I have only a single review for you today, but I wanted to share with you a few thoughts about life, and why it is so damned good. I have been given gifts: gifts of family, gifts of friends, and gifts of camaraderie. My family is composed of me, my wife, and my son. If I had a choice to choose only two people to accompany me in life, with no afterthought or regrets, I would choose them to accompany me. She makes me laugh, think, and, most importantly, loves me far more than I deserve. He is able to make me laugh every day. And he is so bright. I have friends in the industry who respect me and enjoy my writing. They write me, sending comments about my recent columns. Their work has inspired me, and to have ongoing conversations with them is a payment of sorts for my efforts. My best male friend Russ Stewart, owner of Robin Goodfellow, who I write for, is a person who I adore. We talk late into the night about politics and comics. He is a great person, and an even better friend; that he was my best man 17 years ago and would still be should give you an idea of the high esteem I hold for him. Musician, web site owner, and goof ball James Jobe I have not met, except across the internet. I write for him at STL Comics and working with him is every bit as much fun as doing fun stuff with others. I suspect that should we live nearer, we’d be a famous pair at conventions. We are both nuts, I suspect. I have recently had coffee with Barb Schulz, a fine artist and good friend. We talked about comics and life. I drove my wife to Madison, Wisconsin, so we could see for the first time our niece, newly born child of my siste-in-law. While there, I had a 2 hour talk with Pop Thought writer Kurt Wilcken and his family. We talked all sorts of stuff: comics, the Bush Administration, other smaller themed politics, gaming, and life. Quite honestly, other than a hope to make more money, to help pay bills, and afford more things, I am really happy with my life and work.
Due to the intellectual edge of the work, there is almost no way to bring to light the very wonderful humor in this title. No, you do not need a Ph.D. to understand it, just that it requires an appreciation of irony and ability to appreciate dark humor. And I have to say that I suspect that not everyone would understand the use of pathos along with humor that makes Stickleback so majorly good. I have decided that the two types of works that really make reviewers throw their hands up in despair are humor and erotica. Now, that does not mean it cannot be done, but other than concerns over quality within each genre, is the very basic concept of... did it work? If you laughed or ... um... moaned... the product in question worked. I absolutely laughed here. And the quality of the work was good as well. The lead character is struggling to create art for an upcoming show, and is facing his own creative lethargy as well as trying to face the needs of a “friend”. But the situation of helping a friend shows how difficult the central character finds the world to be. Faced with a need to show empathy, a fear of jerks, and an almost guiltless response to a terrible act, the lead character returns home to work upon his art, and decides he has created something wonderful. The brilliance behind Annable’s story and seemingly simplistic art is to cast a dark character in a setting that is even darker, and show how the typical frustrations of life can pull down even the well intentioned. I think that this book might escape your view, and it would be a shame if that happened.
HOARSE AND BUGGY BRING THE STARS TO WWLA FOR SIGNINGS AND A WORLD PREMIERE
Los Angeles, California – March 15, 2005 – Hoarse and Buggy Productions, publishers of two of the best reviewed independent comic books on the stands today are pleased to announce their star studded line-up for Wizard World Los Angeles including Horror Maestro Steve Niles.
All weekend long in the Hoarse and Buggy Productions booth there will be signing sessions featuring the talented creators that have worked on Western Tales of Terror. Joining Steve Niles will be Dan Taylor, Dan Wickline, Todd Livingston, Chuck BB and few other surprise guests. According to Joshua Hale Fialkov (Editor in Chief of Hoarse and Buggy Productions) “I have never been as excited for a convention as I am for Wizard World Los Angeles. If all we were doing was a signing it would be a big deal but we have planned much more. We will be giving original art to contest winners and Wizard World Los Angeles will be the first ever place to purchase our newest book Elk’s Run. If you’re asking yourself if Elk’s Run is the book Brian Michael Bendis called “Damn fine comic book making” and Warren Ellis called “Really, really good” the answer would be YES! .” Hoarse and Buggy Productions will be located in Booth 642 (in the Small Press Section) at the Wizard World Los Angeles Comic Convention, March 18th to 20th at the Long Beach Convention Center.
About Hoarse and Buggy Productions: Hoarse and Buggy Productions was formed in 2004 by Joshua Hale Fialkov and Christopher Arundel as a catch-all for all of their creative ventures, including publishing, film-making, and animation. In that short time, the company has grown to be one of the most talked about independent comic book publishers in the industry, with critical acclaim coming from Wizard, Variety, and virtually every comic book web site. Visit us online for more information at www.hoarseandbuggy.com
COMICS FAN MAKES SECOND ATTEMPT TO BUY COMICS CATALOGUE
Fan Of 30 Years Has Starting Bid Accepted For Rights To Valiant Universe
Contact: Ian Feller, 813/889-8977, ian@813sands.com
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