In the late 1960s, Steve Ditko and Steve Skeates created the original pairing of Hawk and Dove—two brothers, Hank and Don Hall, who were entrusted with superpowers and represented diametric ideologies (Hawk: a hot-tempered conservative; Dove: a passive liberal). Together, they fought crime and often one another. It was a fun, unique concept--plus, it had Ditko's art to support even Dove's ridiculous outfit. The two would later join a Teen Titans farm league, Titans West, and they remained in just about every hero’s shadow until Don’s death in 1985’s Crisis on Infinite Earths.
To re-establish the character balance, in stepped writers Karl and Barabara Kesel to revitalize the Hawk and Dove heroes in a five-issue miniseries in 1988. The Kesels introduced Dawn Granger, a bookish college student and the latest incarnation of Dove. Her addition would prove to be a winning one, given that Dove's costume tended to lean a bit feminine anyway. Dawn wasn't plagued by the same self-doubts that struck Don, and she didn't serve as simply a foil to Hawk; rather, she guided him and focused his aggression.
The Kesels were joined by a very young artist named Rob Liefeld, who would later establish himself as one of the most successful and later derided comic artists of the 1990s. What’s interesting about his work in this series is that it displays very little of what would later be known as his trademarks: a disregard for anatomy, an over-reliance on cross-hatching, and splashy page layouts. Instead, his work here is very restrained and pleasantly traditional. Liefeld’s expressions are clever, his characters’ faces are full of nuance, and he shows no fear in drawing feet (a problem that would later infamously plague his work). Much of this restraint--and possibly the bulk of the backgrounds--must be attributed to Karl Kesel, who inked Liefeld’s pencils in this series. Kesel has a deft hand for keeping figures tight on a page, and he possesses an economical sense of action. Much like Dawn to Hank, Karl could channel Liefeld's budding talent in the right directions. The pairing proves to be a sustainable one, as the pages hold up almost 25 years later.
Those five issues were such a hit with fans that DC gave Karl and Barabara Kesel a regular Hawk & Dove series (Liefeld departed after the mini), which lasted almost 30 issues before cancellation and remains uncollected. What made the mini and regular series so special was the Kesels’ ability to tell creative, genuinely humorous done-in-one stories that featured not only Hank and Dawn as heroes but also as members of a tight-knit group of college friends. They had lives outside of their costumes. Both series feature a sense of self not unlike the "Bwah ha ha!" days of Justice League International, where dialogue balloons brim with quips and plenty of wink-winking. The focus lies in the characters, not the exceptional circumstances with which they always find themselves.
Add a CommentBlog: Schiel & Denver Book Publishers Blog (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Comics, Guilty Pleasures, Art Spiegelman, Garbage Pail Kids, ComicArts, Add a tag
In the 1980s, the Garbage Pail Kids trading cards were so notorious that they were banned from select schools (well, mine) and were traded and pored over like some back-alley dice game at lunch (well, mine again). I will never know what happened to my stack of GPK cards, but I no longer have to wistfully imagine what “Clogged Duane” and “Dinah Saur” looked like, thanks to the recently published Garbage Pail Kids by Abrams ComicArts.
Upon delivery, my nearest neighbor immediately asked to borrow the book. The 220-plus page hardcover instantly triggers a lost sense of dark nostalgia in those who were kids in the mid-1980s. This book collects every card from Series 1-5, and it includes a five-page introduction by Art Spiegelman and a two-page afterword by artist John Pound. The rest of the pages are all GPK. Note that the characters had “alternate” cards—same image, different name—and those names are listed at the bottom of every page. The back matter for the cards is not reproduced outside of the front end papers, but the dust jacket is the same material as the old card packaging—and underneath lies a recognizable image of the pink rectangular gum that came in every pack.
Punny highlights for me were “Babbling Brooke” and “Nervous Rex” (lowlight: “Hot Scott”). In retrospect, I do see some cause for concern (sorry, 1986 self!), notably the drug references, stereotyping, and overall bad taste (but never so bad as how that gum fared—once chewed, twice shy). This hindsight makes Garbage Pail Kids an even better read. How did The Topps Company get away with some of these—see “Half-Nelson” and “Stoned Sean,” for example? It’s a fascinating retrospective, and Spiegelman’s involvement in the original series somehow lends credibility to it all.
“Snot was a good idea (gross bodily fluids were a staple of Topp’s sophisticated brand of humor),” Spiegelman writes in the introduction. “We all worked anonymously, since Topps didn’t want the work publicly credited…I was annoyed at the time, but my book publisher, Pantheon, was very relieved. The first volume of Maus was being prepared for publication while the GPKs were near the height of popularity.”
