• Neil Gaiman announced on Twitter feed today that he and Todd McFarlane have settled their long, bitter legal spat.
• Cory Doctorow gives Witch Doctor the thumbs up.
• Jean-Claude Denis (Grand Prix) and Jim Woodring (special Jury Prize), Angoulême 2012 award winners
• NASA has launched Space Race Blast Off, a free Facebook game you can play here.
• And, finally, Kermit and Piggy taking on FOX News:

That being said, if you’d like to follow my recommendation for this book you may pick up a copy of Daredevil Volume 1 here or you can pick one up at the shop and we can rap about its terrificness sometime.  Either way, Messrs. Mark Waid, Paolo Rivera, and Marcos Martin have crafted a swell book for Marvel’s Mr. Magoo and it would behoove you to give this superlative work a chance.

The book features four artists, each with a very different style and choice of subject matter. Normally (as I’ve expounded upon in previous reviews), this could have easily resulted in a scattershot anthology; bereft of focus. However, perhaps because of their relationship with the Shortpants collective, these artists share a similar rhythm and sensibility. So, while the comics themselves are very different, the tone of the book has a subtle cohesiveness.

Mr. Magic in: Holey Moley by Anya Davidson is a surreal story about a slick huckster; part con-man and part sociopath; who has almost supernatural powers. Davidson’s thick marks and loose line-work is reminiscent of Lynda Barry. Coupled with a prose full of 60s-era Robert Crumb swagger, there is an intimacy to the story, as though it were being told specifically to you. There is a lot going on here, both visually and textually, and it can become a bit overwhelming at times. But overall Davidson strikes a good balance with her conversational tone and aggressive mark-making.

Four Short Comics About Death by Corinne Mucha are conversational in a different way. These autobiographical ruminations about mortality are as funny as they are frank. Mucha draws in a pared-down style that is rich with charm and flows nicely with her writing (though she could do with more variety of facial expressions). My favorite comic of the anthology was her second-to-last of the four; Easy Life, Hard Life, Hard Life, Easy Life; is about something a since-departed friend once said to the author that always stayed with her. Indeed, that friend’s mantra (the story’s title; about the dangers of procrastination) stuck with me as well.

Sorties by Becca Taylor is a fascinating mash-up of different existing texts, culled presumably from nature programs and documentaries about sharks, as well as excerpts of prose and poetry. The comic reads like a stream-of-consciousness narrative. Coupled with the fluidity of Taylor’s delicate line-work and isolated visuals, the story has an appropriately dream-like underwater quality to it.

Lastly is Forever by Jeremy Tinder, a melancholy moment-in-time piece about three friends (a girl, a boy, and a bear) in the woods. It feels like it was part of a larger story, but it functions well as a stand-alone piece all the same. Tinder presents an interesting mystery as the story’s focal point; an atomic clock in the middle of nowhere. The artist has a refined style that he is working with; honed to maximize clarity of story-telling; that reads like visual language. His people (and bear) are as characterful as his writing is nuanced.

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But let’s move on. This week’s pairing, by coincidence, share a common theme. Apart from merely referencing eyes in their respective titles, both comics explore how we see ourselves.

Cross-Eyed by Adam Meuse does so in a more roundabout, poetic fashion. Cross-Eyed is a collection of short comics. Some of these ­comics are gag-based, playing off of the idea of inanimate objects having eyes. Others push deeper into more free-associative and, to my mind, interesting territory. Even many of the gag-style comics hint at deeper themes, such as a conversation between a rainbow and one of the clouds that the rainbow stands astride that ends with: “You keep us apart as much as you keep us together.”

Last week I reviewed another comic by Adam Meuse, Sad Animals. That comic I felt was fun, but not terribly deep. Cross-Eyed strikes a much better balance; managing to be very funny without sacrificing poignancy. As I’ve mentioned, I grab these comics at random; usually based on whichever cover appeals to me. Apparently there is something about Meuse’s cover designs that I find very appealing. His art has a refined simplicity that he uses to evoke dynamic compositions. This is also true within the book; an approach that is particularly suited to the book’s theme.

Two Eyes of the Beautiful by Ryan Cecil Smith (based on Umezuo Kazuo’s Blood Baptism) is the first part of a larger narrative about a glamorous starlet who is turns to a shady doctor to cure a disfiguring disease. As is often the case in morality tales and fables in which vanity is the main theme, the “cure” comes in the form of a blood sacrifice and the sacrifice of the subject’s basic humanity.

Drawn in a manga style, Smith plays with many of manga’s tropes and clichés to create an emotionally charged, sinister atmosphere. Pages are a collage of styles and aesthetics, which work to keep the reader off-balanced. Additionally, the author uses distortion and exaggerated forced-perspective to turn characters instantly into monsters. These distortions, coupled with the loose quality of the line-work sometimes work against Smith; there is a fine line between what the author is trying to accomplish artistically, and sloppy draftsmanship. When it works, it works very well. When it doesn’t, panels can be difficult to read.

