Wednesday Comics

Wednesday Comics is a new, weekly DC anthology series of newspaper-sized one-page episodic comic strips, in the style of the adventure strips of old. It's got a lot going for it, including top talent, matte paper (in this case, a high grade of newsprint -- which is perfect, especially in this age of ugly, garish slick paper), an endearing sense of fun, an obvious love of the diverse potential of comics, and a willingness to do something different.

Before going into detail below, I was pleased that many writers whose work has so far failed to grab me in the monthly comics format outdid themselves here and handed in top-notch work. The excitement generated among the creators for this project is palpable.

There are 15 strips:

Batman, by Azzarello & Risso
-Not usually a fan of this writer/artist pair, especially not of Azzarello's writing. But they do a good job here. Risso's art steps away a bit from the FrankMillerisms that sometimes plague it, and the result is quite nice to look at. The strip sets up the serial with a killer cliffhanger, and Azzarello gives us an interesting take on Commissioner Gordon. 4/5

Kamandi: The Last Boy on Earth, by Dave Gibbons & Ryan Sook
-This was, by far, the most gorgeous page, artwise -- and that's saying a lot, given how pretty this package is. Also, Gibbons does a great job of reproducing the more narration-driven storytelling of classic adventure strips. The mood is just haunting and pregnant with the promise of potentially explosive action. The prominent credit to Jack Kirby, Kamandi's creator, was another plus. My favourite page in the issue. 5/5

Superman, by John Arcudi & Lee Bermejo
-Although the artwork is perfectly competent, the visual tone is all wrong for the story being told. Love the first panel, in terms of storytelling, although, again, the tone set by the artwork is jarring. On the plus side, Arcudi does a good job of filling his one-pager with plot and story, but the visuals just don't match. Also: not a fan of the colouring style used here. 1/5

Deadman, by Dave Bullock & Vinton Heuck
-Another drop-dead gorgeous page to look at. Plus cartoonist Dave Bullock really makes the page move. Seductively dynamic and engagingly pulpy. My only gripe is that the cliffhanger comes about in too much of coincidental manner, rather than built by the story. But maybe chapter 2 will explain why. 4/5

Green Lantern, by Kurt Busiek & Joe Quinones
-Busiek, alas, once again demonstrates that, for some reason, his voice doesn't quite match up with DC material. There's something a bit off about this one. It's one of the clunkiest pieces in the anthology, and that's odd given how good and experienced a writer Busiek is. But, then again, what I've sampled of his DC work has always suffered from this (unlike his creator-owned or Marvel work -- two places where his stuff usually shines). Again, a nice page to look at, though. Writingwise, there was one excellent panel featuring Green Lantern's two most enduring supporting characters that, in a quick exchange, managed to capture the character dynamic among Carol, Tom, and GL -- without the main character even being in the room. 2/5

Metamorpho, the Elemant Man, by Gaiman & Allred
-Another winner, as this experienced pair does a fantastic job of channelling Metamorpho creators Bob Haney and Ramona Fradon. Fun, campy, and delicious. I want more! 5/5

Teen Titans, by Eddie Berganza & Sean Galloway
-This was the only page I didn't care for at all. Nothing is grounded, not the writing, not the art, and not the storytelling. Too many characters fighting with no real story context, no background detail artwork to situate the action, and a gratuitously brutal cliffhanger. Poorly executed in every way. 0/5

Strange Adventures, by Paul Pope
-Wow! This is perhaps the best thing I've ever seen from Pope. He reimagines Adam Strange in a pulpier, sexier Edgar Rice Burroughs mode, and it works beautifully. Really evokes the classic adventure strips, yet feels fresh, new, and exciting. 5/5

Supergirl, by Jimmy Palmiotti & Amanda Conner
-Another winner. I've never liked Palmiotti's writing before (he even managed to make me dislike a Jonah Hex story drawn by the always excellent Darwyn Cooke, which sounds impossible), but he hits a home run here. He deftly updates the charm of the Supergirl concept for young children better than anyone has ever done -- better even that the original creators ever managed. Also, the episode works perfectly as a one-page gag strip and as a set-up for a serial. The whole page simply oozes fun. A fantastic piece. And Conner brings it to life with brio. 5/5

Metal Men, by Dan Didio / José Garcia-Lopez / Kevin Nowlan
-Garcia-Lopez and Nowlan? Of course this is gorgeous. Controversial DC editor-in-chief Didio does a good job of presenting the whole cast, setting up the situation, and establishing a comedic tone tinged with danger. 4/5