Maus went on to earn a Pulitzer Prize in 1992. A Pulitzer Prize-winning author and illustrator worked on the Garbage Pail Kids cards. You can say this aloud every time your neighbor asks to borrow your copy.
--Alex
By: Robin Brande,
on 6/8/2010
Blog: Robin Brande (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Life, Guilty Pleasures, Add a tag
This is just pure fun. And a great reminder that not all engineering is serious, cubicle-trapped number-crunching. Sometimes a rock band might ask you to build a machine for its music video, and you’ll be so happy you paid attention in all those physics and math classes. There you go, friends. Enjoy!
By: DGLM,
on 5/27/2010
Blog: Dystel & Goderich Literary Management (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: reading, fun, lists, guilty pleasures, Michael, Add a tag
It's BEA week, and I'm in New York, in a hotel, exhausted by my day of standing around. But my mind keeps drifting back to Sunday and the finale of LOST. As I said to friends, I laughed, I cried, and I was completely caught up in the moment. I will miss the show, flaws and all.
What's this got to do with books, you ask? LOST had many literary allusions throughout the show, and this LA Times blog post goes through a bunch of them. Interestingly, the producers and I like many of the same books. Are any of the LOST books on your favorites list?
By: DGLM,
on 1/19/2010
Blog: Dystel & Goderich Literary Management (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: contest, fun, guilty pleasures, titles, Lauren, Add a tag
The Ghostbusters theme has been ringing through my head this morning, because of a charmingly named article I’ve been corresponding about written by one of the agency’s clients. I’ve had “Paperback Writer” stuck in my head for days because of my own foolish blog post title from Friday. And I was once tormented for months by two projects I had on submission at the same time that had song lyrics as working titles.
Titles can certainly stick with us, especially when they’re allusions to something else. In college I took a class on literature of the “transition” with a professor who was fond of irrelevant tangents, so I often entertained myself by picking out book titles from the poetry course pack. WB Yeats’s “The Second Coming” alone is owed a debt of gratitude from the classics Things Fall Apart and Slouching Towards Bethlehem, and if you search the poem’s key phrases you can find a surprising number of others. WWI era poetry has also provided authors quite a bit of inspiration.
And beyond songs and poetry, puns and movie titles provide a treasure trove of opportunities for books, especially series fiction. Our own Victoria Laurie’s two mystery series are a perfect example.
Unfortunately, titling books is often much, much harder than just coming up with something to reference. As agents, we often have a hand in helping to come up with great titles for our books—and brainstorming lists of options for each others’ clients can be both a fun and trying experience. Recently, after hundreds of choices were suggested and nixed for a particular book, I decided to consult the internet for help and stumbled upon a great and also hysterical tool for authors: author MD Benoit’s Random Title Generator (note: there are words that might offend some, so use with caution). We actually found a handful of really good titles—though none quite right for the book—and some that were so delightfully unfortunate we had to share those with each other, too. Click on over to the title generator and get yourself a new title for your masterpiece or a working title so atrocious it’ll help lighten the mood whenever you get frustrated with writers’ block.
But we think that you, our faithful blog readers, can do better than a random word combiner. So come up with the best bad fake book title you can and leave it in the comments—bonus points for giving us a logline or subtitle to give us context. We’ll take entries until the end of the day on Friday, select our favorites as finalists, and let you fine folks pick the winner here on the blog. Winner gets a shiny new DGLM water bottle!
Posted on 12/16/2009
Blog: Dystel & Goderich Literary Management (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: opinion, nonfiction, guilty pleasures, scandal, Jim, what we're looking for, Miriam, Add a tag
Every once in a while a celebrity news story morphs into a veritable hydra-headed monster of a tabloid saga. And, given my love for that particular brand of infotainment, I am usually sucked in right along with the other readers of Us Weekly, People, and, yes, Star. So, you know I’ve been bouncing from one blog to another for the last couple of weeks following the supernova of a meltdown that is the Tiger Woods saga. Same thing happened with the Eliot Spitzer, Mark Sanford and John Edwards gossip fests. The rubber necking fascination for grown men behaving badly never seems to wane, despite the fact that at this point it seems more the norm than the exception. Fame/Money + Unbridled Ego = Tabloid story in the making.
