I hope you won’t mind my taking a short moment in the midst of our Harry Palmer Files series to publicize some comic books by some folks I greatly respect.
First up is fellow COBRAS member Christopher Mills. I was excited to have Mills onboard with the COBRAS because I’ve been a fan of his ever since I read Gravedigger, a take on Lee Marvin as Parker/Walker in Point Blank with art by Rick Burchett. Last week, I reported the news that Mills and Burchett were wrapping up the sequel to Gravedigger, and sang their praises.
This week, Burchett and Mills are striving to outdo themselves with a few peeks at a potential series called Skorpion, a loving take on the Eurospy genre popularized by Diabolik. Burchett is one of my favorite all-time comic artists, vastly underappreciated, who worked on two of my favorite stories featuring my all-time favorite character and I dream of one day seeing Burchett at a convention and having the spare cash to solicit a sketch like this from him. Check out this bevy of preview artwork — is that Eddie Constantine I see?
Another of my favorite writer / artists, Jeff Parker, just announced a contest to solicit help in publicizing his work. In a perfect alternate universe, he wouldn’t need help — he’d be a best-seller writing the Legion of Super-Heroes with art by Matt Wieringo and Dean Trippe, which would somehow bring about peace in the Middle East. Here’s how much I like Parker’s work — I’m going to officially remove myself from contest eligibility to spread word of it to you all.
You may remember Parker from our recent write-up of his Agents of Atlas series, by far one of the best things that Marvel has put out since…well, since Kirby left to work for DC. Comics, especially of the mainstream superhero variety, are in rough shape now. There are numerous reasons, including 1990s speculation, gimmickry, and a tendency of writers to follow poorly in the footsteps of certain creators who introduced continuity-driven melodrama that now makes General Hospital look like The Sun Also Rises. Comics have lost their fun, and a handful of creators, Parker among them, are fighting to bring enjoyment back to the medium.
A long overdue write-up on the work that introduced me to Parker, Interman, is due shortly after the HPF series wraps up, but in the meantime, you should be aware of his other works, mostly for Marvel Comics, although a recently debuted thriller with art by Steve Lieber and published by Image, Underground (previews of first two issues available there), looks to be among the best works he’s ever done. The covers below are linked to reviews or news stories on Parker’s books, if you need impetus to purchase.
Parker’s work even got me to do the unthinkable: buy a monthly X-book, which I promised myself in the late 90s I would never do again. Not even the potential of Grant Morrison got me to break that vow, but knowing that Parker would be looking at the early careers of the original five had me excitedly adding to my pull list. So, if you’re in your local comic store sometime soon, know that Jeff Parker’s name on a comic is as good as a seal of approval. And if comic stores aren’t your thing, check out some of the trade paperbacks that collect his work. I’d start with The Interman
* Plus $3.85 printing and distribution.
