Category: Art

“Frank Miller: American Genius” – The Poster & Trailer are Here!

This is a must-see for me.  I am a HUGE Frank Miller fan.

FRANK MILLER: AMERICAN GENIUS documents the unique journey of an unparalleled American artist. The film explores the half-century career of the legendary comic book artist and writer. Made for his fans following a near death experience, the documentary delves into Miller’s radical and defining influence on art, storytelling and culture. Following his small town beginnings in Vermont, to New York City, Hollywood, and beyond; this intimate documentary delves into his failures, successes, self-destruction and re-discovery.

June 6th – Sneak preview at New York’s, the Angelika. With guest moderator Neil Gaiman. @neilhimself

https://angelikafilmcenter.com/nyc/mo…

June 10th – Premiere at Cinemark Theaters. Moderated by Rosario Dawson. @rosariodawson

https://www.cinemark.com/movies/frank…

www.frankmillermovie.com

BITTER ROOT (Hardcover Omnibus) by David F. Walker, Chuck Brown, Sanford Greene / Z-View

BITTER ROOT (Hardcover Omnibus) by David F. Walker, Chuck Brown (writers), Sanford Greene (artist)

Publisher: Image Comics

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

The roaring ’20s!  What a time to be alive.  The depression had yet to hit and the Harlem Renaissance was in full swing.  W.E.B. Du Bois, Langston Hughes, Louis Armstrong, Cab Callaway, Josephine Baker, Paul Robeson and Marcus Garvey all became well known for their gifts to American culture.  Most folks, even today, know their names.

But have you ever heard of the Sangerye family? Going back as far as can be told the Sangeryes have been monster hunters.  They fought the evil creatures that came forth into our world.  Some monsters could be cured.  Others had to be killed.  But the cost to the Sangerye family was heavy.  Now, the Sangerye matriarch, old Etta Sangerye, knows her time is coming to an end.  She must pick a successor to lead the family.

But who?

Etta has relied on the old ways with potions and medicine. To cure when possible, not kill. But the new generation wants action and to battle head-on.

As the Sangeryes discover a greater evil has made its way to earth and threatens humanity, they must find a family member to lead them.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

I was late coming to BITTER ROOT.  When I skimmed some of the early issues, I misjudged it.  I thought the monsters didn’t look like traditional monsters.  Maybe it was more of a kids book.  I was so wrong.  BITTER ROOT is well written and well drawn, but it’s much more than an action/monster comic.  It has heart.  And no pun intended, soul.  You will care about the characters.  The story has universal appeal.

I’m glad I got the omnibus because it’s full of variant covers, sketches, insightful articles and more.

BITTER ROOT has won several awards including 2020 Ring Award for Best Series and the Eisner Award for Best Continuing Series in 2020 and 2022.

BITTER ROOT gets my highest recommendation.

Rating:

The Savage Sword of Conan #2 (2024) / Z-View

Savage Sword of Conan #2 is out and it is a solid follow-up to the outstanding first issue.

It features two covers to choose from.  I selected the variant cover with art by Nick Marinkovich (shown above).  Dave Dorman did the other cover.

The issue features a letter column.

Pinups included are: Conan I Was by Rafael Kayanan, Conan: Lair of the Serpent by Gerado Zaffino (shown below) and Solomon Kane by Nick Marinkovich.  All of the pinups in this issue are examples of artists at the top of their game.  I’d love to see a full length Conan story from each of these three.

The issue features a full-length Conan story, Conan: Leaving the Garden by Jim Zub (writer) and Richard Pace (artist).  Conan is gravely (no pun intended) wounded.  Near death, Conan is found by a young boy. The monsters that wiped out the caravan Conan was traveling with are near.  If the creatures don’t find him and his wounds don’t kill him, Conan will have his revenge.

Jim Zub creates a horrific tale of human/monsters who worship a god that commands they bury their victims in gardens for a yearly feast!  I look forward to more Conan tales from Zub.

Richard Pace’s art is not as finished as one might expect.  It’s raw and at times sketchy (I don’t mean that in a bad way), but it works for the story.

The second story features the next installment of Solomon Kane in Master of the Hunt by writer/artist Patrick Zircher.  Solomon Kane continues his search for a missing man and his son.  How much time is left before the ancient beast will need to feed again?  Will Kane find the father and son in time?

Patrick “Patch” Zircher is having a ball writing and drawing Solomon Kane. It shows in every panel.  I can’t wait to see what happens next!

Savage Sword of Conan #2 (2024) rates 4 of 5 stars.