Wonder Woman, by Ben Caldwell
-I'm not sure I fully understood what was going on here. A young pre-Wonder Woman Princess Diana reimagined in a Little Nemo mode? This page is the densest in terms of both art and story. There's a lot going on here, but so much so that it's confusing at times. Still, I'm intrigued. And there's certainly no lack of ambition, originality, daring, and craft at play here. 3/5

Sgt. Rock and Easy Co., by Adam Kubert & Joe Kubert
-Beautiful artwork by the senior Kubert, although the story, so far, is too by-the-numbers to be engaging.
2/5

Flash, by Kark Kerschl & Brenden Fletcher
-Inventive storytelling and gorgeous artwork (in the Kevin Nowlan tradition) make this one another winner. Packed with a lot of plot for just one page. But readers can tell there's even more going on than what's being told. Excellent stuff. 5/5

The Demon and Catwoman, by Simonson & Stelfreeze
-An odd pairing, but, then again, it's a DC tradition to do unusual team-ups between their characters, and Simonson does an excellent job of establishing how/why the lives of these two characters intersect. This is perhaps the best work I've seen from artist Stelfreeze. Mysterious, pulpy, sexy, and fun. 4/5

Hawkman, by Kyle Baker
-I used to love Baker's work, but his output in recent years has generally left me cold. But he simply kills here, both artwise and storywise. He presents the story from an unexpected, and quite intriguing, vantage point. I'm hooked! 5/5

stats:
0/5: 1
1/5: 1
2/5: 2
3/5: 1
4/5: 4
5/5: 6
average: 3.6/5; median: 4/5; most frequent score: 5/5

Can't wait for next week!

final OBJECTS OF WORSHIP paperback cover

Click on the image to see the cover larger:

Now, ain't that just beautiful? Designer Erik Mohr is a fucking genius. And my publisher CZP totally rocks.

I can't wait to hold one of these babies in my hands....

All you WorldCon-goers, don't forget the certain-to-be-amazing Saturday-night 5-book CZP launch, where OBJECTS OF WORSHIP will debut.

a LOST MYTHS preview at Shimmer

Shimmer, which recently published my Lost Myths story "What to Do with the Dead", is currently hosting a reading of "The People of the Islands" -- the longest section of the story. Follow this link, click on Rupert's illustration, and hear me read "The People of the Islands":

Lost Myths is set to launch in April 2010, check out http://lostmyths.net/ for another brief glimpse of things to come.

Oh, and here's a bigger version of Rupert's fabulous illustration for "The People of the Islands":

Claude & Dave interview at BSCreview

My buddy and fellow writer David Nickle & I "interview" each other over at BSCreview. Check it out!

(All part of the media frenzy over the imminent release of my Objects of Worship and his Monstrous Affections)

Book Cover Smackdown

Objects of Worship is one of the contestants at SF Signal's latest Book Cover Smackdown!

two interviews

Two interviews with me have been recently posted:

1. Over at Bookspotcentral, as part of its "Conversations with the (not) Bookless" series:

http://www.bookspotcentral.com/2009/05/conversations-with-the-not-bookless-claude-lalumiere/

2. Over at Shimmer, as part of the release of its tenth issue, which includes my "What to Do with the Dead"

http://www.shimmerzine.com/authors/author-page-claude-lalumiere/interview-with-claude-lalumiere/

(Note that this issue of Shimmer was in production for a long time, and, since that time, the Lost Myths project has evolved quite a bit; see: http://lostmyths.net/ )

Objects of Worship

My debut collection, Objects of Worship, brings together 12 strange tales around the loose theme of gods and religions. Interior illustrations by Rupert Bottenberg (my Lost Myths collaborator). Introduction by World Fantasy Award-winning author James Morrow. Published by CZP. Cover design & illustration by Erik Mohr.

CONTENTS
"Gods of Desire: The Erotic Theology of Claude Lalumière" — introduction by James Morrow
The Object of Worship | The Ethical Treatment of Meat | Hochelaga and Sons | The Sea, at Bari | The Darkness at the Heart of the World | Spiderkid | Njàbò | A Place Where Nothing Ever Happens | A Visit to the Optometrist | Roman Predator's Chimeric Odyssey | Destroyer of Worlds | This Is the Ice Age
bonus stories — hardcover edition
The World's Forgotten Boy and the Scorpions from Hell | Motherfucker

The limited-edition hardcover is available for pre-order at The Horror Mall; the ordering window for the limited-edition hardcover closes in late June 2009.

