The Challenge:
This week’s challenge is designing for the mucho preggo Rebbeca Romijn. It can be for day, night —- pregnancy’s all the time!!

Sirui: I thought, especially given that they are used to size 0 waifs, the designers did a really good job. The clothes were feminine, modest, and even a bit sexy. They should design maternity wear all the time!

Jon: I don’t know if I need to see more huge models, but you’re right, previous designers have generally had a bad time overall when it came to designing bigger sizes but this group did pretty well all around.

Sirui: Plus-size is kind of eh, but I am fascinated by maternity stuff! I love the belly!

The Workroom:

In the workroom, the designers are excited, but confused. Tailored versus drapey? Silk versus jersey? And exactly where does the baby go? Others are less practical in their planning. Malvin’s muttering about the egg, and the mother hen.

Sirui: Did he not learn anything from Ari’s elimination?

Jon: I think he’d have to be on the same planet as her, or at least the other designers, for him to have learned anything from that.

Sirui: His dress in the first round was sane though. He is capable of normalcy, when he’s not married to THE EGG.

Sirui: Tim comes to critique. Some of the designs are looking really lovely, some not so. Malvin gets more and more literal and tells Tim that he is making pants to turn a woman’s legs into chicken thighs. Hm.

Jon: I am worried that Malvin is going to make us both look foolish for having publicly expressed our interest in him in the first episode. Also, I am amazed at Tim’s ability to resist rolling his eyes or making other faces to the camera for the audience in reaction to the terrible ideas/attitudes he sometimes encounters. But instead he just says “You’re not boring me”. Which is perhaps just as great.

Sirui: The designers themselves play critic. Mitchell encourages Ra’mon, but compares the dress to a bowling ball bag. I like Ra’mon’s thinking (design a fun dress, that happens to be a preggo-dress—rather than a preggo uniform), but Mitchell’s right. The dress is retro cheap.

Jon: It should be noted that Ra’mon came up with this concept after taking the judges’ advice not to play it too safe (after last time) too far.

The Runway:
The designers parade their outfits —- mostly cute drape dresses and tunics in brighter colors. Louise, Althea, and Shirin come out on top. Shirin’s super wearable dress beats out Althea’s gown, and wins this week’s challenge. Ra’mon sucked, but not as badly as Mitchell and Malvin. Mitchell showed poor execution skills, but Malvin got sent home for overlooking practical fashion aesthetics to fulfill an abstract concept. Bye Malvin!



Sirui: From the Safes, I took note of Epperson and Logan. With Logan I thought the gold leather color was adorable, but I was especially keen on Epperson’s jumpsuit. The fabric (off-white jersey) looked sophisticated, and I love the length on it too, with the crinkling at the ankles. I hear pregnant folk need to pee a lot, so maybe a jumpsuit’s a bad idea. But I would have liked to see him in the final three.

Jon: Logan’s made his model’s belly protrude even more — but in a proud, classy way? If that’s possible. Epperson’s did look sophisticated and should’ve been a contender for Top 3.

Sirui: ::smirk:: He was a contender for the top three. Technically, they all were.

Jon: You know what I meant! But hey, since winning Project Runway is one of “bucket list” items, think of it as your first step toward your goal…

Sirui: Louise doesn’t impress me, I am biased against the 1940s. From the top two, I really had a hard time deciding between Althea’s and Shirin. Althea’s was gorgeous, from the midnight navy to the open back cut to the ribboning around the bust. But Shirin’s I could actually wear. It’s a happy dress!

Jon: Hmm. I liked Louise’s, even though it did look a little lingerie, as the judge’s noted. Althea’s had it’s strengths but even the smart choice of dark navy couldn’t stop me from thinking it was made of jersey (which people kept mentioning and mentioning) and therefore cheap. She certainly dressed it up nice though.

Sirui: I disagree with Jon on the fabric choice- I thought it was a great pick! Jersey is soft and stretchy, ie super comfy, perfect for preggos. And it’s while it’s not standard evening wear fabric, it can be kinda lux for a flowy day top or dress. Chanel used it!

