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by KC Carlson
Melvin Monster #1 cover
I should have checked out Melvin Monster #1 30 or 40 times as a kid. I’m not truly sure why I purchased it, as by then I was deeply into superhero comics as well as leaving the “kid stuff” behind. however there was something extremely strange about the cover: a monstrous eco-friendly young boy with a directed head as well as a Moe Howard haircut swallowing a toy train after resetting the train tracks to really run down his throat, while a normal-looking youngster looked on in horror. Something made me pick it up as well as begin flipping with it.
I got a few pages into the problem before I got the “Hey kid, this ain’t a library!” holler from the clerk. There I satisfied Melvin’s dad (Baddy), a big, tall, purple dude who looked vaguely like Frankenstein’s monster – except with Fred Flintstone’s head – as well as arms that prolonged down to his ankles. Later, I discovered out that Baddy snacks on golf clubs, a trait we share. His mother really was a Mummy, albeit one who used a home gown as well as apron as well as had adorable orange hair. On page three, Melvin was practically eaten by his pet alligator, Cleopatra. On page five, Melvin is talked into going out of his upper-floor window, winding up buried to his eyes in the ground below, by his Guardian Demon — a tinkerbell-sized orange demon with bat wings, a pitchfork, as well as an attitude.
I now had to purchase this book.
After reading it – a great deal – I was truly pleased that I did. There was something subversively lovely about it, although I’m relatively sure I didn’t utilize language like that back then. Back then it was just “really cool!”
Later on, I realized that it was this comic, not any type of superhero book, which really influenced my own attempt at a comic book story, on typing paper with colored markers. Sadly, about a page as well as a half later, I realized that I had no company ever trying to draw anything again. however by then I was likewise higher than a kite from the marker fumes. perhaps the two things were related… I never tried drawing again, however there are a few early allegedly humorous short stories tucked away in my data that are… odd. In taking a look at them besides these years, it was remove that they were mostly influenced by the twisted logic as well as cleverly fractured speech patterns of John Stanley – the writer as well as artist of Melvin Monster who is most likely much better understood as the primary writer of many of the bit Lulu comic books.
John Stanley library Vol. 1 Melvin Monster
Stanley’s work as well as profession is not well understood to much of the general public as well as is long overdue for examination. Melvin Monster (Vol. 1) is the very first volume in what one really hopes will be a long as well as successful series of The John Stanley Library. published by Drawn as well as Quarterly, this very first volume is rather smart-looking and, of course, a fantastic, mind-altering read. subsequent volumes in the series will include Stanley’s “teenage” strips: Thirteen (Going On Eighteen), around the block With Dunc as well as Loo, as well as Kookie, in addition to the other six problems of Melvin Monster. Stanley likewise composed a long run on the Nancy (and Nancy & Sluggo) comic book, which will likewise be collected by D&Q. as well as Stanley’s bit Lulu work is on screen in Dark Horse’s long-running reprint series of that traditional comic book. searching for a location to start? I suggest the bit Lulu color Special, which has a number of excellent stories.
I never saw any type of even more problems of Melvin Monster after #1 when I was a youngster (which most likely led to its cancellation if it was having distribution problems), so the subsequent problems are new to me – as well as eagerly awaited! These stories are fantastic gems of both visual as well as verbal humor, tortured logic, running jokes (that really pay off!), interesting as well as unforgettable characters, as well as a few of the worst parenting skills ever on screen in a comic supposedly aimed at kids. like all really excellent “kids lit” (like the Wizard of Oz), it ain’t truly excellent unless it scares you a bit bit. Melvin Monster is certainly one for creeping you out from time to time – although not in methods that you believe it would. It’s full of monsters, witches, creatures, as well as other ghoulish things that you would believe would be the source of discomfort. however if you believed that, you’d be wrong. It’s the humans (from Humanbeanville) as well as Melvin’s people (and pet) who are the ones to view out for. precisely exactly how youngsters would think. Stanley was a genius.
Don’t miss Melvin Monster. Your comic book life will be less satisfying without him.
Unfortunately, the book has a couple of shortcomings. None are truly major sufficient to avoid you from purchasing, however they are somewhat disappointing nonetheless. except for a couple of short blurbs (mostly on a sticker on the back cover, which makes it feel as if it was an afterthought), there is extremely bit in the method of documenting these stories or Stanley himself. possibly this is a option on the part of the compilers to let the work stand on its own, however this seems an unusual option for a series that purports to bring much more public interest to Stanley as well as numerous of his not-as-well-known works. There are any type of number of qualified comics scholars or enthused as well as influenced artists in the field who might have offered a vibrant essay on either the artist or the work.
One of those enthused as well as influenced artists – Seth – has developed the book, as well as a beautiful style it is. However, it’s a bit as well much Seth as well as not-so-much John Stanley, so it feels like the two sensibilities are somewhat at chances with each other. matter of taste, I guess. It truly is a fine modern-looking design.
A glaring omission is the non-inclusion of the Stanley-drawn as well as -designed covers for the comics – a extremely poor lapse, as these were a few of the extremely few works during his long profession that Stanley was able to really sign.
The comics are printed from scans of the original comics, so you get the “feel” of reading an old comic book (yellowed pages, warts-and-all original printing flaws) without being concerned that the book will crumble into dust in your hands. I type of such as this as well as don’t truly mind the occasional artifact. however right here it appears like one of the problems was scanned from a damaged (perhaps waterlogged) original copy, so a few of the pages are a bit darker as well as “dirtier” than others. I believe that when you choose this type of scanning reproduction, you have to take what you can get, as well as this doesn’t especially bother me, however some may be dissatisfied if they were searching for beautiful reproduction. Although I will state that I hope D&Q are at least trying to discover “nice” copies for reproduction, as the series isn’t that difficult to discover on the collector market.
Also, I’ve seen a few people complaining about the cover price. I’m not truly in that camp. Sure, I would have liked there to be much more than three problems in the book, mainly since I instantaneously wished to checked out more. however when you think about nowadays that three common style problems of (fill in the blank) will set you back $12 (or much more for some little press books), getting bent out of shape about a extremely well designed, full color hardcover book – with much much better reading material – for $20 (cheaper at Westfield!) truly isn’t much of an disagreement to me.
I’m eagerly awaiting much more in The John Stanley Library. hope you are too!
For much more on John Stanley as well as his work, inspect out Frank M. Young’s outstanding Stanley stories blog. His evaluation of this book is much much more extensive than mine (though our opinions on the book’s shortcomings are incredibly similar). He ought to have written an essay for the D&Q book. ideally they will tap him for a subsequent volume.
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KC Carlson has been working in, around, as well as adjacent to comic books because the 1970s, many notably for DC Comics as an editor (including Collected Books) in the 90s. KC’s Bookshelf is an continuous attempt to catalog the excellent comic book collections as well as history books that ought to be on your bookshelf.
Purchase John Stanley library Vol. 1: Melvin Monster
The cover to Melvin Monster #1 comics from the Grand Comic book Database.