Hi there! Welcome to a new series on Tor.com. My name is Lee Mandelo and in this space every Friday we will be reading comics together. Specifically, comics that would fall under the umbrella of “speculative fiction,” like Warren Ellis’s Transmetropolitan or Bill Willingham’s Fables. For everyone who already loves them: this is the perfect time to re-read those series that you loved and haven’t had a chance to revisit in a while. For the readers who’ve only wondered about some of this stuff: I promise, you’ll have a good time. The world of SFF is so much broader than just prose or poetry. Comics can make you laugh, cry, rage and maybe put back a drink or two when you’re done. And the art! Oh, the art.
As for the particulars, the schedule will alternate between single-volume and series readings to keep things fresh. The starting series will be Transmetropolitan, mostly because it was the first comic that convinced me I might be a fan. After that, I have a list, but I’d like to hear from you what comics you think would be worth reading together. For now I’d like to stick with creator-owned series but branching out to a little company-owned (aka-Marvel & DC universe) stuff for some particularly good storytelling is possible. Each post will be a mix of summary, commentary, hey-look-at-that-in-the-background, and discussion. Disagree with me, disagree amongst yourselves, but above all, participation is awesome. It’s cool if all you have to say is “I really love this volume.” (You may recognize this format from the LotR or Wheel of Time read-alongs.)
The current list I have in mind is this—Transmetropolitan, Preacher, Fables, Y the Last Man, V for Vendetta, book tie-ins like The Dresden Files: Welcome to the Jungle or Mercy Thompson: Homecoming, The Boys, Death, Mouse Guard… and what else? Thrill me, here. I love finding new writers. (I’ve intentionally skipped Sandman because someone else has that covered already and Watchmen because of the large amount of coverage when the movie came out.)
If you’d like to hear a little about me before we embark on this journey, here are the highlights—I live in Louisville, Kentucky and attend the university here. I’m a bookseller for Waldenbooks and I really, really love my job. I have big geeky love for mythology, art and music, among other things (obviously, comics). I’m a writer working toward getting a book signed. Aside from this comic read-along series, I’ll also be writing about queer speculative fiction here on Tor.com. You can find me on Twitter as @LeeMandelo and on Livejournal under the same name.
Enough about me. Tell me about what else you’d like to see included here in the read-alongs. There are plenty of weeks in a year and plenty of comics to fill them! See you same time next week for Transmetropolitan v. 1: Back on the Street. Come ready to party, Ellis style.
Index | Transmetropolitan Vol 1: Back on the Street »
