August comic books / Cómics de agosto

August sure was a good month for comic books. Morning Glories # 11 continued the tradition of digging into the past lives of the main characters, this time it was the turn of Ike, the wealthy and selfish kid that has quickly turned into of my favorite characters. Severed # 1 was a very pleasant surprise, can’t wait for the next issues. Red Wing # 2 was so much better than the first issue, why did Jonathan Hickman decided to start with such an uninspiring first issue? But if I had to choose a favorite that’d be Kick Ass 2 # 3, it made me laugh, it shocked me, so much happened here, this is the antithesis of decompression. Hero Comics 2011 and Caligula # 3 were very good, I’ll try to review them in individual posts. And, of course, Butcher Baker Candlestickmaker # 2 was everything I could hope for from such a creative team as the one formed by Ennis and Robertson. So without further ado here you have my comic books from August (and in no particular order):

ARMY OF DARKNESS #1
By James Kuhoric & Sanford Greene The Army of Darkness ongoing series is here and the first story arc features the crossover no one ever expected to see: Army of Darkness vs. Re-Animator! Ash Vs. West! Winner takes all! Following the exciting conclusion of Shop 'Til You Drop (Dead), this first issue finds Ash committed to Arkham Asylum. It's here that he runs afoul of a rather ghoulish and creepy Herbert West... and the battle of the century begins! Featuring covers by (and shipping in equal increments): J.G. Jones (Wanted), Sanford Greene, Gabriel Dell'Otto (Secret War), and Nick Bradshaw. And, as if that weren't enough, there will a 1-in-25 cover by Nick Bradshaw featuring an 'homage' to classic slasher monster films, inserted in orders shipped! Also available Signed by artist Sanford Green! For the 'discriminating collector,' Dynamite presents a High End Limited Edition with a new 'Boomstick Foil' cover by Sanford Greene!

ARMY OF DARKNESS #2
By James Kuhoric, Sanford Greene, & Scott Kester Locked in an insane asylum, surrounded by re-animated abominations, and low on gas, Ash leads a misfit band of wannabe heroes into the depths of a Deadite-infested madhouse. Facing an entire wing of undead inmates, Ash must uncover the Necronomicon and send the evil spirits back before the gateway to the Old Ones is opened, ushering in the destruction of the human race! Its Cthulhu meets 'Chin-Fu' as everyone's favorite one-handed, wisecracking anti-hero discovers that there are worse things than Deadites detailed in the blood-soaked pages of the Book of the Dead! Can Ash uncover the book and save the day before the 'Chosen One' flies over the cuckoo's nest?!

ARMY OF DARKNESS FROM ASHES #1
by James Kuhoric & Fernando Blanco Fresh from the Marvel Zombies vs. AOD crossover! ... well, not 'minty' fresh, but fresh enough from his appearance in the universe of the Marvel Zombies, our un-intrepid hero has returned to his own world ... but what a world it's become! Evil Ash and his Deadite hordes rule the land, and everywhere Ash turns is filled with mutants and monsters! Can Ashley J. Williams gather his 'chosen' and take down the Deadite hordes and restore order to the world? Read on, and find out! The action and post-apocalyptic excitement is once again brought to you by the creative team of writer James Kuhoric and artist Fernando Blanco, and features a stunning painted cover from Arthur (Savage Tales, Marvel Zombies) Suydam and an alternate cover by Fabiano Neves!

ARMY OF DARKNESS FROM ASHES #2 
by James Kuhoric & Fernando Blanco Dynamite proudly presents the return of Ash and the Army of Darkness! Continuing the undead action and excitement from issue #1 (following the crossover of 2007, Marvel Zombies vs. the Army of Darkness), Ash continues to explore the Deadite-infested wastes of Detroit as he attempts to wrestle control of the world back from Evil Ash and his Deadite minions! Featuring another stunning script by James Kuhoric, awesome art by Fernando Blanco, and sure-to-be coveted covers by Arthur Suydam (75%) and a vicious variant chance cover by Fabiano (Marvel Zombies vs. the Army of Darkness) Neves, this is destined to be the most talked about AOD series yet! Also available in a special Foil Cov

BOYS #10 (M)
Hughie has pieced together the mysterious death of a young man, and a super-human is to blame... but is apprehension of the culprit going to be possible? Can a murderer who wears a cape be punished?

