Indy Comics Writer

Sometimes a surprise twist ruins a story. Think of the first movie in the Nightmare on Elm Street series. The kids appear to have defeated Freddie Krueger. The story has wrapped up on a clever note, with an enterprising heroine using her brains to defeat a seemingly unstoppable foe.

But then, at the very end of the movie, we see that Krueger has returned from the dead. And he’s captured the kids we thought defeated him.

The ending scenes do have shock value, but they cheapen what was until then a thoughtful, truly frightening movie. The sequels that resulted were junk.

But then there comes the twist that defines a work of fiction. Take Robert Kirkman and perhaps his most enduring creation, the superhero series Invincible, published by Image.

Invincible at first seems like a typical superhero story: A young boy gains super powers and struggles to learn how to control them or use them effectively. Sounds a bit like the early days of Spider-Man, right? But then, early in the series’ run a twist occurs that is so amazing and surprising, I won’t even hint at it. All I can say is, read the trades of Invincible. You’ll be amazed at the switch that Kirkman pulls.

Not all twists are created equal. Some, like Kirkman’s, can transform a series into something amazing. Others can make everything that happened before the twist meaningless.

Alan Moore has long said that his graphic novel “Watchmen,” the one that everyone points to as one of the most important ever written, is unfilmable.

That word has popped up again several times during stories written about the upcoming film, due to open, unless a legal battle sidetracks it, in early March.

I’m inclined to side with Moore here. I remember when I first read the story. I never could imagine a big-screen version. The story is long on drama, character development and intrigue. But its real beauty is how densely packed it is, with story, plot and, most of all, mood. It’s hard to capture all this on the movie screen.

Besides, we already have a wonderful visual production of “Watchmen.” Why do we need what will probably be an inferior film version?

There are some works of fiction that Hollywood should leave alone. Moore might be right in suggesting that all of his stories fall into this category.

I have a friend who loves Tintin. The first time I heard her going on about the comic, I thought she was talking about Rin Tin Tin, better known as the world’s most famous German Shepherd.

Of course, Tintin is actually a cub reporter of sorts who, along with his trusty dog Snowy, get into adventures across the globe. It’s quite popular in certain quarters, and the art is undeniably fetching. But ever try to read these stories? To say they haven’t aged well is an understatement.

Here’s an interesting story by the BBC News about what the news service calls the cult of Tintin. Steven Spielberg is beginning a Tintin film, so if you don’t understand the appeal, just wait: You’ll be hearing a lot about Tintin soon.

Personally, though, Tintin feels to me like Walt Kelly’s Pogo. I know as a fan of comic books and comic art, I’m supposed to like it. But I’ve never quite been able to get into Pogo, either. Some people love the comic strip Mutts. It barely makes me smirk. Then again, there’s something about Blondie that almost always makes me smile. Others would say that strip is old-fashioned and past its prime.

Maybe it’s the same way with Tintin; You either love it or you’re a bit bewildered by all the fuss.

A common complaint among comic readers today is that comic writers write for the trade.

This means that they stretch out stories that could be told in fewer issues so that there will be enough comics for the publisher to combine into hardbound and paperback trade volumes. In the comic-book business today, trades are where the powers such as Marvel and D.C. make their dollars.

I understand this complaint. It is kind of a drag to wait six issues — which usually equals six months — to see a story resolve itself. It’s why I no longer purchase single-issue comics. Instead, I wait for the trades.

This makes sense: By buying a single trade, you end up saving money. Comics aren’t cheap these days. You also get better storytelling. It may seem like nothing happens when you buy that single comic. But when you wait a few months and get the trade volume, you have six or more comics, usually, combined into one book. You get the beginning of an arc and the end of it. It’s a complete story and, yes, it finally feels like something is happening.

If the writers write for the trade volume — and no one can argue that they don’t — then the readers would be smart to wait for that volume. To purchase the single-issue comics seems like a lot of money for tiny drabs of story.

You never know what you’re going to find in the daily papers.

Sure, you’ll certainly come across plenty of bad news — more housing foreclosures, more job losses, a tumbling stock market, violence across the world. But once in a while, you find a tidbit of information that you never expected.

For instance, you might be surprised to discover that Playboy Magazine founder Hugh Hefner considers a homemade comic book he made as a teen to have led him down the path to publishing that eventually gave us unfunny party jokes, a bewildering unabashed dictionary and plenty of airbrushing.

Yep, according to this story, America’s favorite dirty old man used to write his own comic based on the adventures of himself and his gang of friends. He eventually turned the project into a scrapbook, which eventually — this might be a stretch, I suppose — led to Playboy magazine.

See, comics aren’t only for geeks. They’re for guys who hang around in their pajamas all day, date three girls at once and every once in a while wear really goofy looking yachting captain hats.

So next time you’re working on your own comic, sure that it will never amount to anything, remember the fate of Hugh Hefner. Things worked out well for this former comic writer, right?

I love a good comic-book movie. Last summer was a particularly good one, with Dark Knight, Iron Man and Hellboy 2 providing some real cinematic magic.

