Comic Book Men

COMIC BOOK MEN
A self-satisfied Kevin Smith barely presides over a reality show set in his NJ comic book store, focusing instead on his put-upon manager and a cadre of alternately pitiable and painfully unlikable cronies. Staged drama (Jason Mewes messes shit up!) adds to the malaise, making for a miserable viewing experience.

Naughty and Nice: The Good Girl Art of Bruce Timm

NAUGHTY AND NICE: THE GOOD GIRL ART OF BRUCE TIMM (Flesk Publications)
Melding Elvgren, Toth, McGinnis, DeCarlo and Frazetta (among others), Timm’s pin-ups are the stuff of a fanboy’s dreams, laid bare in this gorgeous showcase of the animator / cartoonist’s mastery of line, shape and color. A few subjects may veer uncomfortably towards Lolitaesque, but Big Barda never looked better.

Jerry Lewis: Method to the Madness

JERRY LEWIS: METHOD TO THE MADNESS
This isn’t so much a documentary as it is a serenade, alternating between gushing praise from Hollywood A-listers and histrionic recollections from Lewis himself. Film and performance clips range from hysterical to, uh, not, and any controversies are ignored. Fun for the choir, but this ain’t gonna convert any nonbelievers.

I'm Still Here

I’M STILL HERE
Joaquin Phoenix’ mockumentary about abandoning acting for a hip-hop career is ostensibly a statement about faux-reality TV, but it just comes across as smug self-indulgence from a spoiled douchebag. Especially with the hoax revealed, I’M STILL HERE is just a pointless and unentertaining vanity project with delusions of grandeur.

Archie: A Celebration of America's Favorite Teenagers

ARCHIE: A CELEBRATION OF AMERICA’S FAVORITE TEENAGERS by Craig Yoe (Yoe Books! / IDW)
Yoe’s affection for Archie is evident in this historical tome full of rare art and photos, but condensing the text would’ve allowed for deeper excavation. Collectibles and adaptations get short shrifted along with the breadth of titles (the semi-serious ARCHIE AT RIVERDALE HIGH isn’t even mentioned), leaving me wanting more.

House of Lies

HOUSE OF LIES
One of the (many) reasons I despised SEX AND THE CITY was there wasn’t one redeeming character for whom to root… such is the case in this odious comedy about a narcissistic team of scheming management consultants. Especially in this economy, soulless capitalist raiders do not make for endearing leads.

Alex Toth: Setting the Standard

SETTING THE STANDARD: COMICS BY ALEX TOTH 1952-1954 Edited by Greg Sadowski (Fantagraphics Books)
This comprehensive collection of Toth’s work for Standard Comics in the 1950s alternates between sententious war stories, sexist romance tales, rote horror and sci-fi schlock, but the master cartoonist made it all look so good! Not Toth’s best work, but great to have all in color under one cover.

Sucker Punch

SUCKER PUNCH
Zack Snyder’s adolescent male fantasy video game pastiche might be less interminable if its many slow motion scenes were sped up, shortening the movie’s length to probably 45 minutes. As it is, it’s a horribly acted, tiresome, puerile embarrassment for everyone on both sides of the screen.

Jack Davis: Drawing American Pop Culture

JACK DAVIS: DRAWING AMERICAN POP CULTURE (Fantagraphics Books)
Despite some fuzzy reproductions, this handsome overview of legendary cartoonist / illustrator Jack Davis’ work is a nice (if frustratingly un-annotated) primer. Still, it barely scratches the surface of a half-century career that spans comics, advertising, LP, book and magazine illustration and movie poster design. Davis deserves a comprehensive anthology.

Cover Story: The DC Comics Art of Brian Bolland

COVER STORY: THE DC COMICS ART OF BRIAN BOLLAND (DC Comics)
Bolland’s bold, intricately detailed artwork perfectly suits the iconographic nature of comic book covers, as this collection of diverse work for DC and Vertigo vividly depicts. Amusingly annotated by the artist, the book features preliminary sketches and traces his roller-coaster relationship with (sometimes overdone) Photoshop coloring and effects.

Mail-Order Mysteries

MAIL-ORDER MYSTERIES: REAL STUFF FROM OLD COMIC BOOK ADS by Kirk Demarais (Insight Editions)
More than merely cataloguing cheap junk advertised in comics of the 1960s-80s, Demarais actually tracked down artifacts such as X-Ray Glasses, mini-spy camera and Raquel Welch pillow in order to posthumously rate their value and level of consumer fraud! A lovingly compiled, nicely designed treasury of (mostly) childhood hope-crushing dross.

