the Sea. I'm starting to formulate some theories about where the series is going to go as the Straw Hats continue to get stronger and come into more and more conflict with world powers, and I expect that eventually the people are going to start rallying behind them and stand up against their oppressors. We get a taste of that in the big climax of the Thriller Bark storyline in volume 49, as the Straw Hats look like they're going to face defeat against the hugely powerful Gecko Moria (one of the aforementioned Warlords), who has stolen the shadows of four of their number, and also a large number of others on the island. Anyone without a shadow will disintegrate in the sunlight, which is fast approaching over the horizon, but while most of the shadowless unfortunates have the impulse to run, their captain, a strange-looking woman named Lola, decides to stand alongside the Straw Hats and face the enemy:

It's not a huge moment, but it's a powerful one, a sign that people are starting to gain confidence in the ability of Luffy and his friends to face down the massively powerful oppressors of this world and refuse to cower under their thumbs any longer. I can't wait to see how this continues into future volumes; as ever, Oda definitely has a long-term plan for the series, and it's fascinating to see it play out.

The Neverending Fray: Ha ha, Arcadio is lame

2013-05-16T18:00:00.000-05:00

Groo the Wanderer #68
By Sergio Aragones, Mark Evanier, Stan Sakai (lettering), and Janice Cohen (coloring)
Published by Epic Comics, 1990

A lot of the stories in Groo work as one-off tales, wrapping up their plots in a single issue without any need for a follow-up, but there are occasional "sequels" that work surprisingly well. This issue is one of those, following the events of the previous issue, in which Groo tried to replace a dragon that he had killed. However, this one doesn't just pick up where the previous story left off; it's actually presented as a story told by the Minstrel, after he wanders into a town who reveres Arcadio for slaying a dragon, and tells them the real story of what happened. It makes for an interesting theme of the way legends can often completely distort the reality of what happened, and it's also quite funny.

Minstrel's story tells about how Groo was trying to get rid of the "sissy" dragon that he was stuck with after the events of issue #67, but when he takes it to a town to try to sell it, the people panic and send for Arcadio to slay the beast. And thus begins what is probably my favorite Arcadio appearance in the series, since it's all about making a complete fool out of him. He's a character that I don't often enjoy, since he gets treated as a hero simply because he's handsome, and he usually ends up making Groo do all the work while taking all the credit for himself. Here, however, he's presented as vain and self-centered, and every attempt he makes to slay the dragon just makes him look like an idiot:

He tries to get help from Arba and Dakarba, asking them to make the dragon savage, but they mostly just laugh at him, make him look like even more of a fool, and force him to become romantically involved with Dakarba, the uglier of the two witches:

He eventually defeats the dragon (by accident), allowing for his reputation as a hero to be redeemed over time, but it's nice to see him get what he deserves for once. It ends up being a very satisfying issue, with the Minstrel providing a nice framing sequence that deflates the idea of heroism and legends. I really dig it.

Plus, there are some great moments, like this scene in which Groo tries to sell his dragon, resulting in one of those scenes of total chaos that Sergio does so well:

And I really like the title page, which has a nice poem by the Minstrel about why he tells the stories he does, in the middle of a great example of the amazing detail-packed scenes of people living their lives:

I love examining pages like that, discovering all the moments of domesticity that Sergio fits into his scenes and reveling in the way the world gets fleshed out so beautifully. The amount of work that goes into what could just be a shallow, silly barbarian comic continues to stagger me, even after I've read over 100 issues. I'll say it again: this series is something special, and each new issue reveals new depths. I'll be sad when I've got no more issues left to read.

Next: We're finally getting back to issue #101, "A New Land".

-----
This issue's stats:
Recurring characters: Minstrel, Arba and Dakarba, and Arcadio.
Moral: None.

Spanish words: The town of Lerolero is named after a sort of children's taunt, similar to "nyah nyah". Another town, Gafas, is named for the word for "glasses". Some books in Arba and Dakarba's lair bear the titles Brujas ("witches") and El Diablo ("the devil").
Hidden message(s): This jar says "this is not the hidden message":

The real hidden message comes later, with the writing on these books reading "This hidden message is to say farewell and thanks to Margaret Clark from Mark and Sergio":

Running jokes: In a callback to the old gags about Groo considering eating Rufferto, the dog gets jealous when he mistakes Groo's hungry look at a dragon with a look of love. People comment on the size of Arcadio's chin. Rufferto gets upset when Arcadio calls Groo his lackey. Somebody calls Groo a mendicant.
Mark Evanier's job(s): Reptile Choreographer
Letter column jokes: Joe Fonte says he has been reading Groo to his five-week-old son, and the child has yet to speak, so they will be hearing from his lawyer. Jim True complains that Mark has never printed any of his letters, so he's following his friend's ridiculous suggestion to place the letter in a paper pocket called an envelope, affix a sticky piece of paper in the corner, and deposit the letter in a blue box bolted to the sidewalk, even though he thinks the whole enterprise is rather silly. Mark responds by asking if his father read Groo to him when he was five weeks old. Joel Pierce writes a weird letter claiming he was captured by Iranian terrorists and forced to write a letter, but it was funny, and he doesn't think anything funny has ever appeared in Groo. In a P.S., he asks Mark to print the letter twice, so Mark does, although he says that he doesn't think it made it any funnier. Greg Bigoni contributes the issue's Grooism, in which a friend's little brother stuck a Reese's Pieces up his nose and had to wait for it to melt to get it out, which is something he thinks Groo would do. Mark replies that he doesn't think Groo would stick a Reese's Pieces up his nose, but he could probably fit a Whitman Sampler up there.
Miscellaneous: I like the newspaper headlines in this ad for the games Snake's Revenge and Super C:

The Neverending Fray index

One Piece Is Awesome, Example #46

2013-05-15T18:00:00.000-05:00

In One Piece, Eiichiro Oda is such a strong stylist, he puts his own stamp on the standards of manga cartooning. I don't know if it was at all intentional, but I thought this scene from volume 48, in which Luffy is fighting the shadow-controlling Gecko Moria, was neat, since it looks like he's battling a swarm of Kirby dots:

I have no idea of Oda knows who Jack Kirby is, but it's a neat juxtaposition of artistic styles, even if it's an accident. That's two great tastes that taste great together.

The Neverending Fray: Groo vs. breakables

2013-05-14T18:00:00.000-05:00

Groo the Wanderer #40
By Sergio Aragones, Mark Evanier, Stan Sakai (lettering), and Tom Luth (coloring)
Published by Epic Comics, 1988

Going back to older issues that I had previously missed can make for a slightly jarring experience, since the tone of the series has shifted subtly over the dozens of issues that took place in the interim. Or maybe this is just a so-so issue, featuring a few laughs, but nothing especially memorable, aside from a demonstration of Groo's single-mindedness when he sets out to achieve a certain goal. That's the story here, with our favorite mendicant looking for a job, but souring relations with a potential employers when he accidentally breaks a glass carafe. He pledges to replace the carafe, and sets out to find a new one, in a quest that ends up taking months, as he searches far and wide for the object, succeeding in obtaining several of them, but always managing to break them before he can get them back to his goal. And when he finally succeeds, it turns out to have been a pointless quest, since the original job would have been at, wait for it, a glass-blowing factory. Hey-o!

