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Thursday, September 2, 2010
Advance Reviews from the Indy Comics World
STREET ANGEL and BARAKA AND BLACK MAGIC IN MOROCCO
One of the best things about writing a column for a comics web site is the occasional advance review copy. This week, I’m taking a look at two I/SP comics that are currently available for order in this month’s Previews: Street Angel by Jim Rugg and Brian Maruca and Baraka and Black Magic in Morocco by Rick Smith.  Street Angel
- Jim Rugg and Brian Maruca
Published by Slave Labor Graphics Street Angel is a rare blend of street smart superheroics and humor. The book focuses on Jessie Sanchez, a homeless, skateboarding superheroine who, at the age of thirteen, has already figured out the way the world works. Part of Street Angel’s appeal is the way it both embraces and mocks common superheroic tropes. The first issue’s villain, Dr. Pangea, has a goal right out of the pages of Golden Age comics – he wants to take over the world. Embracing his moniker, Dr. Pangea formulates a plan to reunite the world’s continents to put all nations under his control. Both in image and in action, Dr. Pangea resembles Captain Marvel villain Dr. Sivana, but his characterization highlights why such characters no longer work in most contemporary settings, but it does work with the tone of Street Angel. Every nuance, from his secret lair (obscured by his name, printed backwards, on the sign) to his problem with henchmen not punching in and out correctly (causing a human resources nightmare), builds on classic superhero comic themes. In one exchange, the Mayor and the Chief of Police discuss Dr. Pangea’s name and his motivations and how they correlate: “Do you suppose his real name is Pangea or that he changed it to coincide with this hair-brained scheme of his?” “Did you even read the dossier? It’s always been Pangea. Rudy Ivan Pangea. And this ‘scheme’ is fool-proof, Anderson. I assure you of that.” “Well, do you think having that name has driven him to this type of crime?” “Entirely possible. It brings to mind that age old question. Are criminals born or are they…” Street Angel by Jim Rugg and Brian Maruca, Slave Labor Graphics. The humor of Street Angel doesn’t rely solely on witty dialogue, which is important. All too often, comics trying to be humorous focus on either snappy (often strained) dialogue, or simple slapstick. The funniest bits of Street Angel come from the little details. In one panel, an imprisoned ninja has a pin-up poster of a ninja in a bikini on his wall. In another exchange, Street Angel uses a bullhorn to communicate with the Mayor and the Chief of Police. The little details like these are what really make the book a breath of fresh air – Rugg and Maruca know how to make comics fun, and do so without apologies. Also, Rugg and Maruca embrace the fantastical in Street Angel, whether through their use of hip-hop ninjas in issue one, the promise of “[h]uman sacrifices, the Incan Empire, conquistadors, pirates, ninjas, Inti the sun god, time-warps, Charlotte’s Web” and other whimsical elements in upcoming issues. These guys have a firm grasp on what makes a comic fun, and they seem intent on delivering it. That’s to say the book lacks serious qualities. Rugg has said that he’s trying to bring social consciousness to contemporary superheroes with Street Angel. Some may argue that sort of thing has been done before, but it hasn’t. Certainly not like this. Whereas the drug issues of Amazing Spider-Man and the O’Neil and Adams run of Green Lantern/Green Arrow addressed topical issues, they suffered in part by being overtly didactic. Rather than going into the plight of the homeless superheroine with the tone of an after-school special, Rugg uses the kidnapped daughter of the mayor to demonstrate how the privileged often look at homeless people. Her first words to her father after being rescued by Street Angel? “Oh Daddy! She smells so bad. I thought I was going to die in the elevator!” I wish I could say I haven’t heard things like that before, but I have (though, certainly not in the same context). While a horrible reaction to have, it’s not without humor, and demonstrates a balance between whimsy and social commentary. 
