Remember me telling you just a week ago about the Lubbock Comic Book Workshop, coming up on August 9th? Well, there have already been big changes made in the event, so listen up.

The workshop is still set for August 9th — still not 100% positive on the times, but 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. looks most likely. The workshop will still take place at the Lubbock Garden and Arts Center, at 4215 University Avenue.

This is now an all-day event designed to provide classes and training for comic book professionals and for people who want to become comic book professionals. The cost is $25 per person — lunch and materials will be provided.

A creator and vendor area was originally planned as part of the event, it is no longer part of the workshop. However, a new creator/vendor fair — basically a mini-con — may be in the works.

Four classes will be taught at the workshop — digital coloring and lettering; inking; laying out a comic book page; and creating an illustration from concept to finish. The classes are two hours each, with breaks in between.

Pre-registration is required — please send e-mail to Sarazann Greenwood for more information.

Again, the workshop is now just about classes, and it costs $25 for all four classes. No creators this time, no vendors this time. But if you’re an aspiring comic creator, it’s still gonna be worth your time. Go check their website.

I’m not gonna make you read my movie reviews of non-comic movies very often, but I really gotta say, WALL-E is just about the best movie I’ve seen in the last couple of years.

I didn’t go into this expecting a whole lot. I was kinda expecting that the very positive reviews I’d read before were a case of overhype. But man, was I wrong. This was just a plain awesome movie.

WALL-E and EVE are just impossibly charming and emotional and perfect, even though they have very, very little dialogue. Nearly all the robots — and there are an awful lot of them — are very, very cool. John and Mary, the future people who rediscover the beauty of the world outside of virtual reality, are also wonderful, fun characters. And the Captain makes for one of the least likely but most inspiring heroes I’ve ever seen. Even the fairly villainous AUTO is cool and decently badass, what with that wicked-kewl voice.

This is also the first Pixar movie to include any live-action footage, which is fairly cool — Fred Willard is a lot of fun here — but you end up forgetting this pretty quickly, because the live-action stuff is so well integrated into the rest of the story — and because Pixar’s animation looks so outstanding.

It’s bizarre to read that there are really people out there who are complaining that the movie has pro-environmental themes. I mean, hasn’t post-apocalyptism nearly always been a big part of science fiction? Heck, conservative Ultimate Hero Charlton Heston was in “Planet of the Apes,” where humans wiped themselves out in a war, and “Soylent Green,” where a shady megacorp is making food out of corpses — anyone here wanna say Charlie Heston was a liberal, tree-hugging, capitalism-hating pansy? Yeah, I thought not.

Really, I’m just amazed that anyone could come out of this movie thinking something other than, “Wow, that was a really cool movie.” If you come out of a movie as touching and inspiring and exciting and fun as this one, and all you can think about is how angry you are over what you imagine the movie’s politics to be, maybe you need to get yer head examined. You’ve officially lost track of everything that really matters.

In summation: If you ain’t seen “WALL-E” yet, go see it ASAP.

Well, July 4th may be over, but it’s never too late for flag-waving superheroes! Once again, some of the issues of the new “American Dream” series got delivered to some stores a tad late, so I’m gonna go ahead and review them together again.

American Dream #4

American Dream has been captured by the crystal monsters controlled by Silikong, Ion Man, and the Red Queen while her teammates in the Avengers race around the city trying to find her. Dream easily escapes from her captivity and releases the illegal immigrants who Silikong had been transforming into the crystal monsters, then beats the tar out of Ion Man, Red Queen, and their minions. Unfortunately, Silikong and his monsters are going to be a lot tougher to beat…

American Dream #5

In the final issue of the miniseries, Dream has to figure out a way to stop the seemingly unstoppable Silikong, all while delivering additional beatdowns on Ion Man and Red Queen. All this while the Avengers track her down and work on stopping the crystal monsters once and for all.