So, whenever one of these events turns into the usual circus, my colleagues and I immediately think “Is there a book in this?” And, of course, there usually is. In fact, there are usually 10 books. So, how do you decide whether to jump on the ambulance chasing wagon, track down a writer and loose them on the story or take a chance on the “insider” account by one of the members of the disgraced figure’s entourage, his ex-whatever, or his second grade teacher or simply keep watching from afar. The answer is tricky and it depends on what kind of agent/agency you are.
Generally speaking, we take on books that we think we’re going to be able to sell because we don’t get paid for our efforts unless we do. Given that simple premise, it doesn’t make sense to run through hoops in order to try to make a book about one of these scandals happen unless (a) that book is going to offer revelations that are truly not to be found in the 24/7 coverage by blogs, magazines, newspapers, and tv shows (b) there is serious analysis of the situation and its more universal implications by a writer who has strong credentials and who is not just going to do a clip job restating the obvious and (c) one of the main players is willing to sell out his mother for a book deal and really does know where the bodies are buried. Ultimately, though, it’s one thing to be titillated by these kinds of stories while eating your Cheerios and quite another to spend the time, energy and dedication it takes to get a book published on a narrative that will soon be supplanted by the next celebrity/politician/sports star behaving badly. And, sometimes, despite the potential monetary windfall, the subject is just too distasteful to pursue--I don’t think anyone here would have repped OJ Simpson’s book (except perhaps Jim), even though we all would strenuously defend an agent’s choice to do so.
If you were agents would you try to sell a Tiger Woods book right now?
By: DGLM,
on 11/18/2009
Blog: Dystel & Goderich Literary Management (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Miriam, reading, fun, guilty pleasures, Add a tag
by Miriam
Browsing NPR.org’s Book section, I came across this and it made me think about my own literary guilty pleasures. Given that I take pride in being an eclectic (some might say schizoid) reader, I don’t generally feel guilty about many of my choices but every once in a while I find myself sneaking around with a book that I think will raise eyebrows on the train or lead to outright taunting by my rude friends and family members. Usually, this has to do more with the cover art--certain romance novels leave very little to the imagination--or provocative title than with the actual content, but I find that I tend to feel a little guilty reading certain pop culture blockbusters such as the Twilight series. It’s positively unseemly to be swooning over vampires, along with millions of teenaged girls. Or is it? What are your guilty pleasures?
By: Robin Brande,
on 7/5/2009
Blog: Robin Brande (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Guilty Pleasures, Continuing My Starbucks Habit, Add a tag
Love it when scientists say what I want. Check it out. Technorati Tags: Continuing My Starbucks Habit
By: Robin Brande,
on 5/28/2009
Blog: Robin Brande (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Movies & TV, A Fuse #8 Production, Land of the Lost, The Actor Known as Wesley, Reading, Guilty Pleasures, Nancy Drew, Bookshelves of Doom, Add a tag
Or maybe it was her best friend George–can’t remember now. But anyway, there’s nothing like revisiting some of your childhood favorites to make you wonder why you couldn’t see how cheesy something was. It’s like the experience I had this past weekend watching the Land of the Lost marathon on the SciFi channel. It [...]
By: Alkelda,
on 12/3/2007
Blog: Saints and Spinners (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: children's books, guilty pleasures, Add a tag
This guilty pleasure comes to me via HipWriterMama: Even though I knew it was the right thing for Marmie to entreat Jo to forgive Amy for destroying her manuscript in a petty, jealous rage, I still felt Amy got off lightly in Louisa May Alcott's Little Women. Was Amy flogged? Did Marmie ground Amy for life? I don't think so. Later on, when Amy got to go on the trip to Europe that Jo rightfully
By: Robin Brande,
on 7/19/2007
Blog: Robin Brande (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Life, Writing, Guilty Pleasures, Add a tag
PAST: Pint of Baskin-Robbins Jamoca Almond Fudge or Pralines and Cream An entire sleeve of Thin Mints (when in season) An entire row of Samoas (when in season) Peanut M & Ms Homemade chocolate chip cookies with milk (don’t forget the luscious dough phase) Barbeque potato chips Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups PRESENT: Brownies someone sent me as a gift. Damn it. Tortilla chips and [...]
Too many things hurt my belly nowadays. 
By: Robin Brande,
on 7/11/2007
Blog: Robin Brande (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Guilty Pleasures, Add a tag
First of all, wouldn’t that make an excellent title for a movie? Sorry, I’ve already called it. Second, this was going to be a post about how I wish I could look like my avatar. About how cool her clothes are, and how much I love her hairstyle and her boots, and how cool [...]
