LNH/REVIEW: Kid Review's Roundup: October 2013

[Tom Russell]

On Monday, November 4, 2013 12:01:01 AM UTC-5, Andrew Perron wrote:

> 
> rec.arts.comics.creative. So... they blatantly stole the format of End of
> 
> Month Reviews and told me to use it."

I for one wholly approve of this act of wanton theft. I often tell my wife that I write everything I write for two people: myself, and one other person. During the tenure of Saxon's EoMR, I was always sure that I had my second person. During my brief and in retrospect destined for burn-out weekly review series, I tried to be that second person for others. I am glad that Kid Review  continues to carry on this fine tradition.


> Journey Into #16
> 
> "The Dracula's Castle"
> 
> An Eightfold [8FOLD] series {HCC40}
> 
> by Tom Russell


> "This is an entry for HCC40, Missing Adventures. It takes place between the
> 
> stories in Tom's wonderful Journey Into Annual #1, starring a version of
> 
> Santa Claus that's both deeply folktale-inspired and deeply
> 
> superhero-inspired. This makes sense, as any version of Santa Claus that
> 
> explores the character than 'like your grandpa, but with the power of
> 
> divine judgment' basically needs to draw from superhero characterization."

Specifically the Weisinger Superman comics, in which the character is defined by his universe more than his own powers or personality. To the point, perhaps, where the character himself functions best as a straight man or cipher, the one stable fixed point on a bizarre and wondrous mini-universe. It is arguably the word-building and ideas that are more important than the mechanics of the story/plot itself. This is also true of certain types of children's stories, which is another reason why the Silver Age Giant-Yellow-Key Superman was a particular point of reference for my original cycle of Santa Claus stories.

> "Sheer craft certainly matters - and Tom, obviously, has that in spades -
> 
> but not as much, to kids, as individual moments of cleverness. And this is
> 
> a really, *really* clever story, full of sparkly shiny lines and concepts.
> 
> It's also fun, and thoughtful, and manages to lash deep characterization
> 
> into a relatively simple tale, and seriously go read it right now."

Thank you very kindly.

> Orphans of Mars #4
> 
> "The Egg Thieves"
> 
> An Eightfold [8FOLD] series
> 
> by Tom Russell


> "This is a strange, bleak series about survival and fucked-up, alien
> 
> people. It's hard to get into these characters - hard enough that I have a
> 
> tendency to mix up their names and occasionally completely misunderstand

Because the series has a lot of characters to keep track of, I'm presently working on a "Who's Who"/Fact File to be posted concurrently with this month's installment. I've tried to make the names different enough (for example, they all start with different letters) while still sounding like they derive from the same place culturally.

> what's happening - but it's worth it, as they have deep depths."

Thank you.

> "The issue has two, count 'em two, very clear, very readable, very
> 
> *intense* action scenes. Good action in prose is frickin' hard, but this
> 
> lays out what's happening while keeping up the pressure. Highly commended."

Thanks.

> "The rest of the issue is dedicated to the inside of the characters' heads,
> 
> especially that of Lask, whose brain has been partially replaced with a
> 
> computer. The series demands patience and attention, dropping information
> 
> like this as part of dialogue or internal narration, and it's hard
> 
> sometimes when it starts out so alienating. It's an acquired taste, but
> 
> intriguing enough to pull me, at least, along."

Though the characters have some serious psychological damage and come from a profoundly cold and alien culture, I will say that it's not my intention to alienate. What I'm mostly going for is a pulp feel: garish, violent, sensationalist; bleak, yes, but in the service of a sort of tough or merciless quality that animates great brawny action-oriented entertainments. This does run somewhat counter to my usual concerns and methods, which are more sentimental and psychological. I'm a warm sort of person; I write mostly about warm (if melancholy, screwed-up, and/or haunted) people who are able to function in society. People like Martin Rock at least *want* and work towards happiness, friendship, and love, even if it is denied. The Orphans aren't even sure what those things are, let alone that they want them, or how to get them. And so that might account for the alienating quality somewhat.

Thank you as always for the kind words.

==Tom