Jon: I stand corrected! Admittedly it didn’t *look* cheap. Still, I liked Louise and Epperson’s better than Althea’s. But who cares — the important thing is that Shirin won! Her’s was my favorite. Plus as we mentioned last week, she’s a cutie. Go Shirin!

Sirui: Mitchell has a sharp eye for ready to wear, once again proves that he can’t sew. He really can’t. But I agree with the judge’s decision. I love Malvin a lot, but his design was bizarre and ugly. Chickens are really weird.

Jon: Mitchell’s outfit had attitude but was really horribly put together. Heidi said, “It looked like I sewed it. And I can’t sew”. I wouldn’t have minded if he Mitchell had been the one to go, especially seeing how it was his second time in the bottom. I liked Malvin too for some reason. He was another bizarre but charming, quiet Asian guy, in the mold of Top Design’s Wisit. I like to think that if he’d stayed we would’ve had a challenge or two that played to his eccentricities and seen something unimaginably unusual and winning.

Epileptic is a graphic memoir by French indie comic artist David B., narrating the author’s experiences growing up in and around his brother’s epilepsy. It is the early 1960s, David (then Pierre-François) is 5, Jean-Christopher is 7, their sister Florence 4. Amidst childhood adventures, Jean-Christopher has a seizure. Doctors are seen, remedies are sought, including period-appropriate attempts at holistic medicines—all to varying degrees of failure. Jean-Christopher, Pierre-François, and their family are left with the consequences of living with illness. Oh. And Pierre-François has a bunch of extravagant dreams and draws a bunch of extravagant pictures, and takes a pen name. David B. It’s not without pretension. He is an artist and he is French.

I think the critics dig the pretension. They observed that the book is filled with specters, that the text produces a “haunting” effect. The usages of the ghost metaphor stressed the grand impulses of the book— these ghosts are of ancestors, of childhood insecurities, of human limitations, of archetypal sins. Rick Moody (NYT) calls them ghosts of European history. So it is this epic ghost story, the annals of an artist and his medium. Beautiful art, by the way, simultaneously whimsical and intense. It is not that I disagree with “epic”, but what about personable? Amiable? Fellow readers, let us not dismiss the importance of Epileptic being a friendly ghost.

Indeed, the book is beautifully saturated with symbolism and iconic imagery (totem creatures, Celtic knights, etc). And yes, the book possesses the thematic gravity (human limitations, oh fuck) of an art comic. But ambitions are usually boring as hell, and only palatable because David B. goes out of his way to make the story engaging. He tempers the monotony of a relentless disease with levity and mischief: He speaks of his brother’s misguided obsessions with Hitler, of the absurdities of a macrobiotic colony. And then there’s that time where he forces his little sister to copy his comic drawings over and over to sell as zines. I am not so interested in sob-stories, but behind the narration, there’s a bit of a smirk.

Not only does David B.’s idiosyncratic humor keep easily bored reviewers a-reading, it reveals itself to bear narrative importance. As the book and the disease wears on, we begin to understand the disconnect between author’s nonchalant tone in his violent images—his deadpanning, if you will—to Pierre-Francois’s inability to open up and share. It is mid 1960s Jean-Christopher wants to draw a Nazi flag, in hopes of recreating Hitler’s army. He has forgotten how to draw a swastika. It is the early 1970s and Jean-Christopher wants to sing Marseillaise to his Algerian roommates, to teach them a lesson for being so foreign. But he doesn’t know how. Thank god. The author(now David B.)’s punchlines are filled with melancholy, as he attempts and fails at explaining what’s happening, what’s been happening. It has become a memoir of trying to find a cure layered on top of a memoir of trying to tell a story, both seeming more and more impossible as time passes.

Forgive the sentimentality, but it’s moving, right? Trying to be understood and loved? Here, I get to on with a bit a writer tangent. Back in undergrad, the very awesome George Saunders (my writing mentor and hero) told me of an anxiety that writers face when I expressed fear that I was trying too hard. They have this here story, and they want to write it well. Because they want it to be a good story for sure, but mostly because they want to impress it on their readers that they are smart, and funny, and ten times better looking than they were in high school. (Okay, some of this may be just me putting words in Prof Saunder’s mouth—sorry, George!) No one cares to admit it, but it’s not a bad thing. George Orwell wrote (for other reasons too, but still) for the same desperate egotism. Joan Didion wrote to give universal law of words to her own lawless images. There’s a more than a little bit of vanity at work. Listen to me. And then. Listen to me, please.

