2006-03-14 - IT WAS GOD-AWFUL, WASN'T IT?

TwoMorrows Publishing recently released THE DARK AGE – GRIM, GREAT & GIMMICKY POST-MODERN COMICS, by Mark Voger with photos by Kathy Vogleson (available for purchase through this very Web site). The comics scene of the 90s was a bit like the disco scene of the 70s – it was shallow, disposable, expensive, gaudy, and somehow still worthy of eliciting a chuckle in retrospect. Pretty much everyone was suckered into buying multiple copies of a polybagged, die-cut, hologram-plastered comic book, even if they only did it once before catching on to the con. And boy, did comics publishers sure get the best of collectors – until collectors wised up and knocked the industry right on its ass.

THE DARK AGE is a wonderful exploration of a time when the sizzle was more valuable than the steak, and it features interviews with TODD McFARLANE (who apparently never learned anything, other than how NOT to make a movie), DAVE GIBBONS (WATCHMEN), ALEX ROSS (KINGDOM COME), MIKE MIGNOLA (HELLBOY), J. O’BARR (THE CROW), DAVID LAPHAM (STRAY BULLETS), MIKE ALLRED (MADMAN), and DENNIS O’NEIL (BATMAN: KNIGHTFALL), among other main cast members (or culprits, depending on your outlook).

No stone is left unturned. Mark Voger examines the beginning of the dark age, with looks at FRANK MILLER’S DARK KNIGHT RETURNS and ALAN MOORE’s WATCHMEN. One chapter is dedicated to DAVID LAPHAM, and is titled “Bulletproof career cachet: How DAVID LAPHAM survived being ‘hot.’” Read that, ROB LIEFELD. Scratch that; maybe you should actually take some more anatomy art classes, Mr. 501.

Another chapter takes a look at BRIAN PULIDO, and his Evil Ernie and Lady Death franchises. And what discussion of the ‘90s would be complete without the death of Superman? THE DARK AGE provides an interview with SUPERMAN #75 editor MIKE CARLIN about the demise of the Man of Steel. Fortunately, deaths in comics are a lot like retirements in pro wrestling: they don’t exist.

One of the most entertaining sections of THE DARK AGE highlights the top ten clichés of the era, including #3 (Cover Enhancements), and #1 (Makeovers). The rest are equally groan-inducing, for those fans who were part of the sham. Still, the book provides a great trip down memory lane, and it’s a lot cheaper than the cost it took to ride the rollercoaster the first time around in the ‘90s. THE DARK AGE gets Squib Central’s highest possible recommendation.

As if they don’t have enough of my money….

Last week PEARL JAM released the first single, “Worldwide Suicide,” from their upcoming self-titled album (out May 2), on the band’s official Web site, www.PearlJam.com. Word from PEARL JAM’s camp is the album will be very hard and visceral, like their sophomore release, VS. “Worldwide Suicide” is certainly a rocker, but only time will tell if the new album can match VS, or previous efforts. Take a listen for yourself. In a move that some are calling unprecedented, PEARL JAM is allowing listeners to download the single for free.

PEARL JAM also announced dates for the first leg of their upcoming tour. MY MORNING JACKET will play the opening slot. And coming up even sooner, they’ll be appearing on SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE on April 15.

And to make PEARL JAM even lighter in the pockets, the band has begun to release live recordings from their vaults exclusively in MP3 format. First up: An explosive show from Las Vegas that the band played in 1993. For approximately 10 bucks, you can a soundboard quality bootleg, 19 tracks long, and heavy on the hits.

On April 5, DH Press, a division of Dark Horse Comics, is releasing SCARFACE, THE BEGINNING, a paperback novel, written by L.A. Banks.

The first of two books, SCARFACE, THE BEGINNING, offers fans a look at Tony Montana prior to his arrival in America. It’s a prequel to the DE PALMA movie, of course, and one can only imagine why it took this long for somebody to cash in on the franchise. We’ve seen the action figures and we’ve heard about the upcoming video game. Will it be only a matter of time before Dark Horse takes Tony Montana straight to the funny books? The movie, released in 1983, certainly feels like a comic book at times, so why not?

For fans of CHARLES BURNS’ BLACK HOLE…

You may want to check out THUMBSUCKER, recently released to DVD. The premise is simple: a confused, slacker teen named Justin Cobb (Lou Pucci) with the bad habit of sucking on his thumb is persuaded by his teacher (Vince Vaughn, in maybe his only truly geeky role) and his reluctant parents, who insist on being called by their first names so they don’t feel old (the equally confused Vincent D’Onofrio and Tilda Swinton) to give Ritalin a try.

Justin takes the drug and turns into a monster: focused, driven, and able to read MOBY DICK in one sitting, he leads the debate team to many victories, and in the process, alienates his parents, his younger brother, and the few friends he once had. Meanwhile, his parents force happiness onto themselves, pretending to be a well-adjusted family, who are more worried about their own lives than raising their children. To paraphrase one of the DVD menus, how can we raise children when we are still children? Indeed, having children does not gain one a free entrance into the world of adulthood. Problems do not disappear; they only get pushed aside. Unfortunately, sometimes parents push aside their children instead.

The movie, directed by Mike Mills (featuring a soundtrack by THE POLYPHONIC SPREE and ELLIOTT SMITH), based on a novel of the same name (written by Walter Kirn), is a heartbreaking coming-of-age tale. Everybody needs someone, or something, to get them through this life. People like to think of adolescent years as the most trying, but really, it’s being a teen when the rocky journey just begins. No one really fits in. No one is really cool. There is no easy way out. And there’ll always be more questions than answers. The only difference is, adults don’t have curfews.

EMAIL THE AUTHOR | ARCHIVES