The advance launch of the paperback will be in August 2009 at WorldCon/Anticipation.

Wider paperback release in autumn 2009.

in honour of J.G. Ballard: my 5 favourite JGB books

5. The Crystal World
4. Super-Cannes
3. The Drowned World
2. The Complete Short Stories
1. Crash

The Spinetingler Awards

In 2008, my first crime story was published, and to my complete surprise and astonishment it's been shortlisted as best online crime short story of the year.

The story is called "She Watches Him Swim."

The Spinetinglers are popular vote awards; anyone can vote!

Shimmer #10

Shimmer is celebrating its tenth issue by making it available as a free download:

Via the same link you can also buy a printed copy of the issue.

It's a very pretty mag, clearly designed with love, care, and taste. Plus it's got a new story by moi: "What to Do with the Dead." (This story is NOT in my collection OBJECTS OF WORSHIP, coming this summer from CZP.)

Ad Astra

This weekend (27-29 March), I'll be attending Ad Astra in Toronto. My official schedule is below, but I'll be around for most of the weekend.

Saturday:
10:00 AM Crowne Room
Reading "The Sea, at Bari" -- a story from OBJECTS OF WORSHIP... (and originally from On Spec #72)

1:00 PM Ballr. East
How to Edit Yourself
also with Gabrielle Harbowy, Herb Kauderer, Brett Alexander Savory, Karina Sumner-Smith

4:00 PM Antons' Autographs
signing TESSERACTS TWELVE and others

Sunday:
12:00 PM Salon 343
Dueling Openings
also with Douglas Smith, Nick DiChario, David Nickle, Mike Rimar

2:00 PM Ballr. Centre
Tesseracts Anthology panel
also with Madeline Ashby, Douglas Smith, Robert Boyczuk, David Nickle

Tesseracts Twelve shortlisted for Aurora Award

Tesseracts Twelve: New Novellas of Canadian Fantastic Fiction is up for an Aurora Award this year. This is a book I'm very proud of, and I'm quite thrilled at all the recognition it's been getting.

Here's the full list of this year's Aurora nominees, including also one T12 story in the short-form category, "Randy McCharles's "Ringing the Changes in Okotoks, Alberta."

Here's what the critics and bloggers have been saying about Tesseracts Twelve:
Don D'Amassa
SFRevu
Karl Schroeder
bloginhood
CM Magazine
The Fix
The Harrow
Matthew Surridge
Rich Horton

Objects of Worship

I'm proud to announce that ChiZine Publications, a new press out of Toronto that specializes in weird fiction, will be releasing my first collection later this year, with plans to launch it at Anticipation, the 2009 WorldCon in Montreal. CZP has recently announced its slate of 2009 books, and, among other goodies, it also includes two other collections, one by David Nickle, the other by Douglas Smith, two excellent Canadian writers of weird and wonderful fiction.

My book is called Objects of Worship, and it collects 12 of my stories (including two never before published) that deal, in some way, with gods and/or religion. So, appropriately, the book will also include an introduction by one of my favourite atheists and satirists, James Morrow: "Gods of Desire: The Erotic Theology of Claude Lalumière".

The stories:

1. The Object of Worship (from Tesseracts Eleven)
2. The Ethical Treatment of Meat (from The Book of More Flesh)
3. Hochelaga and Sons (from Electric Velocipede #13)
4. The Sea, at Bari (from On Spec #72)
5. The Darkness at the Heart of the World (all new!)
   
6. Spiderkid (from Reflection's Edge #22)
7. Njàbò (from On Spec #54)
8. A Place Where Nothing Ever Happens (from Interzone #182)
9. A Visit to the Optometrist (from SDO Fantasy: Far, Far Away)
10. Roman Predator's Chimeric Odyssey (all new!)
11. Destroyer of Worlds (from Electric Velocipede #15/16)
12. This Is the Ice Age (from Mythspring)

bonus stories for the limited-edition hardcover:
- The World's Forgotten Boy and the Scorpions from Hell (from Twilight Tales)
- Motherfucker (from Red Scream #0.2)

-- order Objects of Worship @ The Horror Mall