I do not belittle Epileptic’s worldly concerns, nor its extensive imagination. I love both the fantasy, and the humorous manner in which it is conveyed. I only want to explain what made the book ultimately affecting for me was the expression of a rather basic need. Nothing too ambitious. Is it an academic faux-pas to suggest the text wants to be liked? But I think it does. In Epileptic, there is a rudimentary anxiety that flows throughout all its ostentatious imagery and ideas, animating historical armies and imaginary beasts, all those epic ghosts. Listen to me. Ecoute-moi (s’il vous plait). There is a grave poignancy in the text’s effort to be heard, to be recognized, to be understood.

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David B.’s Epiletic was recommended for June’s Prompt: You Can’t Write About Comics Without Reading. Thanks, Dave M. for his recommendation, and his super erudite email.

I know I should be playing catch-up on readers’ picks—and I am, I swear it!—but I couldn’t help recapping other books that have come my way. And by some other books I mean whether book happens to be in at my local library. Hence Recommended by the Broadway Library.

For my first entry in this procrastinational series, my love goes to the outlanders—you know, books by foreign authors and artists teaching us about their native lands. And robots. Native robots. First up, Aya of Yop City (Marguerite Abouet, Clement Oubrerie). Aya I won’t say too much about, as I unwittingly picked up the second book in the series, so any attempts at summary won’t suffice. Roughly speaking, we have 19 year-old Aya, living in Ivory Coast in the 1970s, and she has shenanigans. Abouet and Oubrerie’s storytelling is smart, intimate, and poignant—and never for a panel loses its easy tone. The whole book is incredibly delightful, with beautiful girls and funny stories, and I am forcing it upon teens and old folk alike.

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My second pick, Pluto (Naoki Urasawa), Vol 1 & 2 has been out for a while, and lauded continuously—Michelle over at Manga Recon wrote a sharpreview on Vol 1back in February—and I absolutely agree with all the love. The premise is a revision of Tezuka’s famed Astro Boy by Naoki Urasawa, the Mighty Adam made adult if you will. Vol 1 introduces a robot detective trying to solve a series of murders targeting the world’s elite robots, and in Vol 2 we find the Astro Boy to be one of the targets.

For anyone familiar with Urasawa’s other works (Monster, 20th Century Boys), it will come as no surprise that Pluto spins the happy-go-lucky Mighty Atom into a mature, suspenseful tale. But it’s not so much the dimension that Urasawa adds to Tezuka’s creation that I find most alluring, but how well the sci-fi setting suits Urasawa’s taut storytelling. In 20th Century Boys, Urasawa turns the realm of the ordinary a space of tension by making his heroes (and villains) emphatically ordinary. A similar transformation occurs in the Pluto—here, the futuristic is presented as the everyday, and the everyday once again is the site of the greatest drama. Urasawa’s writing is enhanced by his solemn lines and neat panels. The whole manga carries a really appropriate kind of sadness, muted and tender.