Verdict: Thumbs up for both. Good action, good characterization. Marvel is clearly hoping this has the stuff for an ongoing series, something all-ages and girl-friendly, and with any luck, the sales have been good enough to make it happen. However, I think I’d like to see a bit more of the Avengers — the whole team spent most of the series on the periphery of the action, and I think an ongoing series would benefit from having more characters for Dream to interact with…

If you were trying to come up with the ultimate conservative superhero, it’d be hard to miss with Captain America, don’tcha think? I mean, the guy was a soldier, so desperate to serve his country that he volunteered for a dangerous chemical experiment and agreed to wear just about the gaudiest red, white, and blue costume imaginable. He was plucked out of the 1940s and revived about 20-40 years later, depending on what version of Marvel continuity you go with. By all rights, he should be almost a cartoon of nationalistic fervor. Indeed, he’s often been parodied as an over-the-top patriotic extremist.

But Cap really is a dream assignment for anyone who wants to write about public affairs, the nature of patriotism, or the state of the nation. One of his most amazing appearances came in a comic that was actually outside of Marvel’s regular continuity.

In 1984’s What If? #44 by Peter B. Gillis, Sal Buscema, and Dave Simons, we take a look at a parallel universe where Cap’s disappearance leads to the creation of an alternate Cap. But the new Cap’s patriotism comes in a decidedly dark flavor. His paranoia about Communism leads him to denounce anything that threatens the status quo, and he becomes a propagandist opposing civil rights and free speech. In time, a faked assassination attempt on him allows a group called the Secret Empire to take over the country and declare martial law.

The real Captain America thaws out of his iceberg many years later, awakening to an America that looks more like Nazi Germany than the United States. Jackbooted thugs wearing Cap’s “A” on their jackets terrorize the populace, no one has any rights to speak of, and everyone is required, almost by law, to idolize Captain America, for fear that the Commies will take over if the nation shows any weakness.

Of course, there’s a terrific battle between the two Caps, with both spouting off entire political soliloquies between every punch. As expected, the real Captain America emerges triumphant. But that’s not the end of it. Cap makes a grand oratory to the crowds who just watched him beat up the fake Cap, and the result is both shocking and inspiring.

Here it is, along with my transcription, just in case you can’t read the text in the panels.

“Listen to me — all of you out there! You were told by this man — your hero — that America is the greatest country in the world!”

“He told you that Americans were the greatest people — that America could be refined like silver, could have the impurities hammered out of it, and shine more brightly!

“He went on about how precious America was — how you needed to make sure it remained great!

“And he told you anything was justified to preserve that great treasure, that pearl of great treasure that is America!”

“Well, I say America is nothing! Without its ideals — its commitment to the freedom of all men, America is a piece of trash!

“A nation is nothing! A flag is a piece of cloth!!”

“I fought Adolf Hitler not because America was great, but because it was fragile! I knew that liberty could as easily be snuffed out here as in Nazi Germany! As a people, we were no different from them!

“When I returned, I saw that you nearly did turn America into nothing!

“And the only reason you’re not less than nothing — ”

“– is that it’s still possible for you to bring freedom back to America!”

Caption: “There is a long silence, then…”

Spectator: “Th-That is him!! That’s the real Captain America!”

Those five panels are just amazing. Everything you need to know about the dangers of blind nationalistic jingoism, everything you need to know about our susceptability to power-hungry demogogues, everything you need to know about the fragility of democracy and freedom. Everything you need to know about what a real patriot is like, minus the funky chainmail costume…

Cut it out, send it to your Congressional representatives, to your preferred presidential candidates, to your favorite Supreme Court justice. Send it to your local hate-radio blowhard, to the howling TV pundits, to the national columnists who still insist that any criticism of the figurehead in charge of the government is the same thing as high treason.

Happy Independence Day to everyone. Celebrate with some burgers and hot dogs, with some fireworks, by listening to some of those great old Sousa marches. But don’t forget to spend some time celebrating your nation by reading this and by reading this. Heck, if you’ve got time, here are some more links to great things you should read this July 4th.