BOYS #12 (M)
The plot thickens as Little Nina's backers are revealed, and the Boys dig deeper into the mystery of the exploding supes. Hughie learns the delicate art of prisoner interrogation, and Vas lets slip the secret of the Black Skull Vodka in 'Glorious Five Year Plan,' Part Two!

BOYS BUTCHER BAKER CANDLESTICKMAKER #2 (MR)
(W) Garth Ennis (A/C) Darick Robertson 1982: on the desolate Falkland Islands in the South Atlantic, young Royal Marine Billy Butcher finds his calling. But no one can stay at war forever, and trouble comes when he indulges his love of conflict in civilian life. Butcher's life seems locked on a grim course- but help may be at hand from a rather unexpected source... MATURE THEMES

CALIGULA #3 (OF 6) WRAP CVR (MR)
(W) David Lapham (A) German Nobile David (Crossed) Lapham unveils a new tale of ancient Rome and the most feared emperor of all time. The one name that still speaks volumes of how absolute power can corrupt - Caligula. Things in Rome are reaching the breaking point. Caligula's madness is becoming apparent to some. He must go. However successfully acting on it is a very different matter. Virgin blood ceremonies, gladiator fights rigged for added brutality, and dinner parties where guests are randomly slaughtered - is there a limit to Caligula's depravity? Can Felix keep his focus and sanity in the face of so much misery and horro? A modern master of horror, Lapham digs deep into the world of Rome 37 AD and offers a unique epic of sin. Joined by new talent German Nobile who promises to serve up fully-painted pages dripping with blood, this all-new, full-color series will be six issues of evil that will make any Crossed fan smile with glee. For in the age of Caligula, all roads lead to Hell. Caligula #3 is available with a Regular cover by Jacen Burrows, a Wraparound cover by series artist German Nobile, and a special rare Golden retriever incentive.

HERO COMICS 2011 (ONE SHOT)
Neil Gaiman, Sam Kieth, John Layman, Richard Starkings, Steven Perry, Ralph Reese (w)  Mike Dringenberg, Sam Kieth, Rob Guillory, Chris Ivy, Stephen R. Bissette, Ralph Reese (a)  J. Scott Campbell, Adam Hughes Hero Comics 2011 reunites the original Sandman creative team for the first time in more than 20 years! Gaiman, Kieth, Dringenberg, together again at last! This is BIG! This is THE BEATLES getting back together for one final album-this is an event that is not to be missed! But that's not all, we also have an exclusive CHEW short story by John Layman and Rob Guillory! Chew was one of the most honored and acclaimed books last year, taking the comics world by storm. Its meteoric rise included an Eisner Award for best new series of the year! Plus, we've got a beauty of an ELEPHANTMAN story by Richard Starkings and Dougie Braithwaite! Special bonus-Sam Kieth brings you a behind-the-scenes mini-memoir of how this Sandman-alum project came to be. Plus true-to-life experiences from comics creators who have personally benefitted from the Hero Initiative!

KICK-ASS 2 #3 (MR)
Written by MARK MILLAR Pencils & Cover by JOHN ROMITA JR. The sequel to the New York Times best-selling comic - which spawned the hit movie - continues! By putting on his now-famous green costume and dishing out his own brand of vigilante justice on street thugs and mob bosses alike, high school loser Dave Lizewski changed the world. Now, after a successful first mission with his new team of self-proclaimed 'super heroes'-?JUSTICE FOREVER - Dave and his crew start to understand what living in this new world really means. Plus, the return of Kick-Ass' arch-nemesis THE RED MIST, and things come to a head for HIT-GIRL! 32 PGS./Mature

MORNING GLORIES #11 (MR)
story NICK SPENCER art JOE EISMA cover RODIN ESQUEJO  He's the Glory everyone loves to hate: This issue, learn all the secrets behind Manhattan's most devious young socialite!