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I also really dug this short from Mome Winter 2006: The Armed Garden (David B.). The biblically-styled comic unfolds around prophet-lords of sorts, each governing with their own system of illogic, and the battles that incur as they attempt to find and colonize Paradise. The story is a bit of a wild beast, quite possibly rabid, and it is hard to describe what happens. What begins as conventions of religious fanaticisms (the visions, the conversions, the wars) mutates into something far less recognizable—militant black bears, trees with eyeballs, and this goose (his name is Pet Goose) that gains speech mostly because it was spoken to. But what is even more impressive than the sheer magnitude of insanity is the easy manner in which said insanity is delivered. The storytelling is extraordinarily tight—the art is refreshingly clean, the narration is straightforward, and the pacing never rushes or lingers. Moreover, the nonchalant tone lends the over-the-top narrative a subtle brand of humor.
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Exotic things at the Queens Library are indeed beguiling. But before we go out and seek comfort in foreign bed, a word of caution—The Vinyl Underground (Si Spencer, Simon Gane), Vol 1 & 2? DESERVES A PUNCH IN THE FACE. I see Vinyl as a poorly conceived and poorly executed version of Casanova . “Moz” Shepherd (like Cas) plays playboy lead, fighting and philandering (Cas again) through the panels. [Spoiler: And he’s got a sister who kinda functions like his evil twin. Huh.] Shepherd leans towards the occult while Cas play secret agent, but the biggest difference between Vinyl and Casanova lies not so much in generic distinctions so much as general quality. Where Casanova had been sexy and slick, Vinyl comes off trashy and desperate. Oh, but good job biting Casanova’s haircut! That’s pretty spot on.
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There’s more notables in the vein of great foreign writing—all highly accessible, mind you, cause libraries love foreigners. So check back, Recommendable reviews of The Rabbi’s Cat and Planetes on the horizon.

After various licensing and production troubles, Project Runway Season 6 (finally, finally) premiered. Only now it’s on Lifetime. And in LA. And on Lifetime. Did I mention that it was on Lifetime? After the show’s long hiatus, anxious fans were treated to two hours and a half of PR marathoning. So, sight for sore eyes or… acid. In the eyes.



Initial Thoughts
It is hard to judge with the first few episodes, before we get a better feel for what the designers’ unique styles. But I am disappointed no one really stood out, given the first episode is trying to establish a base personality and look. Well, except crazy Ari. And uh. Well.
From the introductions, I was taken with Malvin, Epperson, and Shirin. Malvin for his belief that men and women apparently should wear the same clothes. Always. Epperson for his earthy, eclectic feel—and maybe his age can bring something to the table. Shirin? She is cute. I don’t have particularly high hopes for her designs, but hey. Cute.


Challenge: Red Carpet

The challenge for this week was to design a Red Carpet look that showcase a designer’s individual style and innovation. The designers sketch, except Ari, who likes to talk to her fabrics rather than tell them what to do. Communist!
In the workroom, the designs don’t pop, but as we feared from Lifetime. There’s crying. Ex-Meth Johnny freaks out, takes a nap, and cries until Tim talks him through it. Mitchell’s model is bigger than he expected. A woman lying about her weight? REALLY? Sucks but, I wasn’t that upset. She is beautiful and his design is not at all.


On the Runway:
Runway Day comes with Lindsay Lohan as the guest judge, and Mitchell is not done—well, someone had to send a Naked Dress. Most of the dresses played on the safe side, neutral palates in lux fabrics (ie shiny) in varying length. Based on the judges’ scoring, the top three were Ra’mon, Johnny, and Michael—with Michael taking the cake for his punk-glam VMA dress. Qristal gets scolded for low-taste, Mitchell for making excuses, and Ari for not taking things seriously. In the end, Ari and her space halter is cut.
I had been excited to see Epperson and Malvin, but the crushes did not pan out as expected. I barely remember Malvin’s and Epperson made Dr. Evil in dress form. An elderly Dr. Evil going to a funeral.

Out of the Safes, I liked Carol’s and Irina’s off-gold gowns (I’m going through a beige phase, it’s very Old World Lovely), and Nicolas’s petite woven dress. Carol’s execution on the bust was cluttered and prickly, but I liked her aristocratic concept. Irina’s had strong visual impact with the open back. It made a great first impression but on second (closer) look though, it was kind of tarty. Nicolas’s was my favorite. The black and charcoal weaving was adorable, as was his flirty low back. The ribboning reminds me a Kitsune tail. An eveningwear Kitsune tail.

I wasn’t impressed really with the top three. Ra’mon I thought was generic. Johnny’s color palate was about as tasteful as Hot Topic. (Though he gets points for the cut—it moved so playfully.) And Christopher’s dress, hip and fun as it is, feels like it’s been done several times over. It’s probably been stolen by Forever 21 several times over. Come on. Step it up guys.

