Catching Up

Okay, it has been a while since my last posting.

What can I say, life gets in the way sometimes and 

despite our best intentions, 

we all fall behind and let things slide.

I found out recently that the 

Comic Book Lounge, 

one of my local stores, will be closing it's doors 

at the end of the month...

and any time that any type of book store closes 

it is not good news.

The Comic Book Lounge rose from the ashes, 

not literally but figuratively, 

of the closing of The Dragon Lady 

and now there will not be a comic book shop on College Street anymore.  It is a sad comment on the general state of the world.

I feel badly for all concerned, Kevin, the owner is a really nice guy and I have enjoyed his company on a couple of occasions but 

it is Mike Bothelho, the face behinds the counter,

that I will miss the most.

Mike has always been enthusiastic, about a lot of the same things that get me going and it has been too long since I last saw him.

 Note to self: Go Visit Him!

On a happier note, I was happy to see the 

second volume of

 Will Eisner's The Spirit Artist's Edition, 

from IDW, arrive on the shelves and it is gorgeous, 

just like the first one was!

While I was about it, I finally caved in and picked up 

a copy of the 

DC Comics / Graphitti Design's Gallery Edition of 

Kelley Jones' Batman

and I am very glad that I did because it too is a gem.

Kelley Jones has always been on the fringe 

of my awareness.  I really didn't like his early stuff, on the Micronauts, for example, very much at all and while I have 

several examples of his work,

spread across many years, it wasn't until he drew the 

two issue mini series 

Deadman: Love After Death

that I really took any notice at all.

Later on, I was directed, by a friend, to check out 

the work that Mister Jones was doing on Batman 

and I liked it, enough to buy quite a few issues!

It has always surprised me, that Kelley Jones will do things in his artwork that can be quite jarring.  Specifically, using a carefully, photo referenced image of a character that, in the adjacent panels, he has drawn in somewhat grotesque cartoon manner... but, 

what the heck, he is what he is and has been a working professional comic book artist for over thirty years, 

while I am still doodling in the margins;

so who am I to speak.

Until next time.