"Gasoline Alley" Love!

      (2009 strip by Jim Scancarelli)

One of my favorite things about cartooning or sequential art is a

well-written, realistic, identifiable large-cast storyline. To have one

that has a lengthy history and has maintained consistent quality is

a huge plus!

"Gasoline Alley" was one of my favorite early finds in the

1980s, and possibly part of my reason for having a more expansive

love of the medium. At the time I was being exposed to Love & Rockets,

the British invasion, all sorts of classic goodness in the form of The

Comics Revue (which introduced me to Gasoline Alley,) all of the

Fantagraphics books, and many other high quality stories.



(The well-known Dick Moores' version which first attracted me to
the strip in the 1980s.)

The 1980s was sort of a second coming for the comics industry, what

with some great strides in printing, story-telling, art styles, and an expanded

international market. A cornucopia of beloved older tales (Will Eisner,

             Hal Foster, Walt Kelly, Milton Caniff, and more)

were made available in reprint form by an increasingly visible

independent market, and 'mature comics' were

just coming into their stride.

I of course liked the titillating nature of books that

were meant for older readers, like Somerset Holmes,

Modesty Blaise, Kelly Greene, Zenith, Miracleman,
Real Girl Comics, Gay Comix, and all the many
graphic novels and other 'real' reads that were available.

But I was equally--if not more genuinely--drawn to

the quality works of Dick Moores, Lynn Johnston's "For

Better or For Worse," Berke Breathed's "Bloom County,"
and so on while comic strips were experiencing a boom.
Simple, elegant, easy-to-access, and consistent...
yet wise beyond their meager appearances. 

Some assistance with the connections, courtesy of Scancarelli)

(From the original, by Frank King)

The collected editions of the series are available,
and you can find several here
Gasoline Alley Collected Editions for sale


For an indepth look at the series,
check out this amazing website;

Gasoline Alley/Walter & Skeezix Overview by Cartoon Studies

***

Comics Query: Catwoman Shanghai

Why is it that an inventive, beautiful rendition of a

DC character  can't be the commitment of a

major media corporation?

The DC Nation 3-part short that debuted

the Shanghai Catwoman 'version' of the character, complete

with anime brilliance, was a perfect example of

utilizing the talents in the industry.

Making a whoring, exposed-titty, pole-dancing

version of the character (Yes, I'm well aware that

Frank Miller previously ruined her in every story he's

told involving her) in her animated solo debut, is NOT!

***

George Perez Does JLA Right

An early and fabulous Marvel Comics' 'ersatz' version

(but still enjoyable) of DC's premiere group.

Englehart expanded on Thomas' "Squadron Supreme," a

doppelganger group of the Justice League,

beautifully rendered by a still-young Perez!

(From AVENGERS)

When George started doing JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA,

he was still in a fannish/cartoony period that was gelling.

Don't misunderstand; I LOVED his work, and his late-1970s/

early 1980s books filled me with excitement every time I

saw them. I may even 'prefer' some of the more

stylized comic style to the hyper-realism that developed.

But here he still had some consistency issues.

(Still, a 'bad' day for Perez is still a banner day for fans!)

George has such a deceptively simple, clean line style and

a real eye for characterization. He isn't just looking at

costumes and background (which he delights in

depicting with excruciation detail and design,)

but he gives history and introduction to his

characters through stance, expressions, and stature.

He's really a master.

But it doesn't stop there.

He does design work that lays out an entire

mythology within a few scant pages, or in a single

panel. His covers are bursting with dynamic struggle

and pathos. His post card series summed up entire

legacies. The economy of precision and detail.

Though Perez had an all-too brief run on JLA,

it was quite memorable.

He penciled two of the annual JLA/JSA crossovers,

 the origin of Red Tornado, the budding Zee/Barry romance,

and much more.

That era of the League was already a fan fave...

the Satellite-era League. It was a perfect combination

of characters in a perfect time in comics.

There were some superb stories being told from

some of the best in the craft.

Fan faves had a home.

You could still tell good, in-depth stories that

knew the difference between gravitas and depressing

deconstruction of a pass-time.

Yeah. Simpler times. Good times.

The Perez look on JLA gave that sense of being

larger than life, and yet realistic, all at the same time.

There was an added level of excitement to his work.

(No slight against some of the other greats, and certainly

not to one of my fave artists of all time, Mr. Dick Dillin,

the JLA artist mainstay prior to.)

It takes a special someone to not only deliver quality work

but be able to do it regularly and consistently....

especially when dealing with such a monster cast!

Not long after this run, on New Teen Titans,

Perez began developing a more finely detailed and

darker style. Still filled with a sense of fun,

but his JLA era work reflects a very particular

blend of all his best assets, for me.

And even though I love the fishnets, I also

loved Perez's more modern take on Zee.

Issue # 200 marked rather the end of an era.

Perez continued doing some covers that were still

stellar, but no more interiors. But the book started to

change, too. And this was the period that began the slow

lumbering crawl towards Crisis, and the first deathblow

to old school comics and fun.

But in homes, back issue bins, and now computers

across the world, the greatness of times past can still

be gushed over at any time.

Thanks for the gorgeous memories and legacy, George.

These books were the family and friends I didn't have

for a lot of years.

**************************************