As for the losers, Mitchell should have been the one to go home. Okay so Ari’s a bit out there. I couldn’t quite tell if it was a dress or a romper—neither, it’s a halter tunic, over shorts—and couldn’t think of any celebrity calling her up for her mystery garment. Does she even have a phone? But the design was actually kind of cute. So it wasn’t Red Carpet. So her explanation made no sense (no one would wear it to the Nobel Prizes). So the girl dressed like a deranged hippie-clown. It was the only design the stood out! It is a misstep to punish a designer for showing innovation, particular when it’s the first show. And come on, her competitor made the naked dress. Come on.


Conclusion:
Will I keep watching? Sure, I will keep watching. I been waiting for this so long that I will keep watching even if I wanted a pony and I got a dead hamster. But don’t take advantage of my desperation, Lifetime. Cut down on the heartwarming personal stories. They’re really not that heartwarming. More sketching, more workroom, more runway. I just want to see the clothes! More clothes!

Readers, I owe you a big apology. It is August and we have neither prompt nor winner.

I have been reading your picks, and moreover, I have been working on sharing my feedback. Unfortunately I am a neurotically slow writer, and to aggravate matters, I have been caught up playing graduation, relocation, and employment mini-games. Everyone has been very generous in sharing their favorites so far, and I really would like to do justice to your picks. So rather than hastily pronouncing a winner and announcing a new topic, I am putting Recommendable on catch-up mode and sticking to reviews of the June/July suggestions.

I hope everyone can bear with me for one more month as I catch my breath. Recommendable will be back on a regular schedule in September.

Is that the correct spelling? Hee-ya? Hi-ya? Apparently all my schooling has not properly prepared me for this challenge of writing out kung-fu sound effects.

This month, in honor of the first Asian American ComiCon, I will be looking to you guys for martial art titles. Kung Fu, Karate (which apparently isn’t.. kung fu..), Capoeira, Boxing, the works. I am completely digging the Brubaker/Fraction run on Immortal Iron Fist, and am looking for more books with karate chop action and training montages. Maybe hadokens. Hadokens build character.

Now, as I am writing this, I am slowly realizing that many hero/action titles involve some kind of martial art– Batman, for one, is all up in arms with chopping action– making it ambiguous what qualifies as “martial arts”. So that will be part of your task: Explain how your pick presents “codified practices and traditions of combat” (ah, wikipedia) in an especially engaging manner. Maybe the writing really gets the culture of the specific combat style. Maybe the art makes for killer fight sequences. Think outside of the box– if you can make an argument about combat chess, please do.

July’s contest will have longer lead-in time, that’s more time for you to think and more time for me to read. Chime in by July 20th for the chance to win a $20 Midtown Gift Card—we take recommendations by email (sirui@popcultureshock.com) or posting. (Psst, we like it when you post, ’cause then everyone gets to respond.) I’ll be posting reviews as I read, and announcing a winner August 1st.

Round Two, fight!

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Recommendable is the comic blog where the readers choose the readings. Send in your two cents to our aspiring comic reporter and win some goodies. Special thanks to Midtown Comics for providing us with books and prizes.

Happy Seventh of July, y’all! It’s just as good a day to love America. And hot dogs. And comics!

We are wrapping up June’s Recommendable, and I got to say. Not a bad start, y’all! The picks were diverse, thoughtful, and PLENTIFUL. I had a grand time reading. Noteworthy suggestions included Jason Aaron’s Scalped, David B.’s Epileptic, Jack Kirby’s Fourth World, and Taiy? Matsumoto’s Tekkonkinkreet—I will be posting my thoughts throughout the week so check it. Then there’s my favorite-favorite for the month and its closest competitor. Countdown!

Honorable Mention:

Turaho’s pick, Denny O’Neil and Neal Adams’ run on Green Lantern/Green Arrow, was the best thought out reply to the monthly prompt—it really is essential knowledge for comic scholarship. O’Neil and Adams take two deflating DC heroes, and performs a scrutiny of America’s social injustices by way of roadtrip. A distinct veer away from the superheroics of the post-code era, this series is often commended for breaking traditions, but I think it must be equally commended for keeping them. Saturated in the comic gestures and lingo, Green Lantern/Green Arrow relishes its status as a superhero book and it is as a superhero book that it attempts to deliver its messages.