PUNISHER #1
Written by GREG RUCKA Penciled by MARCO CHECCHETTO Cover by BRYAN HITCH Variant Cover by SAL BUSCEMA Variant Cover by NEAL ADAMS Blank cover also available TIME TO GET BACK TO WORK. For Frank Castle death comes easy...life is where things gets complicated. Fully loaded with the Eisner winning writer Greg Rucka (Batwoman, Queen and Country, WOLVERINE) and neo-superstar artist Marco Checchetto (Amazing Spider-Man, Daredevil), the BIGGEST GUN of all returns with blood on his hands and vengeance in his eyes. As New York City's body counts continue to rise, the city's streets are teeming with more methodical criminals than ever and a police force doing it's best to keep its head above water. The Punisher has returned to serve his own brand of justice with everything's he's got... but can he survive the darkness stored in his own arsenal? Plus bonus pages exploring some of the new personalities in Frank's life...and how closely intertwined living is with dying. 40 PGS./Parental Advisory

RED WING #2 (OF 4)
story JONATHAN HICKMAN, A PLUS! PROJECT art & cover NICK PITARRA & RACHELLE ROSENBERG  'LEARNING TO FLY' Lost in time -- deep in enemy history --  the Captain of the First Wing must find a way home so that he can begin the space-time program that will one day save his future.   

SEVERED #1 (MR)
story SCOTT SNYDER & SCOTT TUFT art / cover ATTILA FUTAKI  'NOTHING WASTED,' Part One 1916. A man haunts the roads; a man with sharp teeth and a hunger for flesh. When 12-year-old Jack Garron runs away from home, he'll see how quickly the American Dream becomes a nightmare. Be there at the beginning of the series that everyone will be talking about!  From Eisner-nominated writer SCOTT SNYDER (American Vampire, Detective Comics), SCOTT TUFT and ATTILA FUTAKI (NYT Best-Selling-Artist: Percy Jackson) comes the most terrifying horror series of 2011--SEVERED.

VAMPIRELLA #8 
(W) Eric Trautmann (A) Fabiano Neves (C) Jelena Kevic-Djurdjevic (25%), Paul Renaud (25%), Ale Garza (25%), Fabiano Neves (25%) A lonely stretch of highway. A tiny town in the middle of nowhere. A trio of vicious creatures on a mission of murder and destruction. And all that stands in their way is Vampirella. It's a road-trip through death and horror, as Vampirella, still dealing with the aftermath of her first adventure, faces a threat that may finally be her match.

WALKING DEAD #88 (MR)
story ROBERT KIRKMAN art / cover CHARLIE ADLARD & CLIFF RATHBURN  Every day, it becomes a little bit easier.

ZORRO RIDES AGAIN #1
Writer: Matt Wagner Penciller/Inker: Esteve Polls Covers: Matt Wagner The one and only Matt (MAGE, GRENDEL) Wagner returns to conclude his epic story of Zorro! We return to the story as Alejeandro de la Vega finds out that his son, Don Diego, is pulling double-duty as Zorro. How will this affect Zorro's continuing crusade against the alcalde of Los Angeles, Luis Quintero? Find out in ZORRO RIDES AGAIN #1!

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Agosto fue un buen mes para los cómics. Morning Glories # 11 continuó la tradición de escarbar en el pasado de los personajes principales, esta vez fue el turno de Ike, el acaudalado y egoísta chaval que rápidamente se ha convertido en uno de mis personajes predilectos. Severed # 1 fue una sorpresa sumamente agradable, no puedo esperar a leer las próximas entregas. Red Wing # 2 estuvo mucho mejor que el primer número, ¿por qué Jonathan Hickman habrá decidido empezar la miniserie de manera tan débil? Aunque si tuviera que elegir a mi favorito sería Kick Ass 2 # 3, que me hizo reír y me impresionó bastante, pasaron tantas cosas en este ejemplar que se convierte en la antítesis de la descompresión. Hero Comics 2011 y Caligula # 3 fueron muy buenos, y trataré de revisarlos individualmente. Y, por supuesto, Butcher Baker Candlestickmaker # 2 fue todo lo que podría esperar de un equipo tan creativo como el formado por Ennis y Robertson. Así que, sin mayores preámbulos, aquí están mis cómics de agosto: 

ARMY OF DARKNESS #1
El ejército de la oscuridad se enfrentará al Re-Animador.

