Two events are combining to make the first week in May a heady one on the local comic scene.
If we take this nice and slow, we may just make it through with our bodies intact and our deepest, darkest comic wishes granted.
On May 4, comic god James Vance, author of the seminal graphic novel Kings in Disguise, as well as stories for the Batman, Aliens and Predator franchises, will visit the Salt Lake City Library.
Kings is a powerfully moving look into life during the Great Depression through the eyes of a 12-year-old boy who is forced to flee his home and find a new life on the lam.
Illustrated in perfect pulp style by the inimitable Dan Burr (Grateful Dead Comix and DC’s Big Book of series) and equipped with a loving introduction by comic giant Alan Moore (Watchmen, V for Vendetta and From Hell), Kings lacks not in accolades.
Kings in Disguise has won both the Eisner and Harvey awards, the two most prestigious awards in the comics industry. Folks, James Vance coming to town is quite literally like receiving a personal visit from an Oscar-winning director — a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
In an interview with The Chronicle, Vance waxed nostalgic about the comics of his past.
“I was just the right age when all the Marvel super hero comics started showing up at the drugstore for 12 cents apiece,” Vance said. “I was as galvanized by early Spider-Man and Fantastic Four as any other kid my age.”
“Like a lot of people, I stole bits and pieces from Will Eisner, though mostly in areas that aren’t readily evident?but to me, the most obvious influence (on Kings) were the amazing war comics that Harvey Kurtzman wrote and edited in the early 1950s,” he said.
Comics have come a long way since the publication of Vance’s Kings. But what remains at the core of the art form are the distilled ingredients from across several artistic disciplines.
“What I like about the form is its immediacy, its ability to combine the best of prose, theater and film. It’s none of those things, of course; each of those brings a specific element to the table that nothing else can duplicate. But as a hybrid, comics can appeal to a reader on intellectual and visceral levels simultaneously,” Vance said.
But with the advent of new technologies such as the Internet, the face of comics is rapidly changing along with the possibilities presented by technology.
“As far as where comics are going as a medium, the jury’s still out,” Vance said. “The Internet’s given us a new form of distribution-and, no longer bound by practical considerations like fitting onto a printed page, some new possibilities in layout and continuity have opened up? and that’s also the beauty of the medium: It’s still growing up, and you never know when the next idea will come along that will turn things up a notch, boot the medium up to the next level in its evolution.”
Vance’s forthcoming efforts include a sequel to Kings titled, On the Ropes to be published by W.W. Norton as well as a conclusion to the late Kate Worley’s landmark erotic series Omaha the Cat Dancer.
Now, as if the wisdom of Vance weren’t enough, comic fans have the sixth annual Free Comic Book Day to look forward to on May 5.
FCBD is an international event in which comic retailers literally give away comics to anyone who comes into their store in attempt to spread the good word.
Free Comic Book Day is an ideal event for those trying to get their feet wet in the dynamic world of comics or for the veterans to come out and show their support.
Heady days indeed.
For more information about Free Comic Book Day and to find a participating retailer near you, check out www.freecomicbookday.com.