It's not a terrible premise or anything, but it gets a bit monotonous, with Groo repeatedly finding carafes and then immediately breaking them. There's one bit in which his stupidity gets kind of frustrating (yet still amusing), when he storms the castle of a king who owns a carafe, and he gets offered a bunch of gold, which would have precluded his need to get the job he's working toward, but he ignores it in favor of the object of his obsession. There are other decent gags here and there, but nothing hysterical enough to make this issue a classic.

I did like this scene of Groo searching far and wide for his carafe:

And this moment, in which Groo pointlessly demonstrates his prowess with his swords, was amusing, if a bit more show-offy than the character usually is:

There's always something to enjoy, but having read so many of these stories, I'm starting to feel like I need them to be really good to stand out. I hope I'm not burning out on the series, but I expect I'll quickly be laughing along with the next story I read, any rough spots immediately forgotten.

Next: Another issue which I had previously missed, #68, "The Hero of Lerolero",

-----
This issue's stats:
Recurring characters: None in the story, but the Groo Crew is featured in the Groo-Grams banner:

Moral: "A little work with your brain can save you a lot of work with your body."

Spanish words: None.
Hidden message(s): There's one in the flowery decorations surrounding the story's title:

And another one on the papers in this panel:

Running jokes: Groo errs. He also manages to sink a boat without even boarding it, and he does some mulching.
Mark Evanier's job(s): Factotum
Letter column jokes: Kuasa Ali hypnotizes Mark and commands him to shave off half of Sergio's moustache, which gives Mark a joke for the rest of the column, interrupting his answers to the rest of the letters to laugh about how ridiculous Sergio looks. This precludes most of the rest of the jokes for the column, although Chris Blunt has a good gag when he asks if when Groo sent Sage to the top of the world, that made him the Ice Sage. Puns!

The Neverending Fray index

One Piece Is (Mostly) Awesome, Example #45

2013-05-13T18:00:00.000-05:00

The Thriller Bark storyline of Eiichiro Oda's One Piece seems to be a chance to throw in all sorts of spooky stuff, like zombies, ghosts, bats, and haunted houses. Oda has a lot of fun with it, coming up with all sorts of crazy character designs consisting of different types of people and animals stitched together in Frankensteinian manner. But he's not going for straight-up horror; he'd rather make funny jokes, like this moment from volume 46 when a zombie comes up out of the ground to attack Luffy:

Or Luffy's reaction to another apparently undead fellow:

There are some horrific elements to the story, with members of the crew having their shadows (i.e. souls) stolen and used to reanimate zombies, but everything is mostly just played for laughs or the usual type of obstacle to be defeated. There was one legitimately disturbing scene though, but whether it was included as a common horror-movie trope or as the sort of thing that happens in a shonen manga, it's one of the few cases so far for which I've got to give demerits to the series. In the scene in question, Nami is taking a bath when an invisible enemy enters and assaults her:

That's just not cool; there's no need for what is basically a rape threat in a kids' manga, and it's especially annoying that it reduces a strong, capable character like Nami to a damsel in distress for much of the rest of the storyline. I guess the series can't be absolutely perfect, but seeing Oda stoop to something like this is a real disappointment. Luckily, he doesn't go very far with the assault itself, and while Nami gets stuck as an unconscious, unwilling bride for too long, once she wakes up, she gets to join the action and take her place as an essential member of the crew. As long as Oda can respect his characters, he'll have me cheering for him, so hopefully this is the last time I'll have reason to complain.

One Piece Is Awesome, Example #44

2013-05-12T12:00:00.000-05:00

I love the myriad crazy characters that show up in Eiichiro Oda's One Piece, from the strange villains to the eccentrics that the crew helps out (or vice versa) along their journeys, but there are occasional people that I fall right in love with, for whatever reason. The last one was Mr. 2 Bon Clay, but my new favorite, Brook the living skeleton, shows up in volume 46. He's just so silly, a source of constant puns about bones (mostly clean ones, surprisingly), and an enthusiastic, friendly fellow that has been drifting all alone on a ghost ship for so long that he has trouble figuring out how to relate to people appropriately. Here's his introductory scene:

Luffy immediately invites him to join the crew, of course, because he's funny and weird. Maybe that's a reason that I enjoy this series so much; it's welcoming of strangeness and willing to have a laugh even in the midst of high drama. I'm happy to say that Brook does indeed join the crew following the Thriller Bark storyline, so I should be enjoying his company for some time to come.

C2E2 2013: Some comics which were acquired

2013-05-11T15:00:00.000-05:00

Manta Dad #1
By Chad Sell
Self-published

Chad Sell's Manta-Man webcomic is a fun goof on superheroes, starring a guy with the semi-useless power of being able to turn into a flying manta ray, and following his adventures as he gets involved with ninjas, monsters, homophobic closet-case rivals, and his supervillain girlfriend who constantly picks fights with him as a form of foreplay. It seems like a fun lark for Sell, allowing him to throw whatever crazy ideas he has onto the page/screen, but as the series has progressed, he has built up an interesting world full of crazy concepts and well-drawn relationships between the characters. And now, with the spinoff/flashback series Manta Dad, he's developing things further, going back to detail the early years of Manta-Man, as he accompanies his Freddie Mercury-like oceanographer father on a sea voyage that involves as much, er, canoodling with his beefcakey documentary crew as it does actual filming of weird sea life. When the kid's shapeshifting abilities are revealed to his father, the two of them end up bonding in a surprisingly touching manner, although the time Manta Dad spends with his son ends up causing some jealousy issues with the rest of the crew, setting the stage for more conflict in future issues. The extra space that a full issue provides (as opposed to the one-strip-at-a-time pace of a webcomic) lets Sell play out the story at a nice pace, resulting in a wonderful slice of nicely-illustrated character work that also includes plenty of snappy dialogue and cool creatures like shadow sharks and robo-whales. Sell is a fairly new talent on the comics scene, but this comic demonstrates that he's improving his skill at an impressive pace, and I'm excited to watch and see as he continues to create quality work.
-----

Solution Squad #1
Written by Jim McClain
Art by Rose McClain
Self-published

It seems mean to complain about a well-meaning comic like this, which stars a team of superheroes who fight crime using math-based powers with the intent of educating the (presumably youthful) reader, but it's just so darn square. The characters and their designs are incredibly generic, the plot is a goofy bit of fluff involving a villain robbing a museum and capturing the heroes in an easily-escapable death trap, and the story is structured in the least imaginative way possible, with an especially hokey introduction to all the characters via a two-page spread that consists of images of each person surrounded by lengthy captions that explain everyone's names, powers, and relationships (a scene which seems especially superfluous given the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe-style profile pages in the back of the issue that provide every possible detail you would ever need to know about each character). That said, it's hard to fault the comic too much, because whatever its shortcomings, it's really sincere, seeming to meet its goal of providing a reasonably entertaining story that educates about simple mathematical concepts (this issue's being the prime number sieve). The art is clean and crisp, and while the characters are generic, there's still an effort made to create a racially-diverse team made up of people that are more than just names and basic traits (the time-traveling "cool guy" from 1984 is a nice touch, providing catch-phrases and attitude but having a reason for seeming kind of dorky). It's probably not going to set the world on fire, but as a cute educational concept, it might be something that kids could be interested in. That's something, right?
-----