ARMY OF DARKNESS #2
¿Cómo enfrentarse a las abominaciones reanimadas?

ARMY OF DARKNESS FROM ASHES #1
El mundo ha cambiado. ¿Podrá ASH encontrar a los ‘elegidos’?

ARMY OF DARKNESS FROM ASHES #2  
Es hora de luchar por el control de un mundo peligroso.

My layouts / mis bocetos

BOYS #10 (M)
Un súper-humano es culpable de la muerte de un joven. ¿Pero será posible capturar a un sujeto con tantos poderes? 

BOYS #12 (M)  
El misterio del “supes” explosivo aumenta. Mientras, el delicado arte de interrogar prisioneros pasa a ser algo fundamental.

BOYS BUTCHER BAKER CANDLESTICKMAKER #2 (MR) 
1982: en las desoladas islas del Atlántico Sur, el joven marine Billy encuentra su vocación. Pero nadie puede estar en guerra para siempre.

CALIGULA #3 (OF 6) WRAP CVR (MR) 
La locura de Calígula es evidente para algunos. Y debe terminar. ¿Pero qué se puede hacer contra el césar? Ceremonias con sangre de vírgenes, luchas de gladiadores y cenas en los que los invitados son asesinados al azar. ¿Hay límite a la depravación de Calígula? ¿Podrá Félix conservar la cordura ante tanta miseria y horror?

HERO COMICS 2011 (ONE SHOT)  
Neil Gaiman, Sam Kieth & Mike Dringenberg. El equipo creativo original de SANDMAN reunido por primera vez en más de veinte años.

KICK-ASS 2 #3 (MR)
Al usar un traje verde y luchar contra el crimen, KICK-ASS cambió el mundo. Ahora, después de una primera misión exitosa con su nuevo equipo, Dave intentará comprender qué es lo que significa vivir en este mundo.

MORNING GLORIES #11 (MR)
Él es la gloria que todos odian. ¿Cuáles son los siniestros secretos del chico más adinerado e insoportable de todo Manhattan?

PUNISHER #1 
Para Frank la muerte llega fácil... la vida es lo complicado. Frank regresa con sangre en sus manos y venganza en su mirada

RED WING #2 (OF 4) 
Perdido en el tiempo, el capitán del Primer Ala debe encontrar un camino a casa para iniciar el programa que salvará el futuro.

SEVERED #1 (MR) 
En 1916, un hombre acecha los caminos, hambriento de carne. Cuando Jack, un chaval de doce años, escapa de casa descubrirá qué tan rápido el sueño americano se convierte en una pesadilla. 

VAMPIRELLA #8 
Una carretera. Un pequeño pueblo en medio de la nada. Un trío de viciosas criaturas en una misión de asesinato y destrucción.

WALKING DEAD #88
Cada día es más fácil.

ZORRO RIDES AGAIN #1 
Alejandro de la Vega descubre que su hijo, Don Diego, es el nuevo Zorro. ¿Cómo afectará este descubrimiento al Zorro original?

“Deck” de Alex Castañeda (Corriente Alterna)

Believe it or not, I’ve been around. From December 2006 through the first month of 2007 I shared an apartment with four foreign students in Coconut Grove (Florida), one of them was from Korea and the others were from Turkey. It was a pleasant surprise to realize that despite our cultural differences we were able to get along just fine. I have to admit that I had never talked to people from neither of those countries, and it was very interesting to be in a group of individuals from such different backgrounds.



It was very important to be fluent in English, because the only way to communicate with them was through a common language. Although one of them could speak Spanish at a beginner’s level.


