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#1
Creative Common / Re: Funny thing
Last post by Spangulliteti132 - Today at 08:46:28 AM
Quote from: Funt Solo on 27 March, 2024, 09:46:51 PM
Quote from: Spangulliteti132 on 27 March, 2024, 09:22:41 PMHere's more my friend made


Just got to the image url because for some reason the other images aren't working

FTFY. It was because the second two were jpeg files, not pngs. In future, try this:

1. Go to the imgur page that is displaying your image.
2. In Windows-Chrome, right-click the image and select "Open image in new tab".
3. In the new tab, copy the URL, which will be the correct URL of the image.

(There are probably ways of achieving the same goal in other OS-browser combos.)
thanks again
#2
Books & Comics / Re: Completely Self-absorbed T...
Last post by Colin YNWA - Today at 07:42:15 AM


Number 92 - Rasl

Keywords: Bone, Tesla, Sci-fi, Grim and Gritty, Needs a re-read (in colour)

Creators:
Writer - Jeff Smith
Art - Jeff Smith
Colours - Its black and white baby... except when its not (see below)

Publisher: Cartoon Books

No. issues: 15
Date of Publication: 2008-2012

Last read: 2016

If Jeff Smith (of Bone fame) had a meaner, harder cousin, born down and dirty on the wrong side of the tracks he'd have produced


Copyright - Jeff Smith

Luckily for us Jeff Smith didn't need a cousin to produce this as he did it himself... but I had to start this entry somehow and for whatever reason I liked that start... anyway...

RASL is Jeff Smith 'other' major work. For those of you who don't know Jeff Smith is best known for the simply magnificent all ages fantasy comic Bone, which I don't think I'll be giving too much away by saying it will be featured later on this list. I did wonder if it was possible to write this entry without reference to Bone, but then realised it was hard to do so. Not simply as Jeff Smith is so defined in many ways by Bone, but also I think my feelings for this are so defined by Bone.

Bone was also in Jeff Smith's thoughts as he created this story. After working on Bone for over 15 years he wanted his next work to be something very different. To stretch himself and his audience's perception of who he could be as a creator. In that single aspect alone RASL is a complete success. This feels so removed from Bone, it is very different... and yet... well I'll come back to that.

RASL follows the adventures of Dr Robert Joseph Johnson - who uses the pseudonym RASL of the title. He hops between dimensions, a process he calls drifting, to steal art using technology he created based on the theories of Nikola Tesla. His actions have a cost both physically, each time he drifts between dimensions there is a physical toll, and spiritually, he's on a journey to accept who he is and come to terms with his actions. Oh and he's chased by government agents set on stealing his technology and beating the snot out of him and ghosts of his past who he allows to beat the emotional snot out of him.


Copyright - Jeff Smith

There is a certain amount of discussion online as to whether this is a noir fiction in its truest sense, or a sci-fi noir, or a...whatever... me I think it has the tone and hot dusty taste of films like Red Rock West and Bad Day at Black Rock, they might not be considered noir, but, well frankly,  who cares. It's not Bone, it is what it is, it's Jeff Smith proving he can do more than Bone. For some he lent too hard into this, went for it too obviously. It involves swearing and hard fighting, smoking and sex. It's so obviously pushing against Bone it can feel a little forced. For me it really worked to see an art style so comfortable and familiar pushed in different directions. To see a creator so adept as Jeff Smith break out the shell of his reputation and greatest work and simply go for it is a real buzz.

I don't think people went in expecting or hoping for Bone, at least not in the reflections I've read, I'm sure some did. I find it hard to believe folks bought this to pop on their children's bookshelves next to their Scholastic copies of Bone. If they did they really were in for a shock and would have inevitably been disappointed. In some respects it can feel a little shallower than Bone, even when it's reaching for more adult themes. Some readers comment on the fact that the characters are not as rich and developed. And they're not, let's be clear. After all this is a much tighter and leaner story. Its 15 issues not 55 issues there isn't the space to do all that's in Smith's opus.

What there is, is more than that though. In RASL the characters are shaped differently as this is a different story. The characters here, to some degree, are designed to serve the story. Whereas in Bone the characters drive and shape the story. That's not to say they are bad characters, far from it. I find them fleshed out and believable, at least in the context of the type of story this is, Red Rock West and Bad Day at Black Rock as suggested above (if you've not seen those movies feel free to stop right here and come back when you have they are well worth watching. I'll be here, I'll wait.). These are broken, beaten down gritty characters. Whose lives have hammered them and driven them into all sorts of darker places. They aren't as rounded and complete maybe, but they don't need to be, they fit perfectly into this world and this story.


