Welcome again to Leave Your Spandex At the Door and Merry Christmas to you all!
This is the 3rd installment of the newly relaunched column, and the 3rd annual Nexus Holiday Special!
Like the last two years, I’ve invited ten of my favourite comics creators to bring all Nexus readers a healthy dose of holiday cheer.
Coming back for more punishment is our X-Mas roundtable veteran Mike Carey, who has headlined both last yea’s and 2003’s X-Mas Roundtables! Mike has just wrapped up his now-classic Hellblazer run and is moving his epic Lucifer run to a close in the next year, making way for Faker from Vertigo and more unannounced projects for the Big Two.
Frank Cho is the fan-favourite #1 babe artist in comics that has even managed to make someone like me drool at the sight of his Jungle Queen Shanna the She-Devil (clothed or not), Spider-Woman or Brandy from Liberty Meadows!
Tom Beland managed to touch the hearts of thousands of readers with his autobiographical True Story Swear To God, recounting his first encounter and romance with his wife Lily, and has managed this year to make the jump into mainstream comics!
Keith Giffen is the creator who has become sunonymous with Funny in comics, giving readers a much-needed escape for the doom of modern crossover comics through his own traditional JLA stories, the Defenders, his creator-owned Hero Squared and his remixed comics!
Steve Niles and Ben Templesmith have such great synergy in their work together that it’s difficult even to do separate intro paragraphs for them! Their joint and individual works include such horror must-reads like 30 Days of Night, Fell, Hellspawn, Cal McDonald, Freaks of the Heartland, Hatter M, Bigfoot, Dawn of the Dead and (lots and lots) more.
Duncan Fegredo is one of my top 5 all-time favourite artists (and I like to say it every chance I get). More famous for his work on Enigma, Girl, Kid Eternity, Face, Jay and Silent Bob, and his cover work for Vertigo, he is now getting ready to take over Hellboy!
Josh Luna and his brother Jonathan are the acclaimed ‘Luna Bros’, the creators of last yea’s smash hit Ultra, and this yea’s rollercoaster Girls ongoing series from Image.
Kurt Busiek, well, I wouldn’t know where to start. Several years ago he managed to make the Avengers cool again and turn heads with a little nobody group called the Thunderbolts. And the last two years he’s at it again with a much-acclaimed relaunch of the Conan franchise and some mysterious new projects in DC’s One Year Later line”¦
Last but not least, Jamie Smart was my absolute first choice for this yea’s Roundtable, after discovering the frenziness that is his Bear series from Slave Lavor Comics! I can’t think of X-Mas without Bear and Looshkin anymore!
On with the show:
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Manolis: The Fourth Wall breaks, just in time for Christmas, and long enough for you to give a special Christmas present to one of your characters. Who’s the lucky sod and what is he/she going away with?
Frank Cho: Try Easter, Nancy. My book’s way late.
Mike Carey: Vampirella – I’d give her some thermal underwear and knee-length socks. I worry a lot about her catching cold.
Tom Beland: lol.. well, in MY case, all my characters do exist. I can’t say what I’d get for “Lily” because Lily might read this and find out. I’m sly that way.
Keith Giffen: Dawnstar gets her wings back.
Steve Niles: I’d get Cal McDonald a Gift Certificate for a month or two at the rehab.
Ben Templesmith: My characters? Probably the nicest present would be a few bullets to the head to one of the vampires or other I’ve drawn. Ho ho ho.
Duncan Fegredo: Cough drops for Batman, doing the whole ‘creature of the night’ thing must play hell with his throat. Or if I was a truly sad pathetic guy guaranteed that my lovely wife would never read this I wouldn’t mind giving Buffy my email…. yes yes, not a comic character, who cares?
Josh Luna: Ultra. The Ultra trade.
Jamie Smart: i’d give Looshkin a box full of hamsters, and the means to arm himself. maybe a bayonet. that would keep the little tyke amused all through christmas day, or at least until the box was empty.
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Manolis: if you could give out a comic book or tradebook as an x-mas gift to get a young person interested in comics, what would that be and why?
Frank Cho: How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way by Stan Lee and John Buscema. It worked wonders on me.
Tom Beland: How young is young in this case? I’m going to assume they’re old enough to be in high school.
I think it depends on where they want to go, professionally. If it’s autobiographical… I’d give them Keith Knight’s “THE PASSION OF KEEF” or Brian Bendis’ “FORTUNE AND GLORY.” If it’s superhero… I’d give them Kurt Busiek’s “SUPERMAN: SECRET IDENTITY” or “MARVELS.”
That MARVELS 10th ANNIVERSARY hardcover is the greatest. There’s not only the series with that great Alex Ross art… but there’s also the script, sketch pages AND… AND… there’s the pitch they made for this series. That pitch section is so great to look at, because I think a lot of people may have an idea for a story, but they don’t know how to pitch that idea.
Plus, it shows you how many times that pitch can change an evolve during the process. Really… this is a great book.