Habibi

HABIBI by Craig Thompson (Pantheon)
Thompson’s skill as an artist and storyteller is almost frighteningly preternatural, and the emotional and visual breadth of these 600-plus pages is staggering. HABIBI is a timeless tale of love, faith, power, sex, gender, social inequity and the essential quality of myth. Simply put, it’s another goddamn Craig Thompson masterpiece.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO
Like the Swedish original, the story is overstuffed—it’s really two movies in one—and the mystery reaches a perfunctory, intellectually unsatisfying conclusion. Of course, Fincher makes it all look good, with beautiful cinematography and strong performances (but HOOO, Trent Reznor’s audio / T-shirt presence is annoying).

Mr. Wonderful

MR. WONDERFUL by Dan Clowes (Pantheon)
One of the all-time great indie cartoonists, Clowes has begun to tread water in recent years, endlessly reiterating the banality of existence and the silly pointlessness of trying to be happy. Not that I’m against a bracing dose of nihilism now and then, but I miss his “earlier, funnier work.”

Firefly the Complete Series

FIREFLY The Complete Series
How the Hell did I miss this? Joss Whedon’s late, lamented space western was a fully-realized ensemble piece, witty and engaging, unpredictable (usually) and complex (with a damn catchy earworm of a theme). Maybe my favorite sci-fi series since STAR TREK, and—sadly—years ahead of its time.

The Great Northern Brotherhood of Canadian Cartoonists

THE GREAT NORTHERN BROTHERHOOD OF CANADIAN CARTOONISTS by Seth (Drawn & Quarterly)
Gregory Gallant aka Seth’s old-timey work constantly straddles a line between charming gentility and precious self-indulgence. This sketchbook project belies nostalgia for a world that never really existed, where cartoonists earned respect and even debauchery had an air of refinement. The end result is an amusing, lovely bit of piffle.

The Adjustment Bureau

THE ADJUSTMENT BUREAU
Matt Damon and Emily Blunt stumble through this stylistically challenged metaphysical romance thriller loosely based on a Philip K. Dick story. The whole thing feels sloppy and half-realized (magic hats!!), a painfully simplistic hack job rooted in the unsophisticated notion of everything being part of God’s plan.

Dexter Season 6

DEXTER SEASON 6
The issue of faith seemed like ripe material for DEXTER, but this season was a mixed bag, with a bit too many leaps of logic and some forced, disappointing character turns, including Deb’s (hopefully confused) feelings for Dexter. Here’s hoping the many open threads tie more tightly next season.

Batman: Noël

BATMAN: NOEL by Lee Bermejo
The Dark Knight takes the role of Scrooge in this bajillionth retelling of A CHRISTMAS CAROL (with Catwoman, Superman and the Joker as the three spirits). Bermejo’s detailed, stylized realism works beautifully in the holiday context (unlike Todd Klein’s distracting lettering), and the (predictable) payoff hits home.

Homeland

HOMELAND
Showtime’s post-9/11 Cat & Mouse Game (who’s who?) is an absolutely riveting, refreshingly unpredictable tale of intrigue and paranoia, on scales both large and small. Claire Danes and Damian Lewis both impeccably portray a sense of tortured conviction and emotional isolation (although Mandy Patinkin’s peevish sanctimony can feel distractingly affected).

The Green Hornet

THE GREEN HORNET
Unlike The Spirit, The Green Hornet was always a half-assed character, so this dull, ill-conceived, lazily written and utterly charmless adaptation isn’t exactly an aberration; It’s just a waste of time. Seth Rogen and Cameron Diaz remain teeth-grindingly grating, while Christoph Waltz seems rightly embarrassed to be here.

Big Lake: Do You Love Me? Yes / No

Big Lake, DO YOU LOVE ME? YES / NO (Evil Island Fortress)
The debut offering from Jersey City’s Big Lake (aka Lysa Opfer) may only be five songs, but they are five huge pieces of deep, lush, mesmerizing songwriting, channeling an evocative gamut of emotions and displaying a fully-realized musical voice. True, I am biased. But I’m also tellin’ the truth!

A Very She & Him Christmas

She & Him, A VERY SHE & HIM CHRISTMAS (Merge Records)
Zooey Deschanel’s charming singing in ELF became wan and cloying in every subsequent manifestation. Turns out Christmas music is the genre that best suits her vocalizing, as this low-fi collection of Xmas songs with M. Ward is a lovely, if sometimes precious little candy cane in a beautiful package.

Batman: Year One

BATMAN: YEAR ONE
Using Frank Miller and David Mazzucchelli’s classic run as a direct template, this animated film will please the fanboy faithful who demand these things be literal translations rather than loose adaptations. Bryan Cranston as a young Lt. Jim Gordon is genius casting in this decidedly adult, often violent tale.

John Doe: Keeper

John Doe, KEEPER (Yep Roc Records)
The legendary X co-frontperson continues his rock-solid solo career with another indie-star-studded collection of country and roots rock that never forgets its punk rock pedigree. Mixing melancholic introspection, righteous indignation, wistful longing and soulful celebration, the well-seasoned KEEPER more than lives up to its name.