THE COMICS INTERPRETER Vol. 2, #2
edited by Robert Young
(80 pages, b&w, with color wraparound cover, $5.95,
tci.homestead.com)
Reviewed by Mike HunterHard not to compare this magazine with
The Comics Journal. In its format, focus on reviews and interviews, if not budget, page-count, and staff ("Created, edited, and designed by Robert Young," the masthead says... amazing!), there's a significant similarity. Yet, despite minor drawbacks — interview questions nowhere near as probing, graphic design more utilitarian, printing not as crisp (type's a tad fuzzy, halftones frequently plugged-up) —
The Comics Interpreter acquits itself most honorably.
Among the many interviewed are Alex Maalev, Jordan Raphael (co-author with Tom Spurgeon of
Stan Lee and the Rise and Fall of the American Comic Book), indie publisher Larry Young, husband-and-wife artist team Kozyndan, who contributed the wraparound cover art, and the "four members of an innovative French comics collective based in Cambodia," who tell their stories of teaching a comics class to deaf Cambodian children. Fascinating tales, and a nice change to be informed of things being done in the comics medium besides the well-covered superhero/alternative fare. The top interview in this ish is the career-spanning one of the topnotch comics painter-and-writer George Pratt. Thoughtful and politically aware, he teaches art and has incorporated his monotype prints in
Batman: Harvest Breed, been taken up in Herb Trimpe's biplane to do power dives as research for his
Enemy Ace graphic novel, and his love of country blues music has inspired the as-yet-unpublished
See You In Hell, Blind Boy: A Tale of the Blues — "a text novel that incorporates photographs, comics, spot illustrations, and recordings" — and the award-winning documentary based on that book.
Ho Che Anderson's
King: Volume 3, volume 2 of Rob Maisch's
Confessions of a Cereal Eater autobio-anthology, Mattotti and Kramsky's take on
Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde,
Road to America by Baru and Thévenet, the
True Porn collection, edited by Kelli Nelson and Robyn Chapman, plus several minis are capably critiqued.
There's a letters section up front, and a lengthy piece by Gene Phillips responding to Gary Groth's essay in
The Comics Journal #254 on "the Death of Criticism." Phillips titles his writeup "So Die Already...", referring to what he sees as Groth's preferred school of
elitist criticism, and at great length attacks that publisher's perceived inconsistencies and black-and-white attitudes regarding what constitutes worthy work. As an alternative, he thoughtfully explains the merits of
pluralist literary criticism, which "tends to provide greater analysis of what different segments of the popular audience... view as desirable in entertainment."
All in all,
The Comics Interpreter is a worthy addition to the field of comics criticism and journalism. I intend to order the other issues available...
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