Pen-Elayne on the Web

The Slush Pile

Woke up too late, with the weather looking too cold, to venture out to today's Food Fest alone. Tomorrow for sure! So I'm spending the day catching up on reading, both blogs and comics. Been through almost all the Marvels I bought this past week, noting with some dismay that almost every one of them has ads out the wazoo - literally, if you use "rectum" as a synonym for "wazoo," as the ads fill up the rectos just about every time you turn the page. I was under the impression it was more expensive to print books when the ads are spread out like that than grouped or tipped-in. In any case, it makes it easier for me to read the comics folded over with the staple to the right, knowing I only have to flip them over once or twice. One exception was the adless second issue of 411, which suffers from almost no introduction or explanation of what the miniseries is about (see my April 10 entry) save a brief bit on the back cover (which also has a lovely illustration by Tony Harris and his son Enzo). It also contains, in my opinion, only one story this time clearly about taking non-violent action. But it's a good one - written by Brian Vaughan and rendered in pencil and ink-wash by Leonardo Manco (with spot color here and there), it deals with a Congresswoman's decision on whether to vote for a war resolution whose passage is a foregone conclusion anyway. Shades of Barbara Lee? Try Jeannette Rankin, to whose bravery this story is a tribute. However, $3.50 is a bit steep for just an excellent 10-page story and back cover, so you may wish to flip through this in the shop before deciding whether to buy. Now, back to my mounting pile of unread comics (goddess bless the DC comp box)!