I learned to keep an open mind about people that I would have normally considered as “different”. When I first found out that I was going to live with Turkish and Korean undergraduates I have to admit that I was somehow preoccupied. However, after spending some time with them I understood that we weren’t so different after all. I think that should be the key to establish good relationships. After a few days we found out that we had things in common. For example, the Korean student was a comic book collector just like I am. And a couple of the Turkish students were very interested in computer games. There were differences between us, but I decided that none of those differences should cause troubles between us. What I did was try to find what we had in common, to find something that could bring us together instead of focusing on the details that could have driven us apart. My Turkish friends used to have a cup of tea every afternoon, very much like I suppose the British do; occasionally I joined them in this activity that seemed almost like a ritual. They used to go to bed early, so I avoided making noise.


At the time, I remember tasting some of the entrees of the Ritz Carlton-Key Biscayne (a five star, five diamond hotel, and coincidentally one of Paul McCartney’s favorite US establishments), and although they were really good I didn't need to make much of an effort to remember myself eating something better in Peru; however, the difference in prices between the Ritz Carlton and a normal Peruvian restaurant can be quite astronomic, so in the end is not about expensive tastes, it is just about taste. Every time I think of Paul McCartney I think of that specific Ritz Carlton (the cheapest room in 2007 was 600 hundred bucks, but you could easily find rooms above the 10000 mark)… and just today my good friend Bruno Conte Pujalt sent me an email telling me that he had some discounted tickets for the first, and perhaps only, concert that the ex-Beatle will be performing here in Peru.

                                                                       Rodin Esquejo


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Este lunes se inauguró la muestra de Alex Castañeda, “Deck”, en Corriente Alterna. Se trata de un artista joven pero sumamente talentoso. Desafiando el canon del arte contemporáneo, Castañeda no tiene problemas en buscar inspiración en artistas universales como Rubens o Rembrandt. Su obra se compone de mujeres. El cuerpo femenino adopta aquí diversas posiciones que sirven para desbaratar un status quo ya caduco. Como bien señala Lamas en el texto introductorio de la obra, la mujer ha sido siempre el objeto de deseo (no en términos lacanianos, claro) apropiado por los sujetos que se encontraban en el poder en un momento dado y que encargaban cuadros a los artistas. En este caso, desde el formato mismo –tablas de skate- hasta la reinterpretación lúdica del eros femenino, tamizado mediante máscaras u otras imágenes alegóricas, el concepto del hombre en el poder queda desvirtuado. Castañeda ha sabido aprovechar, incluso, las curvaturas del skate para acomodar tobillos y caras, creando una sensación distinta a la que tendríamos en un lienzo totalmente plano. Estamos, entonces, frente a la obra de un artista prometedor que sin duda nos seguirá sorprendiendo en el futuro.


Durante la noche tuve la oportunidad de brindar con whisky con mi amigo y artista David Rejas (pueden ver una de sus obras en el post del 6 de abril), con quien me quedé conversando algunos minutos. Algo que en las últimas muestras no había sido posible o bien porque yo no tenía tiempo o porque el andaba más ocupado que yo. También estuve conversando con Eduardo Deza, un artista que presentó varios cuadros en la Galería Shock en enero (y un extraordinario autorretrato en el Centro Cultural Ccori Wasi hace casi dos semanas). Ambos comentamos el dominio de la técnica y el óptimo resultado de los cuadros de Castañeda.
 
A continuación adjunto cuatro viñetas de una nueva historia. Dos de ellas resultarán familiares para los lectores habituales del blog.
 

Jardín exterior de Dédalo

Galería Lucía de la Puente

Regalo de María Fe (desde Londres)

“Chicamatic” de Natalia Pilo-Pais (Galería Cecilia González)

This Wednesday I was in the inauguration of “Chicamatic” by Natalia Pilo-Pais in Cecilia Gonzalez Gallery. The artistic works remind us of past decades, in which the objectified woman was also the woman with objects, namely a fridge from a certain brand or other kitchen appliances. Have things really changed for women nowadays? In Peruvian publicity only women with bikinis appear on beer TV ads, and there is also the typical laundry commercial in which a man lectures the woman (yes, the same woman who’s been in charge of laundry her entire life) on which cleaning product is the best. I found the Baudrillard quotation in the official gallery text quite interesting, as it make us remember the inconstancy of that which Lacan denominated the object a, which is so aptly represented in marketing.


