Moving house. Packing DVDs. Padding comics. Packing books. Backing ache.

And I need to unpack when I get there? GAAAAAH!

Fantagraphics is going to reprint The Complete Pogo by Walt Kelly! Complete Pogo!! How cool is that! You know what’s cooler? Jeff Smith – the man behind Bone and the recent Shazam: Monster Society of Evilis designing the books. Can’t hardly wait.

I read John Porcellino’s Perfect Example the other day and was totally unimpressed. Yes, I am more of a genre-worshipper, so autobiographical graphic novels are a bit iffy. But consider this, I love Epileptic, Persepolis, Maus, and a whole load of other autobiographical comics, but found Perfect Example boring. Probably it was the art, which was so stripped-down that, I will be perfectly honest here, a three-year old kid with an artistic bent of mind could do better. Add to it the emo-heavy dialogues, which are more of generalised conversation punctuated with the occasional f-word, and there you have it – John Porcellino’s work, which has been described as “some of the most thoughtful, intelligent, sympathetic and, yes, beautiful comix in America.” Feh. I want my money back. Hold on, I didn’t pay any money for it – if I had, I would be really pissed.

Ultimate Spider-man surprises me, and not in a good way. Brian Bendis had a winner on his hands when he started out – carte blanche with the Spider-man mythos, an artist like Mark Bagley – there were places he could have gone, things he could have done – instead, I find that Ultimate Spider-man has become a “which new villain is being updated for the Ultimate Universe”-chapter every month. The whole Ultimate-ization was meant to be a chance to new readers to hop onto the convoluted Marvel universe without being overwhelmed by all the characters. Well and good. But when you start doing tricks like bringing in characters like Moon Knight for five issues without any explanation of what’s going on and who Moon Knight is – the whole purpose is slightly defeated, to say the least. Two years ago, I would have recommended USM whole-heartedly to anyone who’s getting into comics and wants to read good superhero stuff. Today, I will probably ask him to go read…I dunno…Hitman, maybe while I ponder on the assheadedness of naming the High School principal Ross Andru or an innocent bystander in Chinatown Taki Soma.

There is the occasional gem, like the issue in which Mary-Jane goes on a post-breakup date – the last page, one full page splash of Mary-Jane looking straight into Mark Raxton’s eyes and explaining, in a single word, what’s so special about Peter Parker. That page is in itself good enough for me to give USM a chance. But yeah, I think it’s all going to go downhill once Bendis leaves – issue 110, just about 7 more issues to go.

This rant courtesy the weekend reread of issues 1-59, and the subsequent download-cum-read of issues 60-96.

Which also reminds me – I gave in and bought a page from Ultimate Spiderman. The second appearance of Ultimate Green Goblin, all the way from issue 5. I know the guy who owns the first appearance of UGG, and ..who knows…he might be willing to part with it someday. Mark Bagley’s art, oh boy oh boy. I need a splash from USM. And a babe page. Definitely a babe page. Black Cat vs Elektra, maybe. Or Gwen and Mary Jane. Ooooh, possibilities!

The Fables cover went for 15000$ and change.

I…I can’t think of anything else to say.