Bird Witch #1
By Kat Leyh
Published by Yeti Press

Well this is just charming. It's an all-ages comic about a young girl witch who, while exploring an enchanted forest, makes friends with a tengu, and the two of them cavort around the woods, racing and exploring and showing off their respective magical powers. Kat Leyh's art is gorgeous, consisting of deceptively simple linework and lush colors that really make the setting come to life. As a first chapter, it's wonderful, an enthralling chance to get to know some cute characters as they begin their friendship, with some ominous hints about the magical dangers they might face providing the impetus to seek out future chapters. It's a lovely little book, enough to make Leyh a talent to watch closely. I'll be sure to pick up the other available issues in the series the first chance I get.
-----

Cat-LE Drivers #1 (Free Edition)
By Kevin D. Bandt
Self-published

Whether you're perusing the selection in a comics convention Artist Alley or clicking randomly through some of the thousands of webcomics, you're bound to come across something like this, a comic that's trying to be offensive and edgy, but isn't really all that different from its peers. Kevin D. Bandt's big inspiration for grossing people out here is to center his comic around the idea of eating cat meat (although it's tempered by said meat coming from genetically-modified felines in a future where beef is scarce), which is probably supposed to be horrifying, but it's just about the only unique aspect of his post-apocalyptic story, and everything that surrounds it is highly generic, from people having to cross a wasteland ruled by bandits and vampires, to "badass" heroes with an attitude, to gross villains who swear a lot (using bleeped-out symbols, of course) and sexually harass treat female underlings. The story itself is put together kind of amateurishly as well, beginning with a caption reading "Yesterday" without ever specifying when "today" is supposed to take place, and having characters state their motivation outright (a character suddenly announcing that she used to have a drub problem is especially egregious). Even the title itself is a tortured bit of wordplay, the term "Cat-LE" meant to be pronounced like "cattle" with the "LE" standing for "Luxury Edition". The black-and-white art in the free version of the comic is a bit muddy, but the color pages which can be seen online do look much better, and while the artwork is nothing special, there are occasional panels with some pretty good character art and expressions. Bandt does seem passionate about what he's doing, including an editorial about how the documentary PressPausePlay inspired him to put out a free version of the comic in order to get his ideas out to people, so it's commendable that he's trying to be creative, but he's got a ways to go before he can rise above the massive cluster of mediocrity that is all to easy to get lost in. Here's hoping he doesn't quit before he gets there.
-----

The VIP Room
Written by Amy Chu
Art by Silvio DB and Cabbral
Published by Alpha Girl Comics

This is an interesting little story about three seemingly-unrelated characters who suddenly appear in a dining room, unsure how they got there or what they are supposed to do next. Is this some version of the afterlife? What is their connection, and is there any way to escape? As they converse, they slowly learn enough details about each other to figure out at least a little bit about what is going on, eventually leading to a Twilight Zone-ish reveal that makes for a fairly satisfying ending. It's kind of slight, but it's a neat little riff on the sort of mysterious, possibly supernatural morality tale that that show made famous, and the moody artwork gives it some nice atmosphere. I could do without the one-page epilogue that goes over the top with the premise, almost turning it into a bit of wish-fulfillment comeuppance highly recognizable villain, but overall, it's not a bad little comic.

One Piece Is Awesome, Example #43

2013-05-11T12:00:00.000-05:00

While there's a lot to love about Eiichiro Oda's One Piece, it's still a kid's comic, which means that some of the humor that gets included is of the juvenile sort. Fart jokes and comments about female characters' breasts or panties occasionally make their way into the comic, but one thing I never expected to see appeared in volume 45, when Luffy tries to recruit the speedo-wearing cyborg Franky to his crew, and the method of convincing him to join involves copious male nudity:

A pantsless chase across the town of Water Seven ensues (as does some testicular trauma when he needs some more enticement), with his attempt to make a principled stand being a moment that made me laugh out loud:

The combination of the crashing waves and sun shining through his legs with the crowd's horrified-beyond-belief reaction hits me right in the funny bone. Oda might include the expected types of gags in his series, but he puts his own spin on them, turning them into the kind of thing you won't find anywhere else.

One Piece Is Awesome, Example #42

2013-05-09T18:00:00.000-05:00

At the end of the big Enies Lobby battle in volume 44 of Eiichiro Oda's One Piece, Luffy has defeated the evil Rob Lucci and the crew has rescued Nico Robin, but it seems like they're not going to make it, since they're surrounded by hundreds of soldiers and a half dozen Navy ships, with their only means of escape having been destroyed. It looks like all is lost, but last-second saves are the stuff of adventure narratives, and that's exactly what happens, although it's from probably the least expected source possible:

That's right, the crew's ship, the Merry Go, last seen destroyed and left on a pile of rubble in Water Seven, has managed to sail itself to Enies Lobby just in time to rescue the crew. We had previously seen that the ship was so well-loved that it took on a corporeal form in order to help out its friends, but this is something else entirely. What floors me is that it isn't completely ridiculous and laughable. How on earth does Oda pull this off, making the inanimate ship come to life in time to rescue its beloved crew a powerful, emotional moment rather than something dumb and contrived? He did lay the groundwork by establishing the Straw Hats' deep love for the Merry Go and through Usopp's conviction that he saw the ship's spirit, but there's something about the pure sincerity of the ridiculousness that Oda portrays that makes the scene a tear-jerking triumph of the power of friendship. And that's what makes what follows so devastating; we knew the Merry Go was damaged beyond repair and not long for the world, so when it finally breaks down and the crew decides to set it ablaze rather than leave it to sink to the ocean's lonely bottom, we get one of the most emotionally devastating scenes the series has seen yet:

Again, this should be idiotic. The crew weeping hysterically at a boat as it tells them that it was happy? As a simple description, that sounds stupid, but Oda gives it such emotional power that the read can't help but be carried along, and it ends up being an incredibly moving scene, one that I'm not ashamed to admit brought tears to my eyes when I read it. This Oda guy is a mystery to me, how he can wring such power out of such over-the-top craziness, but he does it time and again. I don't know if I'll be able to take whatever's coming next...

One Piece Is Awesome, Example #41

2013-05-08T18:00:00.000-05:00

In One Piece, Eiichiro Oda goes for the slow burn, with storylines building and building and playing out over volume after volume until they explode in an amazingly satisfying climax; it's a pretty amazing spectacle to witness. The Water Seven/Enies Lobby arc is the longest story yet, stretching over fourteen or so volumes, and while it did seem to drag at times (the obligatory one-on-one battles between members of the Straw Hats and CP9 seemed to slow things down for a volume or two), the big finish in volume 44 is something to see, bringing everything to a close in spectacular fashion, with the Straw Hats facing off against a massive threat while Luffy struggles against his toughest opponent ever, Rob Lucci. Oda throws in excellent character moments for pretty much everybody, but my favorite might be a scene in which Luffy seems to be beaten, but he gains the strength to keep fighting from Usopp, who drops his Sniper King persona in order to encourage his friend:

Being a shonen manga, the big fights usually come down to determination and strength, with the power of friendship often providing the motivation to win, but this is such a moving example, with Usopp overcoming his shame at having quit the crew in order to convince his friend to keep fighting. It's just one powerful moment among so many, but since it hits on the series' theme of friendship, it's the one that sticks with me the most. Wow.

