Keith Giffen ambushes us with books
By Keith Giffen – I’m not really good at this. No, not reading, I’m fine on that front. I’m talking about these “my preference, what the other guy likes blows” columns. Not that that’s what this “Recommended Reading” column is all about—far from it. Actually, it’s a pretty good idea, letting the fans in on the types of reading material the average comic book creator turns to after anywhere from eight to 12 hours spent dealing with characters whose idea of a fashion statement is wearing their underpants on the outside. Which is why you won’t find many comic books listed below. Not that I don’t like comics, mind you; it’s just that after a day spent cobbling one together, when it comes time to kick back and relax I’m looking for something a bit different. The books listed below are the ones that I turn to most often when in need of a “sanity fix” after having spent way too much time in “four-color land.” You might consider giving them a read…
Catch-22: The single indispensable book in what I laughingly refer to as my library. Joseph Heller’s surrealistic, maddeningly hilarious masterpiece is far and away my all-time favorite read.
Shadowland: Peter Straub’s disturbing take on magic and the supernatural. Mood you can cut with a knife. (Whatever that means…)
The Mongo books: The adventures of George C. Chesbro’s dwarf detective. Not quite science fiction, not quite hard-boiled suspense, not quite like anything else out there.
Aztec: A fascinating novel about a fascinating people. Gary Jennings’ brilliant take on the historical novel.
The Bridge: Skipp and Spector’s gleefully nihilistic take on eco-disaster. Who knew the end of the world could be so much fun?
The Tale of One Bad Rat: Okay, it’s a comic book. But it’s a damned good comic book, and how many of those have you come across lately?
Looks like that’s all I have space for. Just as well. I’m a two-finger typer and I’m starting to cramp up here. Catch you in the funnybooks…
Well, it seems that Mr. Giffen’s not the best judge of space allotment. That’s OK. We’ll fill up the rest by talking bad about him! Keith became, like, super-famous (in comic book circles, for what that’s worth) in the early ’80s with his pencils and plots on Legion of Super-Heroes. He’s also famous (some say infamous, the dullards) for bringing humor back to superhero books with the Justice League and Ambush Bug, revamping the Legion, and creating Lobo. He is currently writing and drawing Punx Redux for Acclaim.
