Josh Comics

NOTE: I started this post several months ago but I only recently was able to get back to it and finish it up.

I went and saw the Watchmen movie a few weeks ago and I thought it was a good film for the most part. I read the comic several times since it was first published, so I‘m familiar with the story. Needless to say, whether you liked the movie or not check out the comic for sure. Anyway, I’ve been sad because I can’t discuss the film version with Josh. I’d really like to know what he would have though about it. What he would have enjoyed and what he would have been critical of. I know Josh had read Watchmen, recognized its importance, and even owned a copy of the graphic novel for a while (he might have got it from me in fact) so I would have greatly valued his opinion.

Whenever I think about the Watchmen, Josh, strangely, is one the parts of my life that I think of. I remember being at Hollywood Lights at some point when Josh and I were discussing it. Eventually someone in the office asked us what Watchmen was and Josh tried to explain it. He said something like it was the “most important superhero comic ever written,” aping my words from earlier in the conversation. The response by the asker was kinda ho-hum, but I have always remembered the conversation, Josh and Watchmen are permanently fused in brain.

All of this pondering got me thinking about Josh and comic books in general. Josh enjoyed a good graphic story now and again but he was by no means the comic book freak that I am. Still, he collected X-men, Spiderman, and G.I. Joe comics when he was a kid in the 1980s. I still recall the first time I spent the night at his parents' house with me eagerly going through his collection and discussing the finer points of Kraven’s Last Hunt or the Longshot miniseries.

We were both collecting comics for a time in college but I actually quit before Josh did and he got caught up in the buying frenzy during the whole speculation boom and bust. I believe the crappy stories and gimmick, foil-laser covers of that period soured Josh on comic books somewhat and he became a much more discriminating reader. He only read what he considered to be quality stories from then on.

I was away from Oregon for a while in the 1990s but when I returned, I got back into comics again. Josh had completely forgotten about them and was eagerly pursuing his new addiction, Magic Cards. I was buying as many comics and trade paperbacks with my tiny budget as possible and I’d run as much of it by Josh as I could. He was receptive but he didn’t really like superheroes anymore so I stopped giving him those types of comics to read. Many of the titles I introduced him to were still on his shelf when he passed away. It brings me some comfort to know that Josh enjoyed these stories, stories I brought to him as a giddy comic book geek.

I know you all are missing Josh an awful lot just like I am, and sadly there is nothing we can do about it. But there are ways to get closer to the memory of him, to tap into the wonderfulness that was Josh. This blog is part of that and exploring some of the things that Josh enjoyed is another part. I know comics and comics are something Josh and I shared in common so that’s a part of Josh I wanted to contribute to all of you with this post. Here are some titles that Josh enjoyed.

Strangers In Paradise by Terry Moore–

I was looking for a replacement for Love and Rockets and started picking up this title because of the female, lead characters Francine and “Katchoo." It turned out to be a little too melodramatic for me but Josh really liked it. I ended up giving him my all my trades and Josh went on to buy more. Strangers In Paradise is famous for appealing to woman because of its realistic depiction of female relationships and nontraditional storytelling. If you can’t bring yourself to read any of the sci-fi, fantasy, stuff on this list than SIP is the title for you. Strangers In Paradise is cute, funny, honest, and relatable. On a sad note, Josh was wrapped up in school and didn’t get around the reading the end of the series. It’s currently collected in to six manga sized volumes.


Transmetropolitan by Warren Ellis with art by Darick Robertson-

Spider Jerusalem is the definitive gonzo journalist in "Thee" cyberpunk future to end all cyberpunk futures. Black humor wrapped up with political protest abounds in Transmetropolitan. Somebody’s gotta expose the slimy underbelly of the transhuman cesspool we’re gonna call home one day while giving a giant middle finger to the futuristic “me generation.” Josh had a bit of the of the rabble-rouser/anarchist spirit about him and I think that’s why he enjoyed this comic… or maybe it was simply Spider’s twofaced cat that smoked. I gave Josh an action figure of Spider Jerusalem for his birthday long ago. It used to sit on his desk at Hollywood Lights. I don’t know what became of it but I’d pick up that figure on the collectors market as it now reminds me of Josh.


Understanding Comics by Scott McCloud –
This is a bible of sorts on how comics work and what’s going on in your brain while you’re reading them. It’s very interesting especially for folks that are into theory. Some of the points made by McCloud in this title have been very controversial in the art community, but it’s a title that absolutely makes you think. That’s something that Josh greatly appreciated. McCloud showed (this was originally published in 1993) that comics could be so much more than what people have assumed they were. We’re only starting to realize the possibilities. Another aspect that makes Understanding Comics so great is that it uses the comic format to make its points. It is informative and entertaining all at the same time.


