Daily Breakdowns 029 - Mourning Thickness

One review coming up, but first I thought I'd comment on a few comics-related items:

Pending confirmation, a visitor at Comics Worth Reading seems to have clarified the somewhat confusing news that Marvel Comics is eliminating barcodes on their trades. It makes more sense that they would only eliminate the inner cover barcode, though I don't know why that would even be news, so we'll see. I like this other visitor's analogy, just because it's so not analogous:

"For a minute, I thought Marvel was no longer publishing books with ISBN’s which would be… bizarre. Kind of like a cop throwing his badge in the trash."

In his defense, he was on a stakeout at the time he posted that.


There is a theory, that I'm putting forth right now, that if you make enough typographical errors, sooner or later one of them will be more interesting than anything you might have consciously planned. I suggest renaming this column Vicious Fluid. For my part, I think the surge in zombie product may have more to do with people feeling enslaved and undone by base desires or the ruinous materialism that has led to the economic collapse, and wanting to feel that it's okay to give in again, if only through a harmless media avatar. Then again, maybe it's that zombies aren't passive and don't play mind games--they take what they need directly. And also, zombies are fun.

By way of Robot 6 comes details on the upcoming oversized hardcover collection of the elaborate disappointment, Wednesday Comics. I should probably admit here that although I "quit" buying these after reviewing #1-6 together, I did reconsider, bought the rest, and then didn't read them. But I bought them nonetheless. That's something I have to work through on my own, thanks. But what DC marketing guy Alex Segura has to work through is syntax:

"The hardcover collection of the series, which will retail at $49.99, will clock in at 11 x 17 inches, which will present the series in a deluxe, big-screen format befitting the series, which was originally printed on broadsheet newspaper pages," Segura writes.

Whichcraft aside, I have some issues with this. OK, I don't mean that the dimensions of the book are "clocking in." What I find a little irritating is that Segura is now claiming that a large, unfolded, white paper hardcover collection is "befitting" the series. If so, why was it originally presented as the broadsheet? Wasn't that a large part of the appeal, that the format was befitting in that it resembled old weekly newspaper comics sections? Yes, a nice big hardcover is fine, but it is a different experience. And yes, part of me is a little annoyed that the hardcover is actually about the same price as those twelve $3.99 newsprint versions. Will I be getting it? No. It's one thing to buy the series as a completist, but I just can't justify trying to free up room on my stuffed bookcases for an oversized presentation of Dan DiDio's Metal Men. I have to draw the line somewhere.

The Mourning Star Vol. 1
by Kazimir Strzepek
Published by Bodega Distribution. $13.00 USD

OK, this is going to sound pretty bad. Let me set it up for you.

Recently, I had been seeing Strzepek and/or this book mentioned a few times. I thought it was something new, so I ordered it. Published in 2006, huh? Huh. OK, no problem. So I read it. And then in doing a little research, I found out that the book was nominated for an Eisner Award in 2006. And sure, who remembers many of the nominees once it's over? Except that, well, I was one of the judges for 2006. Although reading all the work submitted for nomination is a requirement, what happens is often only the Chairperson, Jackie Estrada, has all the submitted books and I don't think there are always enough copies to go around. As we both live in San Diego County, it was easy for me to pick up a huge box of stuff to start reading, but that wasn't in there, and then when everyone gets together in a hotel for a weekend of reading and arguing, we end up grabbing books at all hours of the night and essentially cramming. Anyway, don't blame me for the process. I don't know that it would have made much difference, and it works out for me, because I guess the second volume is done and almost out.

The Mourning Star makes a great first impression, with a cover that gives away that it's designed by Jordan Crane, with the colors and typography, even if the figures don't resemble any of his styles. Strzepek's characters stand out right away and announce themselves as cute but not too cute, with complex passions and capacity for violence, but while they and their surroundings are grubby, there's already a sense that things won't get too intense, that this could be a work appropriate for a wide range of readers, even younger ones.

That just a cover can convey essential truths about the story is impressive, and says a lot about Strzepek's talent, even if it isn't quite in full flower here. He does have ambition, though. There are several characters, but the two main ones are a lanky, confused fellow who will come to be called The Snipper Sniper, with clipped terrier-style ears atop his head, and Klavir, one of the Nosferatu-looking Northenders, who in Prince Valiant fashion is on a quest to rescue the fair maiden kidnapped from him and her family. There are undoubtedly heroic destinies for these two, and perhaps some of the friends met along the way, probably with the eventual overthrow of the evil Rule regime.

Strzepek's ambition seems to lie in telling a fantasy epic with an ensemble cast right out of the gate, but there aren't any signs as yet that he is looking to subvert the genre. He wants to entertain and get it right, and that's fine. One can already see broad outlines of where some of the stories are going, although with lots of confusing introductions of as-yet-unexplained characters, and a willingness to let the main characters engage in some fairly mundane activities, he doesn't seem in any great hurry to get to the end. Action sequences are fun, and there is some humor, though perhaps a little less than one might expect from the cartoonish characters. No, Strzepek is serious about the story, although at its most intense it doesn't get far past wistful or melancholy. Also, there are more scenes than not that are enjoyable in the moment but don't stick in the memory (and contrary to the above example from 2006, my short term memory is actually really good). However, even from the second of three minicomics collected here, there's a good deal of growth just in terms of pure cartooning, as space opens up and characters become more expressive and distinctive, so hopefully as the story keeps going he will gain more confidence and be able to get more emotional impact from his scenes. I also found that this is one that benefits from additional readings in short bursts, breaking up the dense narrative into more easily digestible units. Nice to meet The Mourning Star again, for the first time.

Christopher Allen