Comic fans can look forward to more comic-book movie action soon, as both Marvel and DC are moving ahead with plans to film their best-known superhero teams. According to this story, Marvel has put plans in motion for a movie version of the Avengers while DC is working on a film version of The Justice League.

I have to say, I’m worried about both. It’s hard to imagine movies packed with so many characters giving justice to each of them. It’s hard enough in the ongoing comics to truly develop the members of the Avengers and Justice League. Many characters get short shrift. Will it be even more difficult in a two-hour movie?

The worries aside, I’m thrilled that comic-book movies had such a strong year in 2008. The hope is that even the recent stinkers — the new Punisher and Spirit movies — won’t slow down the number of comics hitting the big screen in the years to come.

Take a trip to your local comic shop and visit the independents aisle. I know it’s hard to force yourself away from Marvel and D.C., but do it anyway.

Here’s what you’ll find on the shelves devoted to independents: multiple versions of Doctor Who comics, Battlestar Galactica comics, Transformers comics, G.I. Joe comics, graphic Indiana Jones adaptations, Buffy the Vampire Slayer stories, Star Trek comics, Star Wars graphic novels.

Yes, the independents — at least many of them — have embraced the idea of taking well-known characters and spinning them off into their own comics. The hope is that casual readers familiar with the TV shows will take a chance on a comic series starring their favorite characters.

I haven’t read many of these tales. I have read a few issues of IDW’s Dr. Who comic and a few of the Buffy the Vampire Slayer stories. I liked Buffy far more than I did the Doctor, a shame because I do like the new Doctor Who series quite a bit.

The problem I do have is that there are too many adaptations. I look to independent comics for creativity. Many deliver. Slave Labor Graphics, for instance, has put out some of the most intriguing comics out there. The adaptations of licensed characters almost feels … well, lazy.

Marvel and D.C. have their own problems with a lack of imagination and creativity these days. We don’t need the independents to follow their example. Adaptations are fine, in smaller doses. We really don’t need quite so many Doctor Who comics.

If you haven’t heard of Jack Johnson, you’re probably not a boxing fan. But even if you haven’t and you’re not, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t visit www.comicmix.com to read the regular installments of the online comic The Original Johnson.

The comic, which was mentioned recently in a New York Times story by writer George Gene Gustines, is an online biography of Johnson, who became the first black heavyweight champion a century ago. You can imagine that this didn’t sit well with many.

The series, written and illustrated by Trevor Von Eeden, takes a hard look at how racist the United States really was when Johnson ascended to his title. It doesn’t picture Johnson as a saint — he certainly wasn’t one — and it does depict boxing as a brutal, sometimes horrific, sport.

The comic does a wonderful job illustrating a particular time in the United States. With Barack Obama set to step in later this month as the country’s first non-white president, we all hope we’ve taken a huge step away from the history of racism and bigotry in the United States.

The story of Jack Johnson, even though it’s 100 years old, might show us how far we’ve come. But it also shows how far we have to go.

My 9-year-old son — soon to be 10 — recently discovered the BBC’s new Doctor Who series. He’s especially a fan of David Tennant’s portrayal of the Doctor.

I was happy, then, to see that IDW publishes its own Doctor Who comic. Unfortunately, after reading through several issues, which my son later read, I have to say that the comic doesn’t quite capture the inspired madness of the Doctor Who series at its best.

It tries. The comics I’ve read, which depict the David Tennant Doctor along with his companion Martha Jones, is filled with wisecracks, odd science and lots and lots of running. Problem is, it’s awfully hard to follow at times. The first arc I read was practically impossible to decipher until I’d gone through its very final issue.

I’ve not tried the comic adaptations of the new Battlestar Galactica yet. But I hope that that series manages to more accurately capture the flavor of the cable show. I imagine it will, considering that the new Battlestar Galactica is awfully grim, and comics do a good job of capturing that dark feel.

Even though I love comic books and graphic novels, and even though I’m striving to break into the business of writing for the medium, I still like to read prose novels and short stories. There’s a lot of great writing out there that doesn’t come with pictures, and if you’re ignoring it you’re not helping to develop your own writing skills at all.

For instance, for Christmas I received The Boy Detective Fails, the new novel by Joe Meno. If you’ve never read anything by Meno, you’re missing out. Check out his work and you’ll see: They all have their own distinctive style, and they’re all heartbreaking. But Meno’s not depressing to read. His work can also be heartwarming, and his characters will stick in your mind long after you finish reading one of his stories or novels.

If you ever read the adventures of the Hardy Boys or Nancy Drew when you were younger, you’ll enjoy The Boy Detective Fails. The story concerns the exploits of a real-life (well, this is fiction, but you know what I mean) version of everyone’s favorite teen detectives. Mysteries are a bit more complicated in Meno’s world than they are in the works penned by the pseudonymous F.W. Dixon.

Like all the best writers, Meno can teach aspiring pros all about pacing, wit, style and, of course, hooking the reader. Just because he doesn’t write graphic novels and you want to, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t check out his work.