The book may not quite get social reform—they are trying to punch “racism” and “poverty” in the face—but it does get comics, and its understanding of the genre makes for some genuinely great scenes. My favorite exchange involved hillbillies accusing the costumed Hal and Ollie of wearing fancy city duds. With all its historic and canonic import, Green Lantern/Green Arrow can feel a bit like summer homework, but I really did enjoy those hillbillies. Aspiring comic writers, take heed, stay true to your roots and hillbillies. Hillbillies will always be funny.

15% OFF Green Lantern/Green Arrow at Midtown Comics

Winning Pick:

My favorite, and the winner of dollars towards comic goodies, is Shadowswimmer’s pick: Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon’s Preacher. It does not quite have the industry eminence of the runner-up, but it more than makes up for matters of age and history by being so freaking cool. And since everyone already apparently knows how cool it is (freaking cool), I won’t waste too much time on general drooling but share my favorite page so far.

The Adephi angels just sent the Saint of Killers after Genesis, and now they nervously await the consequences. Dillon sets the tone beautifully with an open panel on the left, graphically stressing the pathetic emptiness of Heaven with an emptied conference room. Fiore frets about the growing risk of accountability from the public, while Deblanc reminds him of more terrible ramifications from the higher ups. The dialogue is sharp; the narrative breakdown smooth and organic. Through the page, Foire grows increasingly overwhelmed, and in the last panel makes use of the second bottle dutifully depicted in Panel 1. Gosh. It is not so often that the plight of middle management gains such pathos.

I may be poking a bit of fun, but I sincerely respect Ennis and Dillon’s ability to bring the mundane and petty elements of modern life into a realm of fantasy, and infuse them with deliberation and poignancy. The everyday gains mythical dimension, and conversely, what was once mythical becomes everyday. Wrapped up in sarcasm, bureaucracy, and inebriation, the angels sense of impotency become incredibly human. The storytelling is tight, the characters charismatic, and the plot, incredibly riveting. It comes as no surprise to me that the series is getting reprinting, and as soon as I have a good day at the tracks, I will be getting myself a nice little present.

15% OFF Preacher at Midtown Comics!

And so ends the first round of Recommendable, dear readers. I will be posting more reviews from June’s reading list, and posting up July’s prompt shortly for more discussion, so keep reading and picking. I’m counting on your support!

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Recommendable is the comic blog where the readers choose the readings. Send in your two cents to our aspiring comic reporter and win some goodies. Special thanks to Midtown Comics for sponsoring Recommendable and providing this month’s winner—Shadowswimmer—with his $20 Gift Card!

Thank you for the recommendations and the warm wishes! I am feeling better, and still drinking lots of fluids. I have been somewhat limited in my reading choices, currently quarantined in the suburbs, but I am totally doing my homework. I started with the alternative titles: The Maxx, Madame Xanadu, and Preacher. Some initial thoughts about M. titles:

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The Maxx Vol. 1 – Sam Kieth, with Bill Messner-Loebs on Dialogue
The most impressive part of the Maxx is its raw creativity. There is Maxx, bum, superhero, purple elephant in the panel. There’s Julie, smoking hot and volatile; Mr. Gone, often naked and a bit of a murder-rapist; Is(es), ink-black Pacmen with arms and legs and teeth. The story phases in and out of their subconscious, which so happens to be located in the Australian outback, while their bodies are located in New York. Super creative, and super much going on. I barely remember watching the animated shorts on MTV, and maybe it’s nostalgia goggles at work, but man, they were a hell of a lot easier to watch than to read.
Amazingly, the complexity works. I mean, the world can’t be a simple place when you’re a giant purple delusion. The comic shows a flippant attitude towards convention or compliancy by complicating everything, visually and verbally—and actually manages to be very poignant, very intense, and very funny. The downside is that it is hard to be on all the time. There is no ease in reading, and the overload of images, voices, and ideas is exhausting, and at its worst, pretentious. When everything is ironic or sarcastic, it loses a little heart. While I remain committed to the adventures, I hope that in the next few books Kieth can temper his cleverness, and focus more on the story over the storytelling.
15% OFF The Maxx at MidtownComics.com!