(Lots of folks like this comic book a lot. For more in-depth analysis, read this, this, this, and this)

 

Captain America #39

There’s a new Captain America in town. No, not Bucky Barnes, Cap’s former sidekick who’s taken up the shield. I mean there’s another new Cap, and he’s a brainwashed tool of the Red Skull! He foils an assassination attempt on a Senator Wright — but it was a staged attempt, and the senator is also one of the Skull’s agents, running for president so he can help wipe America off the map. The fake Cap is all over the news, trumpeted as “the return of Captain America.” He endorses Wright and helps legitimize his campaign. Meanwhile, Sharon Carter makes her escape attempt from the Red Skull’s infirmary and delivers a healthy beat-down on Sin, the Red Skull’s daughter. And Bucky pays a visit to Senator Wright’s office, but he gets a nasty surprise when he meets up with the brainwashed Cap…

Verdict: Thumbs up. Lots of intrigue, both the espionage and political varieties. The fight between Sharon and Sin is one-sided, but fun. Next issue should be fun — expect an awful lot of Cap vs. Cap fighting…

And speaking of multiple Captain Americas… Please don’t miss out on tomorrow’s Fourth of July edition of “Politics in Comics” — I’ll have all the “Good Captain America vs. Evil Captain America” you’ll ever need.

It’s been too long since we looked at any horror comics, ain’t it?

 

Pigeons from Hell #3

Joe R. Lansdale’s adaptation of Robert E. Howard’s classic horror story continues, as the Blassenville sisters and the roaming sheriff make a narrow escape from the old haunted plantation mansion. Whatever’s inside doesn’t follow them, but they can’t simply leave — they have a friend who may still be trapped in the house. So they retreat to a nearby shack, where an ancient hoodoo man spins them the tales of the old house’s horrific history. Will knowing the house’s secrets help them fight the evil spirit inside? Or is it too strong for anyone to withstand?

Verdict: Thumbs up. Good and creepy, and excellent suspense as well.

 

B.P.R.D.: The Ectoplasmic Man

This is essentially the origin story of Johann Kraus, the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense’s resident disembodied medium. Back in 2002, the story goes, he was leading a seance, assumed an ectoplasmic form to commune with the spirit world, and inadvertently became part of a global supernatural disaster that destroyed thousands of spirits — the psychic feedback killed Kraus’ body and the other participants in the seance, but left Kraus as a bodiless ectoplasmic spirit. But soon, he discovers a new menace in a nearby cemetery, a demon that feeds on the souls of the recently deceased. But how can an intangible ghost stop such a powerful demon?

Verdict: Another thumbs up. A wonderful done-in-one story that adds quite a bit to Kraus’ backstory. The demon is nicely monstrous, and Johann’s solution to the problem, while entirely predictable for anyone who knows the character now, is still done very well.

Madame Xanadu #1

The new Vertigo revamp of DC’s fortune-teller character Madame Xanadu starts out in Arthurian England, when she was a rune-reading nymph named Nimue. She has an uneasy relationship with her eldest sister, the Lady in the Lake, and a much worse one with the middle sister, Morganna, who is very eager for her son Mordred to wipe out Camelot and become king. She doin’ the horizontal jitterbug with Merlin himself, and she tangles with the Phantom Stranger, who’s trying to get her to realize that she can’t change the future doom she’s foreseen for Camelot.

Verdict: Thumbs up. Interesting beginning, since I figured we’d start out with the modern-day gypsy Tarot-reader we’re more familiar with from the mainstream DC Universe. Writer Matt Wagner, creator of the comic book “Mage,” has a very strong interest in all things Arthurian, so I’m looking forward to some more of his take on the classic Camelot. Oh, and the artwork by Amy Reeder Hadley is just plain gorgeous.

She-Hulk #30

Shulkie finally gets released from jail to deal with a local emergency, and as a condition of her release, Shulkie insists that her new friend and fellow prisoner Monique be released as well. The big emergency? Possible Irish terrorist Bran Murphy has grown to giant size and is trashing the city, while Hercules tries in vain to stop him. Yes, that actually is a jumbo-sized order of crazy. And even crazier — it turns out that the giant Bran Murphy is actually Bran the Blessed, an actual mythological Welsh giant, and he has a symbiotic relationship with the real Bran Murphy, who’s in the process of dying a few miles away. Well, in the end, they manage to save Bran Murphy and defeat Bran the Blessed, the Celtic demigod gets an unexpected new host, and Shulkie and Hercules do the nasty canasta.

