From yesterday’s delicious Hey Kids! Comics! Vol 3 Shlock Of The New #1 published by Image Comics, written and drawn by Howard Chaykin.
From yesterday’s delicious Hey Kids! Comics! Vol 3 Shlock Of The New #1 published by Image Comics, written and drawn by Howard Chaykin, and diving into comic book industry culture in the thirties’ and the seventies, with comic creators and fandom mixing between the time periods, and the impact of one decision felt heavily across the other. It’s a glorious comic book, and if you enjoyed What We Can Know About Thunderman from Alan Moore recently, this series, now into its third volume, should be next on your list.
And occasionally it also allows Howard Chaykin a little editorialisation regarding certain moments in the passing of time. Such as looking at pop culture crazes and the effects on a population, beginning with the famous Tulip boom and bust as well as examples closer to modern Americana.
Which means, before settling on the Chicago World’s Fair of 1933 as the precursor of modern fandom, comic book and otherwise, managing to get a dig in at Lin Manuel Miranda’s Hamilton as a “morally performative bullshit narrative” sold to kids. I mean, probably not the harshest criticism the Broadway musical has ever received, but it does stick out rather…
But for those wanting to learn about the earlier days of comic book publishing and fandom, Howard Chaykin’s series does a very good job of placing you in the room where it happened. Using all his skills he has honed telling tales of pulp fiction and then given the chance to turn them back on the people who told those tales, he is not throwing away his shot. I can do this all day you know. Twice with matinees.
Right, that’s me done, off to go and see Black Superhero at the Royal Court.
HEY KIDS COMICS VOL 03 SCHLOCK OF THE NEW #1 (OF 6) (MR)
IMAGE COMICS
FEB230045
(W) Howard Chaykin (A/CA) Howard Chaykin
A generation of artists ashamed of their careers has come to this, scratching out a living entertaining children who wonder why anyone would want to do anything else. With the birth of the comics industry comes the afterbirth, a shadow twin that will sustain and occasionally sabotage it for generations to come… Fandom.In Shops: Apr 05, 2023 SRP: $3.99
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