The art of Street Angel is simply kinetic, for lack of a better descriptor. It simply moves at a non-stop pace – even the dialogue-only panels seem in motion. Likewise, the pacing of Street Angel embraces motion. I’ve included some sample panels from page five as an example. Rugg and Maruca play with pacing in a different way towards the end of the book, glossing over an entire fight scene with a caption reading, “No, dear reader, you didn’t skip a page. Street Angel wiped out all of Pangea’s hench-ninjas in the time it took you to turn this page.” Now, I normally detest any printed work where the narrator addresses the reader (especially in the works of Hawthorne) because it takes the reader out of the immediacy of the action, but Rugg and Maruca not only make this caption work, but also heighten the humorous tone of the book. It’s not often that nearly everyone agrees on a comic, and that’s another thing that makes Street Angel so amazing. So don’t just take my word on it. Listen to Shawn Hoke, Alan David Doane, Anisa Brophy and many others. Our tastes in comics all differ, but we’ve all enjoyed Street Angel immensely. In short, this is a book you want to buy.  Baraka and Black Magic in Morocco
- Rick Smith
Published by Alternative Comics
I have to preface this review by saying that I’ve always found the concept of a travelogue to be troublesome at best. In fact, when I first watched the film Notting Hill, I had trouble suspending disbelief – not because of the relationship between an average guy and a superstar actress, but because I had trouble comprehending that someone could make a living exclusively selling travel books. Despite that, I had to give Baraka and Black Magic in Morocco a look. For one, it’s by Rick Smith, who’s work I’ve been fond of since first seeing it at SPX this past September. Also, it’s published by Alternative Comics, one of my favorite publishers. But, in terms of subject matter, I’ve always been fascinated by Morocco. Whenever I watch Casablanca or read the early works of William S. Burroughs, I can’t help but think how great it would be to visit that part of the world. Since I won’t have that opportunity any time soon, Smith’s book appeared to provide a way to get a feel for the region. If you can’t pop off for a jaunt through Morocco, Baraka and Black Magic in Morocco is an inexpensive alternative. At only $11.95 for 128 pages of story, the book is well worth taking a chance on. It details a trip taken by Smith and his wife through Morocco. When I say “details,” I don’t mean how your Uncle Marty talks about his most recent trip to Disneyland. Instead, Smith takes the reader into his experiences as a foreigner in a confusing land where societal rules aren’t clearly spelled out for visitors. Everything from the law to the cost of merchandise is up for discussion, and never clearly defined. And Smith leaves no detail out – everything from looking for marijuana, avoiding shady merchants and spending time talking with other travelers is included. There’s a completeness to the work, and oddly, the mundane details of the trip are often the most engaging. If there’s one thing that may put a potential reader off of Baraka and Black Magic in Morocco is that the book isn’t plot driven. Too often, readers dismiss any work without a higher concept that can be broken down to a twenty-word sales pitch. With a book like this, that’s a shame. And while a strict adherence to plot may not strictly govern the book, Baraka and Black Magic in Morocco has both thematic unity and enough forward momentum to maintain the reader’s interest. Certain themes, like how foreigners display or conceal their nationality, or how visitors to Morocco grow weary of the atmosphere and long for the creature comforts one takes for granted in much of the Western world. The book is also firmly routed in one specific time, as the 2000 Presidential Election (and Rick and Tania’s difficulty in finding information on what’s happening back home) grounds the tale, and brings a sense of familiarity. Most importantly, the book is held together in that the perspective is entirely from Rick and his wife Tania’s point of view – while many of the events are presented matter-of-factly, it’s obvious that it’s a chronicle of their trip to Morocco, and not anyone else’s.  Smith’s art has both simple lines and understated complexity, emphasized by the two-color printing. Not only is the limited palate cost-saving (and, like I said before, who can argue with $11.95 for 128 pages?), it captures the desert atmosphere of Morocco. Smith’s art occasionally deviates from realism, either when portraying a person’s character through imagery, or when embracing the visual aspects of drug use, but it’s done sparingly and heightens the mood of the scene. The final product is, without a doubt, gorgeous.
Readers may be familiar with other works by Smith, including Shuck. Shuck is an adventure into fantasy, but Baraka and Black Magic in Morocco is grounded in realism. Smith doesn’t try to force his experience into some over-arching plot, and the end result provides an accurate depiction of a tourist’s experience in pre-9/11 Morocco. In fact, it’s a credit to Smith’s talent that he is able to produce such a wide variety of work, and produce it well – and I think Smith’s just going to keep getting better as time goes on. ++++++++ A final note. These books demonstrate the diversity in the I/SP scene that I keep babbling on about. Really, I have a hard time coming to terms with the fact that superhero comics are the sales giants of the contemporary comic book industry. Name one other entertainment medium that a single genre or theme dominates the majority of the market, if you can. It doesn’t happen with the music industry. It doesn’t happen with television – despite the glut of “reality”-based programming, a variety of genres are still well represented. It certainly doesn’t happen with movies… Imagine someone who only watches the romantic comedies of Tom Hanks – while that example may be possible, there aren’t enough of those people to make the movie industry decide to only produce Tom Hanks romantic comedies. So, if you’re one of those dyed-in-the-wool superhero fans unwilling to leave the world of capes and tights for more diverse pastures, why is that? For once, I’m not saying it to be snarky – I really want to know, and I’d like to hear reasoned responses from those of the “mainstream” set. Hit up the Subsurface Communications message board or e-mail me and let me know. I’ve got plenty of hypotheses of my own, but I’d like to hear it from those people who buy nothing outside of the big four publishers. -- Ed Cunard
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April 22, 2008:
February 4, 2008:
November 20, 2006:
A Comic-Con without the Captain