And since the focus is in feminine consumerism, dictated by hegemonic male control, I decided to include a weapon of mass destruction, which perhaps is a male object in itself. I painted it with watercolors and keeping in mind that I haven’t colored anything in years, I think the result is not bad.


And I also got the first Morning Glories trade paperback. I might re-read the first 6 issues next week.

 

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El día miércoles estuve en la inauguración de “Chicamatic” de Natalia Pilo-Pais, en la Galería Cecilia González. Esta original muestra nos retrotrae a décadas pasadas, en donde la mujer-objeto era concebida a través de la mujer-con-el-objeto; es decir, la ama de casa ideal tenía una plancha de esta marca, una refrigeradora de esta otra marca, etc. ¿Vivimos en tiempos en los que la mujer se encuentra absolutamente emancipada? No necesariamente, la publicidad de cerveza parece confiar solamente en las mujeres en bikinis y no existen detergentes para el público masculino (recordemos el esquema típico, la ama de casa que lava ropa todo el tiempo pero que ni siquiera es capaz de elegir un producto que deja la ropa blanca “de verdad” y una persona, curiosamente un hombre, le enseña qué marca comprar). Interesante la cita sobre Baudrillard que se encuentra en el texto oficial de la muestra, porque nos remite finalmente a la inconstancia de eso que Lacan llamaba el objeto a, nunca mejor explicitado que a través del marketing.


Y teniendo en cuenta que toda la muestra gira en torno a los objetos de consumo femeninos, dictados por una hegemónica mente masculina, decidí incluir algo que, suponemos, es un objeto masculino en sí mismo, por el simple hecho de ser un arma de destrucción masiva. Pinté este dibujo con acuarelas, y para ser la primera vez que uso color en muchos años creo que no quedó tan mal.

El último lustro: 15 propuestas jóvenes del Perú

A couple of hours ago I was in the inauguration of "Último lustro", exhibition that gathers the work of 15 young Peruvian artists. Not only did I run into David Rejas but also I had the chance to talk briefly with one of those young artists: Galahad Ledgard (I know him because we went to the same school); he was kind enough to explain some of the aspects of his artistic proposal.


Usually this would have been the highlight of my day. Not this time, though. Nothing beats the feeling of reading my published comic story. Is so thrilling to see my name in print, and to read a story that I wrote, pencilled and inked.


Most of my copies will be sold to my closest friends, and to add something special I decided to include a signed edition plus a free sketch for three lucky ones. The first one goes to my friend María Fe (currently on London, looking for 2000AD progs from the late 70s). 


Meanwhile, I'm still finishing all of my December and January comics, so probably my next post will be about it.

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Hace un par de horas estuve en la inauguración de la muestra Último lustro, que reúne el trabajo de 15 jóvenes artistas peruanos. Las obras fueron presentadas simultáneamente en la Sala Luis Miró Quesada Garland así como en el Centro Cultural Ricardo Palma. Además de saludar a mi amigo David Rejas, pude conversar brevemente con uno de los artistas en cuestión: Galahad Ledgard, reyrrojino como yo, que tuvo la amabilidad de explicarme algunos puntos sobre su propuesta artística.


Normalmente, esto hubiese sido el mejor momento del día, pero hay algo que lo supera: leer mi propio cómic publicado. Hay una emoción muy especial en ver mi nombre impreso en un cómic, y en leer una historia escrita y dibujada por mí.


La mayoría de estos ejemplares está a la venta, pero para tres de mis amigos más cercanos decidí incluir no solamente una edición autografiada sino un par de bocetos gratis (la primera afortunada es mi eterna amiga María Fe, actualmente de vacaciones en Londres y seguramente visitando tiendas de cómics para conseguirme ejemplares de hace 40 años de 2000AD).


Mientras tanto, estoy por terminar de leer mis cómics de diciembre y enero, así que probablemente la próxima vez hablaré sobre mis favoritos.