One Piece Is Awesome, Example #40

2013-05-06T18:00:00.000-05:00

With as much cool action as Eiichiro Oda packs into One Piece, he still manages to surprise regularly, not just with new ideas and powers, but also the artistic depictions thereof. This panel, from volume 44, was one that I thought was especially cool, showing the villainous Rob Lucci using his ability to push off the air molecules and move in a zigzag pattern when attacking:

That's just such a dynamic depiction of movement that it pops right off the page. And while it's not quite as much of a departure from the usual style, I also like Luffy's retaliatory strike, in which he comes up with a new power that sees him inflate his fist to gigantic proportions and punch his opponent right out of the building:

I love the crazy stuff that Oda comes up with seemingly every dozen pages or so in this series. You never know what to expect, and it's rarely less than completely awesome. More, please.

One Piece Is Awesome, Example #39

2013-05-05T12:00:00.000-05:00

Throughout the Water Seven arc of Eiichiro Oda's One Piece, Usopp has been having a sort of crisis of confidence, due to having been beaten mercilessly by the Franky Family, which led to him challenging Luffy to a fight over the fate of the Merry Go. He even went so far as to quit the crew, but when he was put into a position where his help was needed, he donned a mask and took on the identity of Sniper King, pretending to be a stronger, braver, and more confident person than he felt like he actually was. But, like everyone on the crew, he has his strengths and talents, and when it comes time for him to step up and save the day, he does so as thrillingly as anyone, as can be seen in this sequence from volume 43, in which the evil, power-hungry Spandam is about to drag Robin away, only to feel the brunt of a sudden, unexpected barrage:

Oda fills this series with moments like this, last-second saves or triumphs where a character steps up and delivers when it counts, but he somehow keeps it from ever feeling contrived. It would be something to marvel at, if I wasn't so busy cheering in excitement along with the characters.

One Piece Is Awesome, Example #38

2013-05-04T12:00:00.000-05:00

In One Piece, Eiichiro Oda somehow keeps flexing his imaginative muscles and coming up with crazy powers for the various characters who wander into the purview of the Straw Hat Pirates, and this often presents the opportunity to portray a classic manga reaction panel, in which something wacky is happening and a character's face can be seen to the side of the panel, often freaking out at the ridiculousness of what they are seeing. Here's an example from volume 42, in which Nami is fighting Kalifa, who has the power to create soap bubbles so relaxing that they render her victims incapacitated and unable to move:

Or this moment from volume 43, where Zolo is fighting the square-nosed Kaku, who can turn himself into a giant giraffe:

Those are both kind of hilariously dumb, but the context behind this is that both Kalifa and Kaku recently ate the Devil Fruits that gave them their powers, so they're still figuring out the extent of what they can do, and some of the moves they are workshopping end up being pretty goofy. This keeps from making their threat seem oversold, since they had been sold as rather dangerous, part of an elite group of secret assassins. They're still tough, they've just got plenty of new ways to kill you, and if some of those seem funny, well, at least you'll die laughing.

C2E2 2013: Groo and other sketchy subjects

2013-05-03T12:00:00.000-05:00

At any convention I attend, I'm always excited to get some contributions to my Groo sketchbook, and here's what I obtained this year:

Jeff Zwirek drew this nice image of Groo and Rufferto thinking of food; I especially love the body language.

Boulet contributed this detailed image. He wasn't actually familiar with the character or Sergio Aragones; he said the only MAD cartoonist with much of a reputation in France is Harvey Kurtzman. Since the person in front of me had him draw Thor, he said this was his barbarian day. It was a real treat to watch him draw; the way he drew straight to ink was incredible, as if the details were flowing straight out of his imagination and through the pen.

Jason Copland, the artist of Kill All Monsters, drew a more realistic take on the character, although he didn't seem satisfied when he was done, so his partner Michael May later tweeted to show some more sketches he did that he thought turned out better (I'm happy with my version, of course; it's got a nice grittiness to it).

Amy Reeder did this nifty cartoony take on Groo; I especially like the expressive eyebrows.

And K. Lynne, the artist of the webcomic Plume, drew this nice penciled image of the character.

But that's not all of the drawings which I brought home. My daughter also asked several artists to draw her favorite subject: princesses. Here are the results:

Chris Samnee whipped out this Sharpie sketch of a cute, friendly young royal.

Jill Thompson drew Princess Delirium, although she's just a mermaid princess as far as Magnolia is concerned.

Maggie switched things up a bit with Geof Darrow, asking him to draw a doggie for her little sister.

Amy Reeder was happy to draw a princess for Maggie, since they are a favorite subject of hers as well.

Amy Mebberson went to the Disney well with this depiction of Maggie's favorite princess, Cinderella.

Denver Brubaker did a nice, simple sketch of Sleeping Beauty.

Sean Dove drew a really cute Belle.

And Jeremy Bastian finished things off with a nicely detailed little lady.

The one other sketch I ended up with was one I didn't even ask for; Geof Darrow scrawled it self-deprecatingly on the back of the posters for his series Shaolin Cowboy that were being given away at the Dark Horse Booth:

All in all, a pretty nice sampling of good artwork from talented creators. My world has been enriched.

C2E2 2013: Through the eyes of a five-year-old

2013-05-02T20:01:00.000-05:00

It's the duty of any nerdy/geeky person to do their best to impart their passions to their offspring, so since Sunday is kids' day at C2E2, I brought along my five-year-old daughter Magnolia, and we had a great time. There was plenty to do for all ages, and whether we were participating in specifically kid-focused activities or taking in comics-related sights that we could both enjoy, we had a great time.

First up was Ben's Bubble Show, a fun display of soapy virtuosity from a professional entertainer who found all manner of neat stuff to do with his medium of choice, blowing bubbles of all different sizes with various implements (but mostly his own hands), creating cool chains and structures of bubbles, and even bringing kids up on stage to envelop them in huge soapy spheres. It was tons of fun to watch, and even though Maggie isn't the type of kid to join the throng of kids near the edge of the stage and leap around frantically, trying to pop any bubbles that floated over their heads, she loved watching the ones who did.