If they’re into the actual drawing process… I’d give them THE WILL EISNER SKETCHBOOK. This book is so incredibly executed, I swear that every time I read it, I believe there’s pencil lead on my hands. Fantagraphics did such a remarkable job in reproducing these sketch pages that all you can do is look at it and just say “wow.” He was the master… moreso than Kirby and I ADORE Kirby.
Keith Giffen: The collected BONE. The reasons are obvious.
Steve Niles: I’d give him PUSSEY by Dan Clowes so he/she knows the world they are about to enter.
Ben Templesmith: FELL, by Warren Ellis. It’s short, sweet, mainstream, hopefully pretty enough to look at without being the old stereotypical comic look…if crime tv shows and movies and novels are as popular with the public, you’d have to figure the kids would love an offbeat sicko weird version of CSI in comic form, so to speak. Plus, it’s actually entertaining with damn snappy writing. Always helps.
Duncan Fegredo: Probably Tin Tin or Asterix, no capes or spandex just good fun adventures. Realistically I think Manga might be more effective, link in with Pokemon , Dragonball Z or Yu-Gi-Oh.
Josh Luna: The complete Calvin and Hobbes. One of the first comics to really capture my imagination as a kid.
Kurt Busiek: It would depend on what that young person’s tastes in books, movies and TV are, but as a general rule, the first volume of BONE, by Jeff Smith, is a fine place to start. It’s warm, clear, funny, enchanting and adventurous, and wins over most readers who try it.
Jamie Smart: hmm maybe tank girl, or something from japanese comicslike Di Gi Charat. i would only give a child something that i knew might disturb them into a proper human being :)
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Manolis: Looking
back at the past year in comics, what was your favourite moment from your own comics?
Frank Cho: When Brandy appears naked in Liberty Meadows #37. I’m still putting the finishing touches on that issue.
Mike Carey: Probably “I’m John, and I’m a bastard” from All His Engines. Or maybe the moment in Lucifer when the rag doll, Melanie, carries Lucifer’s message to God. But I’m also busting with pride at how the piece I did with Mike Perkins in the Marvel Christmas Special turned out. It was just a jokey little thing, to start with, but in Mike’s hands (and Laura’s) it became something really… well, special.
Tom Beland: I think I’m proud of how far I pushed myself professionally this year. I really wrote about some very emotional moments in my life in TSSTG… but there are also the two Spider-Man gigs I wrote and the Simpsons story I wrote for BONGO. That was so intimidating… because I’ve been such a fan for so long.
The thing that was so cool was the process of seeing someone else’s vision of what I write. I’ve always been a one-person crew on TSSTG, but here I got a chance to see what someone like Sean Phillips or Cory Walker pulls out of their head with what I put in the script. Talk about cool. I also love putting in the kitchen items… since I love to cook. The Spider-Man popcorn bowl is something I love to put in a scene. Look for the Iron Man cookie jar in WEB OF ROMANCE.
Keith Giffen: Getting the Hulk laid.
Steve Niles: My own? Hmmm. I was very happy with the way MONSTERS ON THE PROWL and BATMAN came out and they were my first leotard books for the big guys, but if I had to pick one title it would be the LITTLE BOOKS OF HORROR I did, DRACULA (with Richard Sala!), WAR OF THE WORLDS (Ted McKeever) and FRANKENSTEIN (Scott Morse). I’m really pleased with those three books and the chance to work with such great artists.
Ben Templesmith: Apart from being published in the first place? Probably finishing my first complete story arc. Which would have been 30 Days of Night. ( I think. )
Duncan Fegredo: Up until few weeks back I would have said drawing the Hulk and Thing in Monsters On The Prowl, really got me all nostalgic and that was great… but that’s been trumped by the chance to not just draw Hellboy but collaborate with Mike Mignola. Christmas came early for me.
Kurt Busiek: Probably CONAN #15, “Wolves In the Woods.” I’m very proud of how the “Born of the Battlefield” stories are coming out.
Jamie Smart: probably the release of the bear and looshkin plushy dolls, that was great to have something of my very own to kick around and then hug. from the comics, maybe writing the concluding strips in issue 10, which rounded all the stories off. there’s never been any coherance to the strips in Bear, they’re always random, so it was nice to tie them up and bag ’em, so to speak.
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Manolis: Which stories and titles stand out as your favourite from 2005?
Frank Cho: I’m a huge Mark Millar fan. Really got a kicked out of his Wolverine run and the current Ultimates 2 storyline.
Mike Carey: I really enjoyed the whole “House of M” event and all its corollaries. Favourite line there, from Spiderman in the middle of the debate as to whether Wanda should live or die: “I’m not getting home for supper, am I?”
The Flight 2 anthology from Image blew me away – such a lot of great stuff there, and so varied. A feast for the eye and the mind.
Seven Soldiers has been a huge blast. There are few things I love more than Grant Morrison re-inventing obscure DCU characters and turning them into something wonderful and strange. Had to love the team-up of him and Frazer Irving on Witch Boy. Outstanding!
The first volume of Chris Moeller’s Cold Steel is drop-dead gorgeous. And classic, breathtaking, big-canvas superheroics.
