comics@list.co.uk
(SRI T TY NOIR
GOTHAM CENTRAL: IN THE LINE OF DUTY
Ed Brubaker, Greg Rucka and Michael Lark
(DCi .0.
in I‘ ~. i ‘3‘
ED MW'MEZ‘ RLIJXA'IE‘MET. LARK
Taking a closor look at tho cops who work tho boat in tho DC tinivorso's toughost city. Gotnam. Moro NYPD B/uo thai‘. JLA. thoso aro roal pooolo who work against ti‘o odds :n a spraixxhng. crimo-riddoh city. Batman casts a shadox': oxor tho wholo story. but thoso aron't Batman
st irios — moro a ook at how roal pocplo strugglo against tho fantastic. and bi/arro. Tho charactors aro floshod out ~.-.iitl‘ roa! dopth. tho gritty fifm no:r art and subduod colour schomo adding to tho roa’is'h capturng tho hunian sido of a world populatod by soporhoroos .ai‘d Slil)(}l‘.'li|£1|llf3i.
(Hons; Northmoroi
suomi lHiO THE MOTH
Steve Rude and Gary Martin (Dark l~lorsoi 000.
T" s s;:>a"dox clad yg lav‘to's orig,ns No I." a
(Lack of trading cards.
The Moth takes on the Angels
92 THE LIST 2:2 iii AJ,
lnkor Gary Martin camo across poncillor Stovo
Rudo's dosign for a Dark
Knight-stylo suporhoro. This ono-shot comic is thoir attompt to broatho iifo 'nto tho Moth (a six- part sorios has now bogun its tontativo mm.
A boy who grow up in a circus to bocomo a
costumoo horo who's misundorstooo by tho law — it's hardy orig'nai stuff. But Rudo is ono of comicdom's f-nost draughtsmon. (3‘.'(}l‘. if his stylo apos a numbor o‘ old mastors. most
obviously Jack Kgrhy.
St'll. Rudo's individual compositions and
soguontial storytolling aro
suporb. (Milos Fioldor.
HUMOUR
WHEN WE WERE VERY MAAKIES
Tony Millionaire
'FEIlTIéIgTEIIflllCSi 0000
Davo Eggors likos Tony Millionairo. Ho says so - 'l'ony Millionairo can do important things' —- l". his introductioi‘. to this socond colloction of Maakios strips. originally [)(II)I|ESII(Z‘(I in tho ‘funny papors'.
'lmporta'it things'
includo boing a hilariously sick fuck. ln ono strip rogular character Drinky Crow ian alchy awani asks rogular charactor Unclo Gabby (a murdorous monkoyi if ho is making vvino’? Troading mulch in a vat. tho sicko simian roplios: 'No. silly, wo aro making chooso.‘ Tho last framo of tho strip shows tho vat to bo full of cow's uddors. a butchor about to hack at an animal's undorcarriago and a cart for of doad bovinos. Horriblo gonius.
(Milos Fioldori
HUMOUR
MIGHTY MITE * THE EAR MITE Tony Millionaire aFantagraphicsi COO
Tony Millionaire can bo nico. somotnnos. T"!S littlo picturo hook is tho swoot. if ouoasy. taio of Mighty M-to's micro- o lyssoy from tho innor cortox of a possum via a liborat'ng torih of omployniont at a floa circus to tho lobo of a familiar, horo nomoloss. monkoy found asloo > in tho stroot undor a pilo of nowspapors by tho wandoring minstrol mito. As with tho Maakios strips. what improssos about Millionairo's docoptivoly simplo cartooning is its ironic rolation to moro innocont forms: nowspapor funnios and. horo. childron's books. Which is both illuminatod and vory funny. (Milos Fioldori
records@list.co.uk
ROCK'N'ROLL
THE HIVES Tyrannosaurus Hives (Polydor) COO.
So that froo jazz big band oxporimont or guadruplo album prog odyssoy novor guito mado it to fruition thon'? Tyra/ 1/7086“ [It Is Hi’vos is ovor in 3:”) minutos. with only two songs clocking in ovor throo minutos.