Copyright - Jeff Smith

That said RASL is a Jeff Smith story and for all the gun smoke and prostitutes it falls into themes that can be found in Bone. While it clearly pushes against what Bone was, it's also really easy to see common ground between these two apparently very different tales. Both deal with spirituality and the mythic, while routing that in empirical, tangible worlds. They might do this in different ways but it's definitely common to both.

RASL in many ways reads like a stripped down, raw, punch drunk Bone. While Bone curesses you, charms you and holds your hand as it takes you through its mysteries and intrigue, RASL dances around and energies you. It shoves and bundles you along, ties you up and throws you into the truck of its car as it speeds you long. It's less interested in taking you step by step through its world and rather delights in asking you questions, showing you the mystery and allowing you to answer its puzzles as best you can. It's almost as engaging (almost being relative to Bone so come on that's not damning with faint praise!) but it embroils you in its world in very different, much rougher ways.

Again this feels like a very deliberate choice. A deliberate step to move away from the all ages wonder of Bone, it instead kicks you into an adult world. It trusts you to answer things as best you can and in that way it could even be said to surpass Bone.


Copyright - Jeff Smith

It's also an ode to Nikola Tesla (keep having to delete the 'i' I inevitably type at the end of Nikola, says so much about me and my comics!). Robert Johnson - the rename of RASL don't forget - tracks down the diary of Tesla and through those and investigates the physics behind interdimensional travel, wraps you into the history of Tesla and his struggles. Smith had been reading a lot about M-Theory and String theory going into this story and it permeates the whole series.

As I've reminded you however RASL's real name is Robert Johnson surely no coincidence. The blues guitarist Robert Johnson's legend has it he sold his soul to the devil to gain skills and prominence in the 'real' world. This is a prime example of Smith mixing mysticism and in this case science. One question the series asks is what is the price of RASL's journey for financial gain, stealing great art, to his spiritual self?

The deep dives into Tesla are interesting diversions. They add context and open up themes for the reader. They don't deflect from the main thrust of the story, are never dull and feel additive. In less skilled hands that might not have been the case. In RASL though they are wrapped into the ongoing story with skills and guile and used really effectively.


Copyright - Jeff Smith

It's astonishing to think I've gone on this much already about Jeff Smith comics and not waxed lyrical about the art. It is of course absolutely astonishing. Jeff Smith, simply put, is an absolute master of his craft. RASL though has gone on an interesting artistic journey as well as a metaphysical one. I read these comics in the black and white originals. Just as with Bone however Jeff Smith had chosen to have them coloured by Steve Hamaker, who also coloured Bone I believe. These coloured editions seem to be the ones most readily available now and I find that interesting and a little frustrating.

I should be clear I do now have a colour edition but I'm yet to read it, though from flicking through it seems like a very effective, sympathetic job. I'm just a little curious as to why Smith chose to go this route. I understand just with Bone it opens up new markets and might be a necessity from a financial sense. Here however I get a real sense it's counter productive.

Jeff Smith's art simply sings in black and white. His use of spot blacks and negative space are almost without peer. His use of clear, smooth, lines beautifully juxtaposed with black spaces hinting at a darker more real world. His use of black and white makes his world's feel so solid. People and objects feel entirely connected with the world they operate in. In RASL in particular the use of black and white seems to benefit the story immensely. As said RASL toys with being noir. This in part is defined by the way Jeff Smith lights the comic. It reads so noir as it is drawn so noir. The world is cast in shadow. Light only intrudes into these darken corners to illuminate and fall across characters, it doesn't dominate... well okay except when Johnson stumbles across dusty deserts. But then it's too emphasise how a world cast in light is harsh and difficult.

I worry that when I do read this in colour it will feel lesser for that colour. The colour will strip away much of the atmosphere and tone of my original experience. As said it looks like a good colour job so it's not about any lack of craft, rather it's about adding something that is not only unnecessary but possibly detrimental. Fair to say I need to read it before making a definite judgement on this. The story and especially the art will be more than strong enough to survive this addition, it just feels like a curious choice. Mind it's also fair to say I'm from a country and generation brought up on largely black and white comics so my perspective will not be that of most readers of this title.

Whether in colour or the more stark black and white this being a comic by Jeff Smith it's a delight to look at. His storytelling is exemplary, his character acting first class, he designs comfortable or ugly and jarring just as required.


Copyright - Jeff Smith

If you have read Bone go into RASL expecting to find something pointedly different. Yet don't be afraid to compare the two and find similarity and common ground. If you haven't, well RASL is a hard and punchy metaphysical action adventure that will pull you into the many worlds of Jeff Smith efficiently and open up all the wondrous journeys he can take you on.