Tom Beland:“¢ Daredevil and New Avengers were much better than I thought they’d be. Bendis has given more personality to the Avengers than I think I’ve ever seen in my lifetime. That’s not to say those ealier stories sucked… far from it. You want a great time? Go read old Avengers books…. Busiek’s run is great and those old issues with the John Buscema art, yummmm.
Conan blew me away. I’ve never really cared for this character and I only bought it because my soul follows Kurt’s work. Then I read it and thought “WHERE THE HELL DID THIS COME FROM??” Cary Nord’s artwork, along with Kurt’s script made me a huge fan of the Cimmerian.
Darwyn Cooke’s NEW FRONTIER. I want to be Darwyn for one day and spend that day at the drawing table just to see what it’s like to be so f*cking amazing. This series should sweep all the awards this year. I’m not a big DC reader.. I’ve only recently come into it over the past ten years or so, compared to nearly 30 years of reading Marvel… but man, this was such a great job.
Those Charles Schulz hardcover editions by Fantagraphics are pure magic. They’re my mother’s homemade chocolate chip cookies cooling in the kitchen on a Saturday afternoon, when the days seemed endless. There’s so much love poured into these books, it’s a shame if you don’t have them on your shelf.
Steve Niles: Well, they finally collected Charles Burns BLACK HOLE. Does that count?
Ben Templesmith: This year I fell in love with the genius that is Shaolin Cowboy.
Duncan Fegredo: I’ve honestly not seen enough to comment on! I did pick up Fantastic Four: Big in Japan, thats a lot of fun silly stuff from Zebb Wells and beautiful art from Seth Fisher. I love John Paul Leons work so Wintermen, again Tommy lee Edwards, his art on The Question was stunning, little hard to follow though. Hellboy:The Island, of course. I didn’t get to read We3 till a couple of months back, that was a stunner, and I enjoyed the first issue of their (Grant Morrison & Frank Quitely) Superman. I’m sure theres a ton of stuff i’ve not seen or simply don’t remember.
Josh Luna: Sadly, things have been a little hectic for us, so we never really had a chance to get in too much reading this year. But Blade of the Immortal is always a sure bet.
Jamie Smart: Revelations (Dark Horse) was beautiful, i could stare at those pages forever. And my girlfriend is shouting ‘We3’ (Vertigo) over my shoulder, i’d have to agree…
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Manolis: What are you most looking forward to, for 2006?
Frank Cho: San Diego Comic Con. Love that convention.
Mike Carey: Working with Jock on Faker. Working with… somebody else, on… another book, for Marvel, but I can’t say what.
The rest of Cold Steel.
The end of Seven Soldiers.
The publication of my first novel, The Devil You Know!
Tom Beland: Working more for Marvel. I’d also love to do something for DC in ’06, but it’s up to me to come up with the idea.. always the tough part.
Keith Giffen: The 2006 football season.
Steve Niles: Announcing the original series I’m working on for DC with my favorite artist of all time! Aside from that I’d like to get some sleep.
Ben Templesmith: Mostly, I’m looking forward to a bit more rest and a bit less work. I’m tired. Working on 3-5 projects at a time will do that to you!
Duncan Fegredo: Seeing my first issue of Hellboy hit the stands.
Jamie Smart: the second Bear trade paperback, because i’m an egotistical son of a bitch :p
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Manolis: Santa has gone missing, and you need to choose one comics ch
aracter to replace him in time for Christmas. Who do you choose, and why?
Frank Cho: Power Girl. Just image her trying to wiggle down the chimney. Hoo-Hah!
Tom Beland: Ben Grimm. Because I think he appreciates this holiday more than anyone else. He shows an amazing amount of compassion towards children. I always wanted an uncle like Ben when I was a kid. And you wouldn’t have to talk him into the job, he’d already be in the Santa gear by the time you finished asking him.
ÃŽÅ¡eith Giffen: Already answered that one. Lobo.
Steve Niles: Son of Satan. Because he also knows which kids have been good or bad. ;)
Ben Templesmith: Any superheroic woman will do, so long as they’re wearing the generic saucy costume and large spherical bewbs of course. In this way, Santa would become a popular marketing machine, able to make billions off endorsments from eager corporations wanting in on the “sexy new santa” look. A music video would follow quickly, and probably a line of clothing and fragrances. Perhaps it would also mean they’d eventually change Xmas to XXXmas too?
Duncan Fegredo: The Flash because he’s so qui…blah, blah, blah….No-one, lets nip this crass commercial holiday in the bud, NOW!
Josh Luna: Superman. You won’t even have to feed him milk and cookies. He watches his weight, I’d imagine.
Kurt Busiek: Wolverine, of course. Even more than Superman and Spider-Man, he’s mastered the art of being in multiple places at once (multiple teams, even!) and thus could get all the deliveries done.
Jamie Smart: a monkey. from any comic. monkeys are in every comic.
give a monkey a santa suit and let him loose on the world’s kids. then film it.
Manolis: Thanks everyone, I hope the New Year is even more succesful and happy for you than the one that left…