Liko tho Stokos — oxcept with porsonality — tho Hivos tako a vory narrow soloction of olomonts and mako thorn work in porfoct harmony: thoy draw a wobbly lino through Link Wray. tho Rolling Stonos and tho Ramonos and procood to danco around on it in matching spats. Understanding tho fine art of showmanship and acting liko a twit holps onormously of courso but thoro aro somo top rock songs in horo. if anyono fancios a liston.
(Mark Robortsonl
JAzz
CHARLIE HUNTER TRIO Friends Seen and Unseen (Ropoadopo l O...
Tho guitarists vory first rocording was in a trio format. and this outing signals how far ho has como in tho intorvoning docado. Whon you got right down to it. his tradoinark oight-string guitar practically givos him tho rosourcos of a trio — molody linos. rhythmic riffs, bass linos »- in his own right. but ho has saxophonist John Ellis and druminor Dorrok Phillips along for tho rido in any caso. Tho intorwoavo of thoir sorpontino improVIsations ovor
olastic groovos (loss Ovortly danco-orientt—zd than of lato) again provos highly offoctivo. and if you haven't oncountorod Huntor‘s music as yot. I can rocomnmnd this as an oxcollont introduction. (Konny Mathioson)
INDIE
VARIOUS
What a Concept: A Salute to Teenage Fanclub
(Not Lamo) .0
How Soon is Now? The Songs of the Smiths by . . . (Soropornt) 0.0
l
=. H I] "II;
A tributo album from a bunch of obscuron rubbish bands highlights a problom. Tho Fannios aro far too good at what thoy do. So how do you approach covoring ono
of thoir tunos’? You oithor
try and bo faithful and ond up sounding liko a worso vorsion of thom (about two thirds of tho stuff horoi or you go for an ‘intorprotation' and fuck tho song up comploton (rougth tho othor thirdi.
Tho oxcoption is tho Gonoral Storo. whoso ‘120 Minutos' sounds liko Brian Wilson fronting tho Polyphonic Sproo on horso pills. lgnoro this rocord and buy tho Fannios' Host of. . . instoad.
Tho Smiths got off littlo bottor on How Soon is Now? Tho namos aron't any moro familiar — Waltor Waltor? My Awosomo Compilation? —- but thoso omo—od up intorprotations aro oithor way too faithful or moroso and potulant. Only Cursivo roally hit tho targot with thoir collo~od start stop tako on ‘Frankly Mistor Shankly’ whilo thisGlRL mako ‘Shopliftors of tho World' sound liko a moro grandioso Doftonos. Which is actually a good thing. A roal mixod bag but proof that boing original is always bost. (Doug Johnstono and Mark Hobortsonl
ACOUSTlC SOUL MICHAEL FRANTI
Songs From the Front Porch
(Music) .0.
Billing this as 'An Acoustic Colloction'. it sooms that onortimo militant Disposablo Horoos of Hiphoprisy rappor and militant soulman of Spoarhoad Michaol Franti is roinvonting hiinsolf as a Gil Scott Horon for tho now millonnium. \r'VIllCIl. naturally, moans tho militancy romains intact.
Considoring thoro aro only three brand now tracks out of (on on horo. it's obwously not that divorcod from his old matorial. \(Vhoro progrossion has boon inado. ITOWQVOT. is in tho incroasingly mollow tono and incroasing rolianco on Franti’s sumptuous. doop vocal. Whoro 'Oh My God'. for oxamplo. rotains a bit of a political odgo. tho likos of "Stay Human" and 'Lovo Invinciblo's spiritual mossago fit in porfoctly with this now diroction. (Dawd Pollocki
l'tOCK'N'ROl !. THE THANES Evolver
(Rovolal O...
You can toll tho Thanos aro soriously rotroid. as opposod to drossmg—up box dilottantos. bocauso in listing thoir influoncos thoy profix Pink floyd With tho 'Shino on You Cra/y Diamonds'. indood! An Edinburgh boat combo that sooni to havo boon aiound for ovor (if not guito as long as thoir patontod 1966 garago rock sound suggostsi it would not bo ovor ogging tho nog to placo thom in tho samo biackot as tho Milkshakos. tho Kaisors or tho l'Jrisonors. All bands whoso low of tho