DAMN THE COLLECTIVE UNCONSCIOUS
Just when you thought you’ve come up with something original, you come across someone else’s work that just proves you wrong.
I know there’s no way I can claim that TRESE is an original idea, but it is an attempt to tell certain stories from a different point of view.
Like I’ve said before, Trese was supposed to be a man, but we decided not to go down that road because of characters like John Constantine and Karl “The Nightstalker” Kolchak.
So, we made Trese a woman and one of the first reactions we got was, “Hey! She’s like Kate Beckinsale in `Underworld`!”
DOH!
Well… no… not really.
Then, another reader pointed out to me an anime that had a female lead and her assistant /bodyguard was this tall man who wears a mask. (Thankfully, he didn’t have a twin.)
The other week, I was in Fully Booked when I saw this novel and the cover art attracted my attention because she looked like you-know-who. Then I read the blurb in the back: “Something is wrong in Saint City. Psions are dying. The cops can’t catch the killer or find what connects the victims, leaving them one option: call in Dante Valentine.” I almost freaked out in the bookstore.
I was tempted to buy the book, but I didn’t. I just want to make sure I can safely say, “I NEVER READ THAT BOOK.” Maybe I’ll I pick it up after I’m done with TRESE #13.
Anyway, if you're interested in reading more about Dante Valentine, you check out the site of Lilith Saintcrow (yup, that's her real name). If you do pick up the tell, just tell me if it gets too close to Trese's territory. Thanks!
Last month, I picked up Occult Crimes Task Force, because Mark recommended it.
OCCULT CRIMES TASKFORCE is written by DAVID ATCHISON with ROSARIO DAWSON. Art & cover by TONY SHASTEEN
Here’s the blurb about the book: When N.Y.P.D. detective Sophia Ortiz stumbled upon a bizarre murder scene, she’s quickly brushed aside by the Occult Crimes Taskforce. Versed in the black arts and equipped with mystical weaponry, the O.C.T. keeps the streets safe from unholy creatures of the night. Can Sophia help them stop this supernatural killer?
Not only was the book co-created by Rosario Dawson, it stars Rosario Dawson! You can read the preview at:
http://www.wizarduniverse.com/previews/OCT1.cfm
Shasteen, the artist, used this photo-realistic style which is what I think made the comic book weak. I just got distracted every time I saw Dawson’s face. I felt like I was looking at a photo album instead of a comic book. Tony Harris is using a similar style in EX MACHINA, but his style somehow “covers up” the photo-references, and it still has the look and feel of a comic book. OCT could’ve easily worked with an art style like Mike Mignola or Tony Harris (during his STARMAN days) or maybe even Leinil Yu.
What I really liked about OCT was all the “backmatter”, as Warren Ellis calls it. The last pages of the book are supposedly the reproduction of the Occult Crimes Task Force Officer Training Manual. It contains detailed descriptions of how the officer cast spells, a list of magic spells, as well as the history of the task force. Goes to show that Atchison and Dawson really mapped out their world, making everything feel more real.
After reading OCCULT CRIMES TASKFORCE, it felt like I read one really great way to pitch a movie or TV show. It’s a story I’d rather watch on screen.
And as I’m about to conclude this entry, I suddenly remembered that one of my favorite titles was LEAVE IT TO CHANCE, which was about a girl named Chance Falconer, who was the daughter of a famous monster hunter and in every issue she got involved with her father’s cases. Oh my… I’m sure her stories became part of the mush that got mashed-up in the pages of TRESE. Anyway, I wish James Robinson and Paul Smith would find a way to do more issues of LEAVE IT TO CHANCE.
There.
End of rant.
Just when you thought you’ve come up with something original, you come across someone else’s work that just proves you wrong.
I know there’s no way I can claim that TRESE is an original idea, but it is an attempt to tell certain stories from a different point of view.
Like I’ve said before, Trese was supposed to be a man, but we decided not to go down that road because of characters like John Constantine and Karl “The Nightstalker” Kolchak.
So, we made Trese a woman and one of the first reactions we got was, “Hey! She’s like Kate Beckinsale in `Underworld`!”
DOH!
Well… no… not really.
Then, another reader pointed out to me an anime that had a female lead and her assistant /bodyguard was this tall man who wears a mask. (Thankfully, he didn’t have a twin.)
The other week, I was in Fully Booked when I saw this novel and the cover art attracted my attention because she looked like you-know-who. Then I read the blurb in the back: “Something is wrong in Saint City. Psions are dying. The cops can’t catch the killer or find what connects the victims, leaving them one option: call in Dante Valentine.” I almost freaked out in the bookstore.I was tempted to buy the book, but I didn’t. I just want to make sure I can safely say, “I NEVER READ THAT BOOK.” Maybe I’ll I pick it up after I’m done with TRESE #13.
Anyway, if you're interested in reading more about Dante Valentine, you check out the site of Lilith Saintcrow (yup, that's her real name). If you do pick up the tell, just tell me if it gets too close to Trese's territory. Thanks!
Last month, I picked up Occult Crimes Task Force, because Mark recommended it.
OCCULT CRIMES TASKFORCE is written by DAVID ATCHISON with ROSARIO DAWSON. Art & cover by TONY SHASTEENHere’s the blurb about the book: When N.Y.P.D. detective Sophia Ortiz stumbled upon a bizarre murder scene, she’s quickly brushed aside by the Occult Crimes Taskforce. Versed in the black arts and equipped with mystical weaponry, the O.C.T. keeps the streets safe from unholy creatures of the night. Can Sophia help them stop this supernatural killer?
Not only was the book co-created by Rosario Dawson, it stars Rosario Dawson! You can read the preview at:
http://www.wizarduniverse.com/previews/OCT1.cfm
Shasteen, the artist, used this photo-realistic style which is what I think made the comic book weak. I just got distracted every time I saw Dawson’s face. I felt like I was looking at a photo album instead of a comic book. Tony Harris is using a similar style in EX MACHINA, but his style somehow “covers up” the photo-references, and it still has the look and feel of a comic book. OCT could’ve easily worked with an art style like Mike Mignola or Tony Harris (during his STARMAN days) or maybe even Leinil Yu.
What I really liked about OCT was all the “backmatter”, as Warren Ellis calls it. The last pages of the book are supposedly the reproduction of the Occult Crimes Task Force Officer Training Manual. It contains detailed descriptions of how the officer cast spells, a list of magic spells, as well as the history of the task force. Goes to show that Atchison and Dawson really mapped out their world, making everything feel more real.
After reading OCCULT CRIMES TASKFORCE, it felt like I read one really great way to pitch a movie or TV show. It’s a story I’d rather watch on screen.
And as I’m about to conclude this entry, I suddenly remembered that one of my favorite titles was LEAVE IT TO CHANCE, which was about a girl named Chance Falconer, who was the daughter of a famous monster hunter and in every issue she got involved with her father’s cases. Oh my… I’m sure her stories became part of the mush that got mashed-up in the pages of TRESE. Anyway, I wish James Robinson and Paul Smith would find a way to do more issues of LEAVE IT TO CHANCE.
There.
End of rant.
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