The Filth by Grant Morrison art by Chris Weston –

Man… how do I describe The Filth… hmmm this is simply impossible for me to do. Here’s a rundown from a booklist via Amazon.com:

The story opens when sad, middle-aged Greg Feely, whose only companions are a dying cat and porn videos, learns he is actually Ned Slade, top agent of the Hand, an organization dedicated to maintaining the social status quo by eliminating unhealthy variations--biological, technological, or sexual. As another agent observes, the Hand "wipes the arse of the world": the likes of Spartacus Hughes, an artificially grown personality who occupies various bodies; Anders Klimakks, an amnesiac porn star with super pheromones; and Max Thunderstone, a sociopath with drug-induced superpowers. Greg-Ned constantly struggles to reconcile his two wildly contradictory personalities. The Dan-Dare-meets-William-Burroughs epic encompasses such standard Morrison themes as nanotechnology, the absurdity of superheroics, a wide range of sexual expression, and, above all, conspiracy theories. Chris Weston's straightforward but imaginative art makes the wildly outrageous story convincing if not always comprehensible. Not everybody's kettle, but ideal for fans of "challenging" comics and sf.

Oh and here’s the last part of comment on Amazon.com from someone that liked the The Filth:
P.S. Do not let your children read this, it is quite possibly the most all-around offensive comic I have ever read. There is lots of sex, violence, swearing, and even drug use.

I bought this as Christmas present for Josh one year…


Preacher by Garth Ennis art by Steve Dillion -

Another title that I enjoyed and Josh really loved. Preacher is an irreverent take on religion (among other things) through the crazy modern-western adventures of Jessie Custer, a small town Texas preacher whose soul has been fused with that of an Angelic/Demonic crossbreed. There are all kinds of lusciously freaky characters in Preacher like the Saint of Killers, the ghost of John Wayne, the Irish Vampire Cassidy, Arseface, the Cyclops-like Lorrie Bobbs, and Herr Starr (the leader of a DaVinci code conspiracy). Traditional cowboy values collide with modern feminist anger in a nine-volume set that’s really about the search for God… because you see, God has abdicated his position in heaven and Jessie is pissed off just enough to find out WTF is going on and he ain’t gonna let anything stop him… Special note, Preacher also craps on all sides of the culture war that we have just been through and that alone makes it a must read.

ElfQuest by Wendy and Richard Pini -

When it comes to ElfQuest I get pretty sad. You see, Josh really loved this fantasy epic, so much so that he at one time had many different versions of these comics, and now it’s been announced that this series is will be made into a major motion picture. It pains me greatly, even more than Josh not seeing Watchmen, is the fact that Josh will never see the Elfquest film. Wendy and Richard Pini created Elfquest back in 1978 as a multipart story that concerns the survival of various tribes of Elves on a world with two Moons. Primitive humans and ugly trolls are just some of the troubles that the elves must deal with. ElfQuest is a sweet, sensual, magical, adventure that really reminds me a lot of Josh. If you want something imaginative and fanciful, but with hidden depth that sucks you into it’s sprawling plot, Elfquest is the comic for you. Plus, it has some nice reversals of gender stereotypes that were refreshingly ahead of its time.


Starman by James Robinson and Tony Harris -

This is sort of a special mention on my part. Starman is a series I really think Josh would have liked. I did give him the first three volumes to read, and he enjoyed them, but I misplaced the rest of books for a while and thus Josh never got to read the bulk of the Starman comics. This title is one of the few modern Superhero comics that I can really endorse. It’s actually an interesting revival of a long established DC Comics character. Jack Knight is the son of Ted Knight, the original Starman, but he is reluctant to take up the family business of superheroics and so he runs a collector/antique shop instead, that is until his father’s old nemesis, the Mist, comes back and kills his bother. Jack struggles with his bothers death while trying to fight the good fight that he never wanted. Jack has many adventures and various past iterations of heroes that have called themselves Starman are respectfully explored. This is one of the few times that DC Comics’ vast universe of history is an asset as the writer, James Robinson, spins amazing tales that touch on all aspects/versions of the character both great and small. Ultimately, Starman is about loss, family, and struggling with inner demons while trying save those things that make life worth living. Of course it’s all wrapped in superhero tropes but somehow Robnison makes it all so fresh and exciting you almost think he’d invented the superhero genre… he didn’t of course but he does reinvent it, and in a very good way because it’s about something.

Most of all, the character of Jack Knight simply reminds me of Josh. His love of his bother, his need to collect, his failed romances, his search for self-worth, his push to fight the good fight, his battles with self doubt, and his goatee (although its not nearly as long as Josh’s was) all hark back to our dear friend. If you are missing some of those delightful personality quirks that made Josh Josh, Starman IMHO is the place to get a tiny sweet taste of what we loved about him so much.




-Swinebread