The kids' costume parade was scheduled to appear onstage after the bubble show, but we decided to move on to see what else could be found, so we headed over to Artist's Alley. Maggie was interested in getting people to draw her some pictures, and she wasn't disappointed; several artists drew her subject of choice: princesses. She got some wonderful drawings from Chris Samnee, Jill Thompson, Amy Reeder, Amy Mebberson, Jeremy Bastian, Denver Brubaker, and Sean Dove, and she even asked Geof Darrow to draw a doggie for her little sister. Everyone was incredibly friendly and happy to contribute to her growing appreciation for the art form; nobody wants to disappoint a cute little girl. We also picked up a few children's books, which she found even more engrossing than the artists themselves:

We did catch the end of the costume parade, and we both loved seeing all the cute outfits the kids sported, ranging from toddlers dressed as Wonder Woman to fantastic homemade robots, Transformers, and Martians:

We also stopped by the game room, which contained a huge library of tabletop games that people could check out and play, and we ended up spending a great deal of time playing the physical Angry Birds game, in which one player sets up structures and the other launches bird figures with a catapult to try to knock them down. It was a lot of fun, just one example of the many activities to participate in:

At the end of the day, we took the train home, and it was obvious that my goal of creating a lifelong comics fan has proceeded as planned:

C2E2 is a great convention, whether you're there to find comics or merchandise to buy, meet creators, attend panels, or meet up with like-minded fans, and now I've found that it's a great opportunity to share your passions with your family members. I can't wait to do it again next year. It looks like we'll have material to tide us over until then:

One Piece Is Awesome, Example #37

2013-05-02T18:00:00.000-05:00

The tragic origins of characters in Eiichiro Oda's One Piece are a regular source of genuinely moving emotion, and the flashback detailing Nico Robin's backstory in volume 41 might be the harshest one yet. We had previously learned that her entire island had been destroyed by the world government when she was a child, and while she was the only survivor, she had been branded a criminal, spending the intervening twenty years on the run. The imagination can fills in the expected details, but Oda manages to make it play out for maximum emotional impact through the addition of Robin's mother Olvia, an archaeologist who had left her daughter in the care of an aunt in order to travel the world doing illegal research into the mysteries of the past (this also ties in to the series' ongoing subplots about political and military power, as we learn a little bit about the "100 year void" of missing history, which seems to point to the current world government's annihilation of the previous ruling power and suppression of any information about what they did to gain the stronghold they currently have on the world stage, but that's a subject which will hopefully be explored further in future volumes). Robin's mother returns to the island of Ohara just in time for the Navy to initiate a Buster Call, in which a fleet of warships bombards it into dust for the crimes of studying forbidden archaeological knowledge. Thinking she is protecting Robin, she refuses to admit that she's her mother, giving us an incredibly devastating moment:

It's the worst thing Olvia could have done, and it's enough to wrench one's heart right out. Oda isn't completely heartless though; with the revelation that Robin does have enough archaeological knowledge to make her a target, she is able to have a reunion with her daughter, albeit a short-lived one, but she has resigned herself to her fate along with the rest of Ohara. However, she tells Robin to live, to keep striving for knowledge that can improve the future of the world. Robin does escape, but her home and everyone she has ever known is killed, and as we see in a montage of the subsequent years, she has lived her entire life since then on the run, never able to trust anyone and feeling like the whole world wants her dead for the crime of simply existing. By the time of the present story, it's understandable why she would have finally resigned herself to death, if only as a way to ensure the safety of the Straw Hat Pirates, the only people who have ever accepted her or shown her any kindness. So when Luffy and the rest of the crew realize this, the sign of solidarity they show is one of the most powerful, moving moments the series has yet seen:

Oda had been building to this moment for several volumes by this point, with Robin having apparently betrayed the crew, then seeming to inexplicably choose to die in hopes that they would escape safely, but we know Luffy and crew aren't the type to run away. Instead, they take the awe-inspiring step of taking on the entire force of the world government in order to save a friend, and it's enough to make the reader wipe the tears out of their eyes, stand up, and cheer. That's what shonen manga should be all about, and Oda delivers on that promise like nothing else I've ever seen.

Art What I Like: One Piece Is Awesome, Example #36

2013-05-01T18:00:00.000-05:00

As much stirring emotion and awesome action as Eiichiro Oda packs into One Piece, it's still a shonen manga, with a target audience of adolescent boys, which means gross-out jokes make their way into the comic from time to time. However, Oda puts his own weird spin on them, turning them into crazy fighting styles and making them kind of awesome in their own right. Take the introduction of this character from volume 39, a cook who blocks our heroes' progress on the sea train they're fighting their way through:

Yes, that's gross, but it's also hilarious, and it's only the beginning of his disgusting abilities:

By the time he's making a suit of armor composed of ramen, he's just another wacky goofball among all the others that populate this crazy ocean. I love how Oda takes so many concepts and incorporates them into his skewed take on high-seas adventure, and this is just the latest example. I'm sure there will be many, many more to come.

C2E2 2013: This year, it all comes together

2013-04-30T22:05:00.000-05:00

This past weekend, I attended the Chicago Comics and Entertainment Expo, and while it looks like it's going to take the better part of a week to recover, any suffering was completely worth it, given the wealth of comics-related experiences that were had over the weekend. As ever, there was more to do and see than was humanly possible, including seeing what comics creators and publishers had to offer; discovering new talents and products; shopping for comics, toys, clothes, art, and most anything else you could think of; attending panel discussions on a variety of subjects; gawking at the eccentrically-attired (the most popular costumes this year seemed to be related to Adventure Time and Doctor Who, and I also spotted a large number of women clad in dresses patterned after Star Wars' R2D2 and Who's TARDIS), playing games of the board or video variety; or just wandering around in awe of everything that was happening. It could have lasted for several more days without exhausting all the possibilities.

Now in its fourth year, C2E2 seems to have settled into a groove, with the organizers having figured out what type of show they want to put on, with an emphasis on comics but the inclusion of nerdery from all across the pop-culture spectrum. The show floor was organized especially well this year, with prominent booths from major publishers and other entertainment companies accessible right inside the entrance, then various retailers grouped together in an intuitive manner (sellers with long-boxes full of comics and graphic novels or tables full of original art were in one section, while purveyors of toys, shirts, and other tchotchkes were in another) and sections like Artist Alley or the autograph tables not shoved too far off to the side. It didn't feel like you had to walk great distances to get from one area to another, but it wasn't overly crowded or prone to bottlenecks either, and everything had an appealing, welcoming feel. For this size of a convention, it definitely seemed like the ideal setup.

There were a couple new sub-sections of the show floor, including "The Block", which featured "lifestyle brands whose products include fashion, collectible designer toys, art and illustration, independent magazine publications, animation, tech, entertainment, and more!" In practice, this made for a more artsy version of the types of Artist Alley booths that sell flashy prints, and also a lot of t-shirts, expensive toys, and stuffed animals. Aside from the Nerd City booth, which featured artists Dave Crosland and Jim Mahfood, this wasn't really my scene, but it was interesting to see a portion of the show floor dedicated to merchandise that wasn't necessarily related to the typical nerd/geek/superhero subject matter.