Where to find it

If you want this in colour there are a couple of options. There are three handy trades collecting the whole thing. There is also an all in one hardcover but for whatever reason that sees to go for silly prices at the moment - not quite sure why. I think I've seen this on bookshop and comic shop shelves at a perfectly reasonable price.

The black and white versions seem a little harder to get hold of new, but the aftermarket seems relatively healthy for the original series and with a bit of patience I think you'll get the whole thing at a good price.

Digitally it all seems to be there from a quick look.

If you fancy supporting Jeff Smith directly Boneville the home of all things Jeff Smith has it all in colour at very reasonable prices, if you are in the US, or are happy to stump up for shipping to the UK or elsewhere.

If you feel fancy why not wait for Jeff Smith to run another Kickstarter. They aren't the best run and you need to be patient but I got a lovely hardcover as part of a recent(ish) one. They can be added as an extra and that softens the cost of postage quite a lot and is the main reason I'll be getting to a re-read at some point soonish. Also the Kickstarters are full of Jeff Smith goodness.
 I'm sure I'll post when the next one is up (still waiting on the last one mind!).
 
Learn more

Obligatory Wikipedia page

I have to be honest I thought there'd be more about this round and about the internet, but not so much. ZombieJohnny has an interesting take on a YouTube video.

Good OK Bad has a good review worth a read.

Other than that it's some of the normal review places really Good Reads has its normal mix of things. Have a potter around and you'll find bits and pieces, but not as much as I'd have thought fair to say.

What is all this?

Conscious that this is becoming a long thread and if you're wondering what the heck you've just read and can't be arsed (quite sensibly) to search back to find out I'll link to my opening posts that try to explain all this.

What this all came from

And of course a nerd won't do a list like this without setting 'Rules' / guidelines

Some thoughts on what will not be on the list.
#3
Creative Common / Re: Cover Puns
Last post by Dash Decent - Today at 07:27:04 AM
Who?'s the Boss
An obscure Calhab artist unexpectedly becomes President of a major MC1 corporation.

Who?'s on First
Hijinks ensue as the Who? family move into a plush residence on MC1's famous First Avenue, along with Ma Who?'s sister, Beverly Hilbillie.

I think I've gone from puns to bad TV Guide entries.
#4
General / Re: THE Henry Flint?
Last post by Richard S. - Today at 06:27:01 AM
more early Henry Flint work unearthed...'Dumbass comics' - late '90s / early 2000s small-press comic, featuring art by Henry Flint & Neill 'Mega Robo Bros' Cameron

https://boysadventurecomics.blogspot.com/2024/03/updated-dumbass-comics-neill-cameron.html
#5
Off Topic / Re: Boys Adventure comic blog
Last post by Richard S. - Today at 06:22:10 AM
'Dumbass comics' - late '90s / early 2000s small-press comic, featuring art by Henry Flint & Neill 'Mega Robo Bros' Cameron

https://boysadventurecomics.blogspot.com/2024/03/updated-dumbass-comics-neill-cameron.html
#6
Creative Common / Re: Cover Puns
Last post by Dash Decent - Today at 05:26:53 AM
Alien Sex Fiend

The Olympic Games most-watched event has a new contestant.
#7
Creative Common / Re: Cover Puns
Last post by Dash Decent - Today at 05:24:55 AM
Death by Chocolate

When Brit-Cit's Chief Judge Cadbury and his aide Yorkie visit MC1 to attend Hershey's commemoration service, crime boss Mal Teser has other ideas.  Ideas that involve a certain alien superfiend and a giant fondue display.
#8
Creative Common / Re: Cover Puns
Last post by Dash Decent - Today at 04:47:42 AM
Magnam Force

Lost behind enemy lines, straggling Souther trooper Harry Callahan's life is saved by the accidental discovery of a GI pistol.  But what do you do when your commanding officer is a talking gun, with ideas other than getting you back to safety?
#9
Creative Common / Re: Cover Puns
Last post by Dash Decent - Today at 04:43:06 AM
Bring Me the Dredd of Carlos Ezquerra

A homage prog in which Tharg challenges his art droids to draw a story in the style of King Carlos.
#10

In my attempts to find a use for a.i. I decided to try and reproduce an image I've shared here before; first as a crappy sketch in an old challenge and then as a crappy digital painting based on it, like so...


So, with these here past monstrosities in mind I first generated a load of images at perchance.org like this...



I then opened the GIMP and applied what can only be described as a shed-full of faff to end up with this brand new a.i. assisted monstrosity...