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Madame Xanadu – Matt Wagner, Amy Hadley
I read through three issues of Madame Xanadu (Vol. 2) rather hastily I must admit, but in my brief interactions, I found the title really muted. The book meanders about in DC’s mystical realms, following sorceress Nimune in earlier days—but so little happened of concern that I would have trouble summarize the plot. Hadley’s art offers a lot of pretty things to look at, including a fetching protagonist, and Wagner’s writing is careful and poetic. Unfortunately, such flourishes do not produce narrative excitement, but hinders it. The delicate art and the period manner of speech make more obvious the lulls in action and confrontation. I do recognize that some stories need to be told with at a measured pacing, to build a more epic experience (I’m thinking Stracynski’s Thor). But Madame Xanadu hasn’t offer quite enough, not with its characters, or its mythos (especially after it moved out of Camelot) to justify the inaction, and I will be reluctant to continue reading.
15% OFF Madame Xanadu at MidtownComics.com!

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I’ll be editing down some initial thoughts on Preacher, and getting ready to head back up to the city. It has been a challenge taking the books in to write about them, and I’d love to hear any comments and objections to my thought. So keep the feedback alive, kids! I will be back here raving about Preacher in a day or two.

Since Recommendable’s kickoff, I managed to catch swine flu and strand myself at my parent’s house with nothing but Deer Park spring water to keep me company. (Apparently, the Chinese’s equivalent of walk it off is have some water.) There is good news too—Midtown Comics is sponsoring June’s Contest! And, and! I get a mention in their newsletter! Hooray! Welcome, Midtown kids—I am expecting much quality commentary from yous. And if any of y’all is thinking sending me a get-well-soon-gift, I won’t say no a Blammoids Green Lantern. He’s so chunky and so delightful!

Now remember, to get at that Midtown gift certificate (that’s twenty bucks towards comic goodies!), please post a comment to June’s Kickoff Contest blog entry below by July 1st. And do read the actual entry– psst, it explains how to win!

Woo! We are finally kicking off Recommendable, and this month’s contest will be super concentrated, in matters of operations and more importantly, in matters of rewards. Here’s the general gist:

Send me comic recommendations by way of comments below for an issue, a story-arc, a mini-series, or an independent book. Explain why you think I might like it, what I should look for when I read it, etc. I will read the more interesting sounding titles and as I read, I will post reviews of what struck me the hardest. To have a bit of a thematic oomph, I will announce a general prompt at the first of each month, and at the beginning of the next month, I will announce my favorite.

This month, we are all about the classics. Newly graduated and under-employed, I am all about figuring out how I can keep writing about comic books. I remain optimistic, and as I look for open doors and windows, I will keep strengthening my foundations. For this month, please suggest something that you have found to be particularly innovative use of the medium, representative of a particular trend, a radical departure from what’s been down before… or simply KICK-ASS… that I would be a fraud of a comic critic without have read it forward and back. This month, I am asking your help in building my comic book foundations—

June’s prompt: “You cannot write seriously about comics without having read…”

(Here’s a hint, kids. I have probably read the more obvious must-reads; Neil Gaiman and Alan Moore have become old hat. Go for something you have read, and are surprised that it’s not a bigger deal.)

For extra motivation, this discerning reader that suggested my favorite will receive a $20.00 gift certificate to Midtown Comics—yay! To participate in this contest, please post your suggestion by July 1st. During this condensed suggestion period, I will practically live in the comic aisle and perform a blitzkrieg of reviews, announcing a winner on July 6th. Please keep recommendations to one per person, per month. In the event that more than one reader submits the winning title, the first person send it in will win, early birds and worms and all that.

Quick summary! You tell me what to read by July 1st—suggestions welcomed via posting comments to this entry. I read it and tell you what I thought. Pick really well this month, and win something. Ta-da!