However, those are minor quibbles. This is a very interesting book. I’m generally leery of western manga art; I tend to find the results awkward and derivative. But I was pleasantly surprised by Two Eyes of the Beautiful. Smith uses the manga style intelligently and in a way that enriches the story.

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Space Case Sally: The Purloined Pest Part One! by Ashley Quigg

First up is Ashley Quigg’s spirited yarn Space Case Sally: The Purloined Pest, Part One. It’s about a brother and sister that get along as well as teen-preteen siblings generally do; poorly and with much gnashing of teeth. The twist, however, is that they live in a retro-future not unlike the space-age sci-fi pulps of the ‘50s and ‘60s. The Purloined Pest is the first chapter of a larger graphic novel, so the futuristic setting hasn’t, as yet, come into play (a choice by the author that I very much like; there’s no sense in cramming clunky future-speak and future-slang into a story that is, at its core, about two kids trying not to murder each other with their bare hands). The story of Part One focuses on establishing the sister-brother relationship. By freeing herself from the constraints of futurism, Quigg has allowed herself plenty of room to set up and explore the dynamic at an enjoyable pace. It helps that she has created characters that are fun to watch go head-to-head.

The artwork in this mini is dynamic and full of energy. The author demonstrates not only a solid ability to render the human figure, but the ability to convey personality through body language as well. Even sitting still her characters seem to be in motion. This helps to propel the shaggy-dog-style story forward, building upon extremes. The introduction of the sister’s even-keeled best friend is a smart move; it keeps those extremes fun and lively without becoming overwhelming and exhausting.

Finally, I love the cleverly designed cover illustration. It sets the tone for the story while slyly hinting at the plot. This is a great first chapter. I look forward to seeing what else is in store for the characters, and what else Quigg has brewing.

Sad Animals by Adam Meuse

This mini-comic is exactly what it says it is. It is a collection of single page drawings of animals making sad and depressing comments about the state of their lives. It’s a hilarious one-joke premise that is perfectly suited to a mini-comic. In a longer format the joke would likely get stale.

There’s not a lot for me to say about this comic. The animal drawings are fun and loose cartoons that carefully walk the line between deadpan and emotive. Their statements are all very funny, if fairly interchangeable. The package itself has a nice hand-made feel to it appropriate for the alt comics scene.

I don’t imagine a book of this sort would have much reread-value. It’s a very fast read but not particularly substantial. That said, it’s a fun mini that I had a great time reading. It’s a killer idea that Meuse has a lot of fun playing with, and his fun is infectious.
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Redemption:  The sequel to one of the most ambitious SF cinema flops of all time is expected to become one of the biggest films of all time.

What’s happening to my special purpose?  Action Flick Chick as The Baroness NYCC

Vanity: Jeff Ayers on Jeff Ayers’ job. 26 minutes of me pontificating upon the vagaries of NYC comic retail on the hottest day in recorded NYC history. In reality I know the difference between Detective Comics #27 and #37 and tensile and tactile.  Saw a doctor and got rid of it.

Lord loves a workin’ man:  Grant Morrison on Twitter.

When you’re rich and famous you’ll send me a postcard:  Thank you, Messrs. Gaiman and McKean for all the conversation pieces you’ve provided me throughout the years.  Thank you DC for changing The Sandman’s trade dress all old-timey and shit.

Don’t trust whitey:  Comics cover price = $2.99?

Recently NPR blogger Glen Weldon revealed who is behind the hilarious Twitter presence, and people are upset.  HOBODARKSEID the most among them, or really the guy. [Click at your own will].  Here is Darkseid’s reaction to being revealed on NPR. And absolutely hilarious:

Twitter is the new favorite thing that everyone uses, it can often be mundane, stalker-y and hilarious.  Below is a list of some our favorite Twitter users who also happen to be comic creators.  A lot of them dish out advice, drop hatings, but all are generally hilarious.

Geoff Johns. “The Blackest Night” writer frequently chronicles his 711 misadventures, and sometimes I can’t help but laugh at the shenanigans.

C.B. Cebulski.  Marvel’s talent manager frequently drops knowledge on what artists need to do to improve their craft and/or break into the comics business.  C.B. is a fountain of knowledge and if you’re not already following him you should.

Agent M. The master of Marvel promotion, Ryan frequently updates his many social networks to bring you the latest in Marvel news.

For the other side of promotion go no further than Alex Segura.  A Miami Dolphins fan, and pilot of DC’s The Source Blog, which is the best place to get some great preview art and DC News.

Fan favorite creators include: Brian Michael Bendis, Matt Fraction, Jonathan Hickman, James Robinson, Sterling Gates, and Greg Rucka.

The more entertaining Twitters of the Comics Blogosphere happen to be Diesel Sweeties creator RStevens, Kevin Church (of BeaucoupKevin), Chris Sims (The Invincible Super Blog), Graeme McMillan (io9) Brian Heater (Daily Cross Hatch), Tim Leong (Comic Foundry) and Laura Hudson (Comics Alliance).

I’m on Twitter, but I’m allergic to self-promotion. However, you can find me pretty easy if you are so inclined.