More interesting, at least to me, was a section of booths dedicated to video games of the "indie" variety. Games made by small teams of developers have been a thriving scene in recent years, so making room to spotlight the endeavors of these talented creators is a great addition to the show. One definite highlight was the fighting game spoof Dive Kick, which pares the often complex mechanics of the genre down to two buttons ("dive" and "kick", of course), involves a bunch of imaginatively cartoony characters, and ends up being a highly enjoyable game to play. There were plenty of other nice-looking games on display, ranging from polished Ipad games like Le Vamp; to labors of love like Organ Trail, Delve Deeper, and Ray's the Dead; to interesting tech demos like Planet's Core. These aren't comics, but as another example of creativity and innovation, they definitely have a place in a show like this.

One definite highlight was meeting the French artist Boulet, who was only at the convention for a couple hours, signing and sketching in the autograph area of the show. He had copies of his 24 hour comic Noirness for sale, and he was happy to chat with everyone who was waiting in line. Watching him draw was a real treat; he didn't do any pencil pre-sketching, but inked directly onto the page, making for a virtuosic display of talent as the images took form. He seemed fascinated by the convention atmosphere, but not in a snooty French way; he was genuinely interested in the other celebrities who were appearing nearby, like an actor who played one of the Power Rangers, or Peter Davison, the Fifth Doctor. He even recognized the performance of the musical episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer that was taking place on a nearby stage. Getting to meet him was a real treat, and I hope C2E2 continues to invite foreign cartoonists in future years, whether from France, Japan, or elsewhere.

As someone who likes my comics conventions to be about comics, I usually avoid celebrity appearances, but I love Patton Oswalt, the comedian, actor, and all-around nerd extraordinaire, so I was excited to attend the Q&A that he did in the convention's huge theater. He fit in well with the show's atmosphere, since he is renowned for his geeky enthusiasm, and he held forth on any number of subjects, from his much-watched scene on a recent episode of Parks and Recreation in which he played a character who filibustered a city council meeting with a description of what he thought the plot of the next Star Wars movie should be (amusingly, while he was parodying the type of pedantic nerd who obsesses over details of comics and sci-fi franchises, he still received a lot of comments correcting the details he got wrong or complaining that he said that Hawkeye wasn't a top-tier member of the Avengers), to his actual hopes that J.J. Abrams will deliver a quality Star Wars sequel. The room was packed with hundreds of people, and Oswalt had them eating out of his hand, demonstrating his shared enthusiasm toward their tastes, mocking the extreme passions that we all have toward the silly things we love, and just generally being hilarious. He was generous and warm with questions from the audience, and he occasionally stopped in mid-sentence to read tweets from fellow comedian Brian Posehn, who was in the audience sending him insulting comments like "This Kenny Baker panel sucks" and "If they add a foot, you can play Puck from Alpha Flight". I especially liked the words of encouragement which he gave the multiple people who asked for advice on how to break into stand-up comedy, acting, or filmmaking; his repeated words of wisdom were to keep doing what they want to do until they get good at it, and eventually success will come. It's inspiring to see someone who is so fiercely intelligent and funny do what he can to encourage those who share his interests. If I'm going to get star-struck by a famous personality, Oswalt is my celebrity of choice.

Of the various panels I attended, I was surprised that my favorite one was "The Chew Panel", a simple hour of chat between John Layman and Rob Guillory, creators of the Image Comics series about a government agent who gets psychic impressions from the food he eats and has adventures in a crazy world in which a bird flu epidemic has made chicken illegal, the FDA and USDA are the most powerful governmental bodies, aliens are meddling with humanity's food supply, and people with other bizarre food-based powers are causing all sorts of problems. It's a highly enjoyable series with a lot of personality, and seeing the creators talk about how it came to be and their methods of working together was not only an enlightening look behind the scenes, but also an inspiring example of a labor of love finding the success it deserves. Layman jumped right into the panel by answering the question that was sure to be asked, revealing that the rumored live action TV adaptation of the series was dead. Showtime had bought the rights to the series (although Layman repeatedly mentioned that he and Guillory never saw any actual money), thinking that it would make a good companion piece to Dexter, but the premise was altered so much by the development process, with the bird flu angle being scrapped, new characters being inserted, and lots of sex being added, that it was nearly unrecognizable. A pilot was shot, but it will probably never see the light of day, and Showtime is no longer interested in doing the series. Layman and Guillory always felt that one of the basic gags of the series, that of the main character being forced to eat disgusting things, just might not work in live action the way it does on paper, coming off as gross and unsettling rather than funny. That said, they are currently working on producing an animated adaptation that they feel would work much better.

But as interesting as an adaptation of the series might be, the comic is quite enjoyable and successful in its original incarnation, and Layman and Guillory related the story of how it came to be. It was an idea that Layman had been wanted to do for years, but it was so weird and kind of gross that he didn't think there was any way it could be successful. After years of trying to find somebody to publish it, he convinced Image to put it out, provided he could find an artist. He ended up being connected with Guillory through a mutual friend, but even then the partnership almost didn't work out due to the latter initially attempting a Vertigo style of artwork, which was darker and less funny than what Layman had in mind. Layman encouraged Guillory to draw in his own preferred style, which ended up being perfect, but even when the series finally came out, neither of them expected it to be successful. They thought that they might be able to do a single arc of five or six issues before getting cancelled, and then maybe get a chance to revive the series later on, but they were an unexpected success, which has allowed them to really do everything they wanted, building the story across more than thirty issues to date, and heading toward a planned conclusion in issue #60. It was fascinating to see how well the two creators seemed to click, with Layman quickly gaining such confidence in Guillory's work that he has become a true collaborator on the series, contributing his own ideas for characters and jokes and adding a huge number of gags and easter eggs in the background of the artwork. They're obviously very passionate about what they do, and they're having such a blast telling the stories they want to tell that one can't help but be inspired.

And, as at any convention, there was much, much more to do and see. One could wander Artist Alley for the entire show, discovering amazing artwork and comics and seeing things like, to name just one example among hundreds, Jill Thompson painting a beautiful picture of Morpheus:

You could wander through the retailer section and stumble across the most impressive collection of original comics art I've ever seen, featuring work from the likes of Jack Kirby, Chris Ware, R. Crumb, Alex Toth, Jim Woodring, Los Bros Hernandez, Johnny Ryan, Daniel Clowes, Seth, Tony Millionaire, Richard Sala, and many other great artists:

You could stumble across a full-scale replica of Speed Racer's car, the Mach 5:

Or see people dressed as Godzilla:

Or the house from Up:

You could find people who were coming up with interesting new ideas around comics and technology, like the graphic novel Anomaly, which was wowing people with an "augmented reality" app that allows one to point their Iphone or Ipad at its pages and see figures appear to jump out of the pages:

You could even see somebody dressed as Pikachu drawing an apparent self-portrait on a giant touch screen, as a promotion for something called Twistory:

There's no end of stuff to do, sights to see, and people to interact with at C2E2. I can't wait until I get to experience it all again next year.