Verdict: Ehh, neither thumbs up or thumbs down. I still think the ongoing storyarc is equal parts ridiculous, stupid, and meandering, but this issue was full of tons of crazy stuff, and that helps soften the blow.

I’m way, way late in making the proper announcements about this, but the Lubbock Sketch Club is working on a new event called the Lubbock Comic Book Workshop. It’s set for August 9th, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Lubbock Garden and Arts Center. It’s not what you could really call a comic book convention, though there will be vendors and creators on hand. Like I said, it’s a comic book workshop with a lot more emphasis on classes and training for comic book professionals and for people who want to become comic book professionals.

Sketch Club head honcho Will Terrell will be giving a couple of classes from 8-9:45 a.m. and from 10-11:45 a.m. — the cost to attend is $25. The vendor and creator show kicks off from noon to 6 p.m., with a cost of $5. Smaller classes by Ginny Pape, Rachael Simmons, Jennifer Adkins, Sarazann Greenwood, and others will be held throughout the afternoon, and you can attend any of them as long as you’ve purchased the $5 ticket to get in.

I feel it’s important enough to repeat this and put it in bold: Will Terrell’s classes are 8-9:45 a.m. and from 10-11:45 a.m. and cost $25. The vendor and creator show is noon to 6 p.m. and costs $5. It’s not a single continuous event. If you pay the $25 for Will’s classes, you’ll need to pay $5 for the vendor show afterwards.

What else is there to tell? There is other entertainment planned. There will be at least one face painter on hand to entertain kids and/or adults who like to get their faces painted. Jennifer Adkins will be playing piano in the rest area; I assume someone will be doing sleazy lounge singer antics, too. Refreshments will be available for purchase during the vendor show. And everything’s going on at the Garden and Arts Center, so you’ll have some pretty scenery going on, too.

Wanna get in on the action as a vendor or creator? You can get a space to display your stuff for $25 for a half table — tables are 8 feet long, so that’s a good amount of space for a single creator. Of course, if you’re a creator with a lot of stuff to show off, or if you’re a vendor, you’ll probably want to spring for at least a full-length table.

Mark your calendars for August 9th right now!

 

Comic artist Michael Turner as died after a long battle with cancer at the way-too-young age of 37.

I’d love to make this just a plain, pure tribute to the man, but I don’t think that’s gonna be possible. Honestly, I just didn’t enjoy most of Turner’s artwork. I mean, it was obvious that he had really strong artistic chops. Look at this cover he did for “Teen Titans.”

 

I think it’s just beautifully done. Yeah, you get a little Buttcrack Theatre from Starfire, but it’s far, far from the worst art we’ve ever seen of her. The rest of them, Cyborg, Raven, Superboy, Robin, Kid Flash, Changeling, even the all-too-frequently-fetishized Wonder Girl, they all look great.

But Turner would also produce work like this:

 

That’s preliminary artwork from one of the “Justice League of America” covers from last year, and it got rightly and loudly criticized by almost everyone. It’s emblematic of a lot of my problems with Turner’s style — heavily plasticized figures, bad anatomy, vacant and identical faces on women.

And I’m gonna stop with the criticism right there. From everything else I’ve heard of him, Turner was an enthusiastic, good-natured, fun guy to be around, who didn’t deserve all the pain from his health troubles, and who definitely did deserve a tremendous amount of respect for continuing to produce artwork even after multiple painful surgeries. Just about everything about his life story is pretty inspiring, and his death, like Mike Wieringo’s last year, comes way, way too soon, and is going to be very keenly felt over the coming years.

Raise your glasses, folks. Here’s to him.

It’s the next-to-the-last round of this latest series of FRIDAY NIGHT FIGHTS! And we all know what that means, right? Yep, only another week of me having to bleach the color out of my comic scans. Huzzah!

Tonight, I’m treating y’all to a coupla panels from January 2007’s Batman/Spirit crossover, by Jeph Loeb and Darwyn Cooke, as the Spirit, dressed in Batman’s cape and cowl, socks the Joker in the breadbasket.

I often find myself shouting “ORK!” when I get socked in the breadbasket. I assume everyone does, right?