Wednesday Comics
Last year, DC comics launched an ambitious project called 鈥淲ednesday Comics.鈥� For 12 consecutive weeks, readers were treated to new stories done in a facsimile of the classic Sunday comics sections style of old. This year, DC has collected the entire series in Wednesday Comics, an oversized (17.4-by-11.2-inch) hardcover. This out-of-the-box concept attracted some of the world鈥榮 best comic creators, like veteran artist Joe Kubert and novelist Neil Gaiman.
The fun these creators have with the large format shows in every word, line, and color. You can join in as you turn each page wondering what will come next: a powerful Superman zooms right at you, a shadowy Batman crouches on top of a towering skyscraper, a majestic Hawkman soars the sky with flocks of birds, Kamandi (the last boy on earth) explores postapocolyptic landscapes, and there鈥檚 even one page designed like a Snakes & Ladders board game.
While it鈥檚 no surprise superheroes are the main genre (Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Flash, Teen Titans, to name a few), there is also some science fiction (Green Lantern, Adam Strange, Kamandi), war (Sgt. Rock), villainy (Catwoman), horror (Deadman), and even laugh-out-loud humor (Metamorpho, Supergirl). In total there are 15 twelve-page stories and 2 one-pagers. An added bonus in this book is seeing the work behind the finished art. Included are sketches, layout roughs, and even logo designs.
If I had to list my favorites, these would be at the top:
- 鈥淒eadman鈥� by Dave Bullock and Vinton Hueck is a suspenseful, spooky tale. Bullock鈥榮 art grabs your eye immediately with its dynamic layouts (his background is in animation) and use of color and blacks.
- 鈥淕reen Lantern鈥� by Kurt Busiek and Joe Qui帽ones is a 1960s-styled space adventure. (If you have never heard of the Green Lantern you certainly will when the movie comes out next year starring Ryan Reynolds.)
- 鈥淪upergirl鈥� by Jimmy Palmiotti and Amanda Conner is a hysterical, slapstick adventure in which the Girl of Steel tries to corral Krypto the Superdog and Streaky the Supercat. Supergirl鈥榮 facial expressions as drawn by Conner are priceless.
- 鈥淲onder Woman鈥� by Ben Caldwell is a surreal, dreamlike adventure. While most artists use the big pages for huge artwork, Caldwell does the opposite, cramming each page with dozens of tiny panels, every one beautifully drawn so it鈥檚 worth the close inspection.
But my all-around favorite is 鈥淢etamorpho, the Element Man鈥� by Neil Gaiman and Mike Allred. This is a 1960s-style adventure about a search for the 鈥渓egendary star of Atlantis diamond.鈥� Allred鈥檚 kitchy, retro art works perfectly with Gaiman鈥檚 campy script. Best of all are the two pages Allred designs as a periodic table, with Gaiman working each element abbreviation into the dialogue 鈥� very clever and very funny.
鈥淲ednesday Comics鈥� is a must-have book for DC comics fans, fans of any comic art, or even those who used to read comics but haven鈥檛 done so for years. These classic characters still captivate our imaginations 鈥� as they have for decades. To read this book is to feel nostalgia for those lazy summer days when you had nothing to worry about except how Superman would defeat his latest challenger.
I鈥檒l be leaving space on my bookshelf hoping for a Volume 2.
Rich Clabaugh is a staff artist at the Monitor.