C2E2 2013: This year's swag is overwhelming

2013-04-29T23:08:00.003-05:00

I typically come home with a lot of stuff from each convention I attend, whether it's free giveaways, promotional posters or postcards, business cards, or comics that I purchase, but this year's C2E2 seemed to supply even more than I usually end up with. Just check out this haul:

Here's what all of that is:

Back row:
A poster for the graphic novel Anomaly.
A nice pair of Men in Black sunglasses.
A poster for Geof Darrow's Shaolin Cowboy and/or Dark Horse Presents.
A poster for The Losers, using art from the comics series but promoting the movie adaptation.
A poster for the 25th anniversary of Dark Horse manga.
A Hellboy in Hell poster.
A poster for Ryan Browne's God Hates Astronauts, with art by Paolo Rivera. Technically, this was one of the Kickstarter rewards for the book, but I picked it up from him at the convention, so it counts.

Second row:
An issue of Hero Complex magazine.
Giveaway comics from Marvel, Dark Horse, and Archaia.
A preview ashcan comic for Jeffrey Moy's Video Game Gals, promoting a Kickstarter campaign that apparently wasn't successful.
A Dick Tracy head sketch by Jim Brozman, who worked as Dick Locher's assistant when he was drawing the strip, and who also used to work at my local comic book store.
A print for Steve Horton and Michael Dialynas' Amala's Blade.
A print for the graphic novel The Fifth Beatle, by Vivek J. Tiwary, Andrew C. Robinson, and Kyle Baker.
A couple of cute Marvel prints by Skottie Young.
A "bookplate" for God Hates Astronauts, with art by Joe Quinones and Maris Wicks.
Cat Le Drivers #1, by Kevin D. Bandt.
Solution Squad #1, by Jim and Rose McClain.

Third Row:
Burning Building Comix, by Jeff Zwirek.
Wolves of Odin, by Grant Gould.
Halloween Eve, by Brandon Montclare and Amy Reeder.
Hector Plasm: Totentanz, by Benito Cereno and Nate Bellegarde.
Noirness, by Boulet.
Very Near Mint, Volume One, by Justin Peterson.
Auto Correct, a minicomic by Andrew J. Rostan and Biz Knapp, published by Yeti Press.
A print for Husbands, the internet TV series and comic by Brad Bell and Jane Espenson.
An "Itty Bitty Hellboy" print by Art Baltazar and Franco.
Bird Witch, Chapter 1, by Kat Leyh, published by Yeti Press.
Manta Dad, a spinoff of the webcomic Manta Man, by Chad Sell.
Kill All Monsters, Volume 1, by Michael May and Jason Copland.

Bottom row:
Aw Yeah Comics! #1-2, by Art Baltazar and Franco.
The Curse, by Mike Norton.
Green and Bear It, a Muppets children's book by Martha T. Ottersley and Amy Mebberson.
A lanyard promoting Archaia's Hawken.
A Hellboy papercraft model featuring art by Art Baltazar and Franco.
Gertrude the Great, a children's book by Trisa Laughlin and Jill Thompson.
A lanyard promoting Dark Horse manga.
A Star Wars origami kit.
Artist Alley Comics.
A Visit to the Museum of Chinese in America and The VIP Room, both written by Amy Chu, along with a Girls Night Out paper doll.

I think that's everything in the photo, but I've also got a ton of other stuff to sort through and write about, so stay tuned for more blatherings about the stuff I saw and thought worthy of mention!

Art What I Like: One Piece Is Awesome, Example #35

2013-04-29T18:00:00.000-05:00

In One Piece, Eiichiro Oda seems to always be walking a tightrope, somehow maintaining a balance between awesome action, silly humor, over-the-top characters and concepts, and heartfelt emotion, but he never falters, somehow always nailing the tone, selling threats and fights with massive stakes but still being goofy whenever the opportunity arises. I especially like this bit of humor in volume 38, in which Luffy ignores various characters' warnings of the danger of rushing in to rescue a captured comrade, leading to a hilariously massive plop take:

It's not exactly a traditional plop take, in which one or more characters react to something someone says by collapsing off the panel, with only their feet visible, as if the sheer unbelievability of the statement has caused them to faint, but it functions along the same lines, and the sheer number of guys freaking out about what Luffy said is hilarious, with some of them falling to their knees, collapsing in disbelief, or even throwing themselves into the air. I love the way Oda can give us a dramatic moment like this, in which Luffy displays determination in the face of terrible danger, and undercut it with something that makes the reader laugh out loud. How he walks this fine line without error is beyond me, but I love to see him do it.

Art What I Like: One Piece Is Awesome, Example #34

2013-04-28T12:00:00.000-05:00

Much of the appeal of Eiichiro Oda's One Piece comes from the awesome action, crazy ideas, and goofy humor, but the core of the series is the characters and their relationships, fitting into the shonen manga template of friendship and loyalty. The Water Seven arc has seen the bond between our heroes shaken a bit, with the apparent betrayal of the crew by Nico Robin hitting them especially hard. So when we learn her true motives in volume 38, Nami's reaction to the news perfectly sums up the catharsis that both she and the reader feels:

That last line is key; the power of friendship is what gives these characters their strength, and the relief that they feel when they learn that their loyalty wasn't misplaced is enough to provide strength to overcome any obstacles. Victory by our heroes is pretty much always assured, but by providing such heartfelt motivation, Oda keeps the struggles from being formulaic and obvious. I can't wait to see how they use this strength to win over the impossible odds this time.

Art What I Like: One Piece Is Awesome, Example #33

2013-04-27T12:00:00.000-05:00

Eiichiro Oda has more on his mind in One Piece than pirate fights and the bonds of friendship, as we saw in the Skypeia storyline, which incorporated some commentary on religion, looking at its negatives and positives. He's at it again with the lengthy Water Seven arc, with the subject this time being technology and how it can be used for destruction, but also for life-changing progress. Much of the intrigue this time is based around the plans for an ancient battleship which is so powerful that it could destroy the world. Considering this comic's nation of origin, this might seem like a commentary on nuclear weapons, but some complications are added to the viewpoint in a multi-chapter flashback that describes the relationship between the characters Iceberg, Franky, and their mentor, Tom. We learn that while Tom and his company of shipwrights were spending years developing the sea train which bring about the economic recovery of Water Seven, Franky was spending all his free time building battleships that he could use to hunt sea monsters, which didn't sit so well with Iceberg:

And what's more, he gets proven right when a government agent, intent on getting his hands on the plans for the ancient weapons which Tom has been hiding, has his men steal Franky's fleet of battleship prototypes and attack the judicial ship which was there to render judgment on Tom for building a ship for the legendary pirate Gold Roger (he had been granted a stay of execution in order to build the sea train), causing untold death and destruction. When confronted with what his hand had wrought, Franky tries to renounce his creations, but he gets upbraided by Tom for it:

This speech tends toward "guns don't kill people, people kill people" rhetoric, but even if you don't agree with it, it's a thought-provoking look at the technology that people create and how it can be used for good or ill. I'm not sure I buy the idea that innovators don't bear any responsibility for their creations, but Tom has shown that he has people's best interests at heart, even if his creations can be twisted into something they weren't intended for. I expect there will be more examination of the concept to come, especially involving the condemnation that has been levied (in the "present day") upon Straw Hats crew member Nico Robin for having the ability to translate the ancient language and actually bring the legendary weapon into existence. Is there knowledge that is inherently evil? Are there concepts that humanity can't be entrusted with? That's heady stuff for a shonen manga, but Oda incorporates it into his story with flair, adding nearly unthinkable stakes to the battle that his heroes are fighting. I can't wait to see how it turns out.

