Fanboy
alert! Popbot, free comics
Somewhere
there’s a dirty rock-star cat named Kitty who has an imposing robot bodyguard
called Popbot. They go on chaotic misadventures involving transgendered
assassins (tranassassins), the “deepcore” rapper Mo Prostate, Andy Warhol as a
revolutionary on the planet CHE, and, according to Kitty, “the finest
pharmaceuticals a rock star’s money can buy.”
All
of this thanks to the twisted mind of Ashley Wood, an Australian illustrator
revered in comic-geek circles for his melding of traditional painting
techniques and digital manipulation. We discovered Popbot through volume one of
Wood’s Popbot Reader ($5.99, IDW
Publishing), released in March. And we’ve been pleasantly perplexed since.
Wood
has a thing for depicting the exaggerated (and mostly naked) female form, which
might convince potential female fans that Popbot is purely straight-boy territory. But with their frenetic stories, their
attention to visual detail, and their glossy cover stock, Popbot issues have the feel of painstakingly beautiful artifacts.
They may not always make much obvious sense, but they’re so downright gorgeous
they don’t have to.
There
isn’t much to actually read in the Reader.
It’s mainly a showcase for other adored illustrators (Hellboy‘s Mike Mignola, Sam Keith of The Maxx, etc) to offer their take on Kitty and Popbot in glorious
two-page spreads.The scant dialogue
(written in the Reader‘s sole story
by Adam Warren) has Popbot’s lines coming right out of the Hulk school: “Popbot
save Kitty! Scary… hot tranny assassins die!”
Despite
his poor verbal skills, Popbot cuts a mean figure. So mean, in fact, that he
was recently made into a 15-inch-tall polystone statue (pictured) designed
by Wood and created by Sideshow Collectibles. Popbot addicts quickly snagged
every Popbot available at the 2004 San Diego Comic Convention, despite its $150
retail price.
But
collector culture isn’t all about shelling out big money for plastic and paper.
Four years ago, Diamond Comic Distributors launched Free Comic Book Day as a
means of introducing former fans or anyone generally averse to comics’ dork
appeal to the latest the form has to offer. Even the big houses like DC and
Marvel are employing subversive and talented writers (Brian Bendis, Mark
Millar, Peter Milligan) to great success. And FCBD might just prove to all the
un-true believers out there that some of the most compelling and daring
contemporary literature is being sold at the local comic shop.
The
next FCBD is Saturday, May 7, and it’s happening in several indie retail
outlets around town. Be sure to ask for your free Batman Heroclix figure,
another below-radar geek phenomenon we’ll explore in a future installment of Fizz. Visit the handy store locator and
free comic guide at www.freecomicbookday.com.
Go
to: www.ashleywood.com
— Chad Oliveiri
Backyard
enigmas
Beneath
the urban logjam of neon signs and billboards lie the still waters of a
different breed of sign. One that is quieter and often overlooked, maybe
outdated, possibly forgotten; it’s a less intrusive message that might even
require a double take.
Monroe
Avenue is rife with head-scratchers. Just between Meigs and Woodlawn is an
unassuming hand-painted sign with red lettering that reads, “Be Careful What
You Wish For.” If this is an ad for something, the product is not clear. The
sign is discreet; you might walk past it for a lifetime and not even register
its existence.
In
Highland Park, there is a bench with a plaque inscribed: “Please rest here
awhile, enjoy the scene and recall the memory of Linda Hawkes Halunon.” This
may be difficult if you have no living memory of Linda Hawkes Halunon. I feel
compelled to invent one for her. I see her as a progressive, frowsy-headed
woman with a brain full of ideas and a house full of children. Perhaps she was
an inventor.
—
Michael Neault
This article appears in May 4-10, 2005.