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By: Lizzy Burns,
on 4/18/2007
Blog: A Chair, A Fireplace and A Tea Cozy (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: TV, guilty pleasures, Add a tag
It's been a while since I blogged TV.
So here it is. Don't judge me. Or...judge me. But I don't care.
Blood Ties. Vampire detective, atoning for crimes? Been there, did that. I was so, so wrong.
Blood Ties is awesome. I missed the first few episodes, but basically, Vicky used to be a cop but isn't anymore so works as a private investigator; Mike is still a cop and was her partner (and it looks like they dated.) Vicky has met up with vampire Henry Fitzroy, graphic artist and illegitimate son of Henry VIII, and Henry helps out Vicky who is now busy doing supernatural investigations.
Why is this awesome? The flirty, very adult triangle between Vicky, Henry and Mike. Hot, hot, hot. Plus, it brings the funny (such as when Vicky tells Henry that Henry has the best break up stories. Of course he does! He's over 400 years old and a vampire.) I also love a show where a normal person stumbles into the world of demons and vampires. I found out this was based on books and am now reading them.
Flavor of Love: Charm School. How to describe.... the girls from Flavor of Love I and II, who often acted... how does one say it? Less than charming... are back. But the "fighting it out" for the love of Flav element has been removed; instead, can these spitting, fighting, cursing ladies pass "charm school" and win 50K? To be honest, this is like a bad drug. You read about it and say no thanks... but once someone locks you in a room and forces you to watch it, it takes hold. I cannot be the only Flavor of Love fan here!
Please... someone... tell me I'm not alone...
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Posted on 1/4/2007
Blog: Pop Goes the Library (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: TV, semi-serious, eulogies, cancellations, tongue-in-cheek, guilty pleasures, Chrismukkah, The O.C., Add a tag
Well, the writing was on the wall when the fourth season of my cheesy, yet strangely beloved teen soap The O.C. opened this September to pathetically low ratings. Fox has now cancelled my beloved guilty pleasure, with the finale set to air February 22. At least they're planning for it, and they're not just yanking it with narrative threads all a-dangle. In memoriam (since I totally missed eulogizing James Brown & Gerald Ford while I was on vacation with my family), a handful of good things The O.C. introduced to the world during its tenure on the airwaves:
- Nerd cool: let's face it, protagonist Seth Cohen (as played by the adorable Adam Brody) has brought sexy (okay, maybe a tepid "appealing" would be more accurate) back to nerdiness. A master stroke for skinny Death Cab-loving boys -- and the girls who never thought they'd love them -- everywhere.
- Mix CDs: these are nothing new, but the six official mix CDs that make up this show's soundtrack kick major sonic booty. Featuring artists like the aforementioned Death Cab, Sufjan Stevens, Mates of State, and Imogen Heap, they are gateway listening to indie rock nirvana and are therefore must-haves for my library's collection, and quite possibly for yours.
- Indie Rock Rocks: Well, duh. A major part of the show's appeal, for me, at least, was the fact that they played good music in every episode. And not just any good music -- good music on little labels like Kill Rock Stars, SubPop, and Sympathy For The Record Industry. It's a big deal for a major TV network to showcase long tail music. Let's give Fox some credit.
- Showcasing Michael Chabon: I didn't include this in my five things, but Michael Chabon is one of my favorite authors. Even when he is so (justifiably) in love with his own prose stylings that he can't, you know, move the darn story forward, I forgive him and love him. Hi, Michael! Wonder Boys is another of my all-time favorite books; I think I might like it even more than Kavalier & Clay, which fellow O.C. viewers will recognize as a core element in the Seth Cohen Starter Pack, the gift Seth bestows upon his two would-be ladyloves in the first Chrismukkah episode. Which brings me to...
- Chrismukkah! The all-purpose Winter Holiday for interfaith families (Seth's mother, Kirsten, is an ur-shiksa, a size 2 Nordic Goddess, married to a Nice Jewish Boy from the Bronx, Sandy) has enjoyed quite a boost in notoriety and popularity since The O.C.'s first season. As half of an interfaith couple myself, Chrismukkah really resonates with me, though my husband prefers his own coinage, Chanumas.
So long, O.C.! We hardly knew ye!
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Wow, that is so cool! (Though it totally takes me back to my Hollywood days. I love how Hollywood loves to conceive these almost impossible ideas and then they just go to someone and say, ‘make it happen.’ The amazing part? They always find someone who does make it happen!)
Thanks for sharing!
Yeah, I love that attitude, too: the whole “here’s a crazy idea, now make it happen.” Love it even more when people are up for the challenge and actually do make it happen!