The Neverending Fray: Reading is fundamental

2013-04-25T18:00:00.000-05:00

Groo the Wanderer #100
By Sergio Aragones, Mark Evanier, Stan Sakai (lettering), and Tom Luth (coloring)
Published by Epic Comics, 1993

Most mainstream comics exist in a state of stasis, with each issue beginning and ending in the same basic place, the status of the characters rarely changing from story to story. This is especially true for humor comics, and Groo is no exception, with each new story seeing him wandering into a new locale and getting up to his usual hijinx. So when a real change occurs, it's pretty notable; up until this landmark issue, the only real shake-up to the status quo was the addition of Rufferto as Groo's faithful companion. But after over 100 issues, the Groo Crew must have been itching to tweak their formula, if only slightly, so they do so here by altering one of the fundamental truths of the series, that being that the main character is very, very stupid. He's so dumb that any increase in his intelligence makes a pretty big difference, and the change that he goes through here by learning to read ends up being kind of fascinating, a real development of his character. It's a bold step, one that the creative team certainly didn't take lightly.

The story builds organically to the big event, giving Groo some motivation to increase his intelligence by having him get frustrated with his illiteracy. He has rarely been bothered by his lack of intelligence in the past, but his constant confusion is starting to get to him:

His worries are alleviated somewhat when he gets recruited into an army of fellow dimwits who are sent on a suicide mission as a ploy by a general to take over a kingdom that supposedly is hiding a vast treasure. But we learn that the king doesn't know where the treasure is either, and wouldn't you know it, Groo just happens to stumble across its hiding place:

Unfortunately, there is no way out of the cavern hiding the treasure, and Groo is stuck there, along with its decrepit guard, a fellow named Abecedario. With no place to go, the old man decides to take on the monumental task of teaching Groo to read, which gives us some enjoyable gags:

Groo can't stay trapped in the cavern forever, so following the old man's death, he actually figures out how to get out (he's gotten smarter already!), but once he's free, it seems his priorities have changed somewhat:

When he comes across a library in a nearby town, it's like a whole new world has suddenly become available to him, and much to Rufferto's chagrin, he seems less interested in his typical passions:

This contentedness cannot last, of course, or else there wouldn't be much of a comic, so events soon transpire to destroy Groo's life of tranquility. Various characters, including the aforementioned king, Taranto, and Pal and Drumm, show up looking for the hidden treasure, and they turn the town upside down. Groo's first impulse is to attack, but the librarians convince him that violence doesn't solve anything, so he tries to reason with them, to no avail. And then the real tragedy strikes, when looters set fire to the library, and when nobody is willing to help put it out, Groo has to resort to what he does best:

It's a powerful moment, a collision of Groo's new ideals with his old way of life, and watching him beat down those too ignorant to appreciate the treasure that is knowledge is both cathartic and sad, providing a realization that Groo will never be able to leave behind his life of violence (not that we would ever want him to). The issue ends with him deciding to make his way to a new land where he can belong, away from those who would judge him based on his reputation for stupidity. We'll have to see how that works out.

This issue ends up being an odd one, a bit more serious than the comic usually is, but that seems necessary when making such a big change to Groo's life. As much as he had previously seemed to enjoy his life of vagrancy and adventure, there was obviously something missing, a struggle for respect, or at least not to be hated by everyone he encountered. Is he actually going to be intelligent now? From what I recall, he does seem to have gained some minimal smarts, but he still gets up to his usual activities, jumping into frays with no warning and getting caught up in the schemes of those seeking power and wealth. It ends up being a fairly small tweak to the status quo, but one that has a lasting impact, and maybe even makes Groo a bit more sympathetic. We'll see how it goes, but I'm excited to rediscover what the Groo Crew did as they struck out into bold new territory. As always, I'm happy to be going along for the ride.

Next: "A New Land"

-----
This issue's stats:
Recurring characters: Just about everyone. Taranto and Pal and Drumm appear in the main story (along with Minstrel, Sage, Arba and Dakarba, Arcadio, Grooella, Chakaal, and Ahax in Groo's imagination), and see some of the images below for appearances by anyone and everyone else.
Moral: No moral, surprisingly.

Spanish words: Abecedario means "alphabet". A book in the library is called "Brujeria", which means "witchcraft". General Maton is named after the word for "bully".
Hidden message: I knew they wouldn't be able to resist putting one in the big anniversary issue. It can be seen on the spines of some of the books in this panel, reading "A hidden message in this issue? That is absurd!":

Running jokes: Groo gets called a mendicant. Groo surprises Rufferto by seeking out something to read instead of cheese dip or a fray. Drumm asks Pal to buy him a house. Somebody asks if Groo is slow of mind, and he surprisingly answers in the affirmative, and never gets around to questioning what they meant, at least not in this issue.
Intro follies: The intro page features a big gala for the landmark 100th issue, with cameos from a bunch of Groo characters, friends of the Groo Crew (I'd love to see some annotations of who's who; I'm sure there are lots of famous cartoonists in there), and even the back of Alfred E. Neuman's head:

Value-added: This issue's puzzle page is a cool ladder maze:

Also, in lieu of a back-cover Rufferto strip, this issue has an image packed with just about every notable supporting character from throughout the entire series, including Al Jaffee, Groo's wife, Groo's parents, Groo's "girlfriend", and even Lat:

Mark Evanier's job(s): Funambulist ("tightrope walker")
Letter column jokes: Mark gets some anniversary thanks to the comic's readers, editors, and creative team out of the way, then he moves on to print a letter from the infamous M. Wayne Williams, who had previously said he could only afford to buy every other issue of Groo, inspiring Mark to print his letter in every issue. He promises to buy every issue from now on, which makes Mark happy that he can stop printing his previous letter. I seem to have missed a running joke involving Brent Anderson in the last few issues; apparently Mark asked people who know who he is to write in? Kevin Cunningham provides the example for this issue, mentioning a miniseries called The Spacing Dutchman which was supposedly going to be published by DC (from what I can tell, it was eventually published by Slave Labor as part of a series called Spin World; note the name of the letterer). Mark Whiteford provides a creepy description of his duct tape fetish, and Mark says he feels the same way about his Wham-o Slip n' Slide. Chert Pellett writes in with a Grooism, telling of the time his dad was about to cut down a tree for a customer at the family Christmas tree farm, and the person stopped him to ask if the tree was fresh. He also notes that he typed "Sergio" into his spell-checker, and it suggested "sage" as a replacement. Mark says he tried the same thing, and his spell-checker suggested "Antonio Prohias". Adam Hodgin notes that he had a letter printed in issue #89 that said what "[Mark] did at the party last night was inexcusable," but wonders if a similar letter from David Schuster in issue #95 was an homage. Mark says no, he just behaves very badly at parties. In other news, Mark notes that Sergio guest-starred on an episode of the TV show Bob, along with Jack Kirby, Bob Kane, Marc Silvestri, Jim Lee, and other comics luminaries.

The Neverending Fray index