SPECTATORS - Part 99
Plus, win the first PREACHER OMNIBUS!
Could you also really use that hour we just lost?
Brian here, and if you’re a friend/colleague/conspirator to whom I owe a call/text/life debt, my apologies. It’s been an unexpectedly hectic few weeks, but all is copacetic, and I promise to start getting back to everyone right after I finish typing this very dispatch.
In today’s vibrant vignette of Spectators from artist/co-creator Niko Henrichon and letterer Fonografiks, our ghostly protagonist Val continues to recount the first time she saw an R-rated movie, a VHS copy of The Terminator screened at the modest condo of her newly divorced dad…
Is Niko absolutely crushing this hand-painted flashback or what?
The best is yet to come, so thanks for still being here, especially you generous paid subscribers in The Tower.
In last week’s chat thread with you fine folks, we were discussing our favorite PG films, and I had completely forgotten that fucking Jaws wasn’t rated R. What a magical era for traumatizing young filmgoers.
Jumping ahead a few years in cinema history, reader Brian J. noted:
1984 - so many movies that hit that year for me. Gremlins, Ghostbusters, Karate Kid, Temple of Doom (I had to check that this one didn’t get released as PG-13), Sixteen Candles, Last Starfighter, Neverending Story ... all PG and burned into core memory. I feel like this is one of the first years that the world of Hollywood became real for me.
While LisaCee cut to the present:
Though it’s more recent, I’ve got to go with Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse.
When I finally convinced my spouse to join me at the theater, it had already been out for a while and the theater was nearly empty. There was a 4 or 5 year old kid sitting near me with their mom and he was enraptured. He knew all of the characters and oohed and awed at all the right times. After the movie Mom apologized and explained it was his first movie in a theater. I assured her there was nothing to apologize for and that it was a blast to share the experience.
It is one of my favorite movies and a great memory.
But only one lucky Tower member could receive the new omnibus collection that includes my entire run on Ultimate X-Men, and our wildly overqualified intern Genesis the Exploded Giraffe randomly selected Rocky P., who had this unconventional pick:
Billy Jack. I left the theater believing I could take on evil in its many forms with just my two bare feet. And when I tried to explain to my parents how beautiful it was, I realized that we were unlikely to ever connect on a meaningful level about movies, music, or anything else.
Whoa, that response took an intense swerve at the end! Hope you and your folks were eventually able to bridge that Billy Jack-sized divide, Rocky.
Regardless, I’m really enjoying giving away my overstuffed library of old graphic novels to help underwrite the ongoing creation of a new one (Spectators, I mean), so please stick around for another big omnibus giveaway at the end of this missive.
But first, I have to congratulate my oddball elder brother Mycroft for finally tying me in our annual Oscar pool (instead of trouncing me like he normally does). We both lost out to my apparently psychic better half, who somehow missed only two categories.
All of which reminded me to ask: Do you give a shit about the Academy Awards?
Yes, any attempt to “rank” the arts is always dumb and pointless, but I was at least grateful for the nudge to finally check out Poor Things, easily my favorite film from last year, a savage and hilarious masterpiece I’m just sorry I never saw in the theater.
Quick merch plug: the Official Saga Threadless Shop is having a big Spring Sale for the next few days, and you can grab most of our t-shirts for just 13 bucks, including this Fiona Staples classic, now available in multiple different colors:
I know, I know, but what about the Saga comic?!?
Stay tuned to this space, Friendo. Two pieces of exciting news coming very soon…
Since last Monday’s installment of Exploding Giraffe was about all things PG, I thought we’d shift things back in a more “hard R” direction this week by celebrating one of the greatest, most joyously obscene comics of all time…
I’ve never been particularly subtle about my affection for this series from the legendary team of writer Garth Ennis and artist Steve Dillon…
![r/comicbooks - They can say "fuck" in comic books? [Y: The Last Man #11]](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd58c01c3-c0bc-4e25-b6d5-7dbb62d083ca_640x989.jpeg "r/comicbooks - They can say \"fuck\" in comic books? [Y: The Last Man #11]")
…so back in 2020, it was a tremendous honor to be asked by my good mate/constant tormentor Garth Ennis to contribute an introduction to a new omnibus celebrating the 25th anniversary of Preacher, an honor only slightly undercut by the fact that Garth said he needed the intro fast, as his first choice to write it was suddenly unavailable.
What a dick.
Nevertheless, I’m very happy to be included in this handsome behemoth from DC’s Black Label, straining the shelves at your local comic shop right now.
A brief excerpt from my lengthy intro:
But what I loved best about Garth’s writing was the way it dependably shocked me. “Shock” has taken on a pejorative meaning in some circles, written off as cheap or easy, which is bullshit, as evidenced by the fact that most comics, most fiction, is the opposite of shocking: rote, comforting, fun. Garth always seemed more interested in combining words, images and ideas in ways that were authentically dangerous. And it wasn’t because he wanted to get a rise out of readers. As a matter of fact, he seemed wholly indifferent to his audience and whatever their delicate sensibilities might be. This man had things in his head he needed to get out, and you could like them or not, but it clearly didn’t make much difference to him.
After our dumb paywall, I’ll include the complete text from that introduction, show off my one piece of original Preacher art, and also give away my personal copy of that $125 omnibus to one random commenter in this week’s thread about the Oscars (which Garth definitely doesn’t give a shit about).
And for you newer readers, here’s a link to my slightly tipsy Zoom ramble with Mr. Ennis from way back in 2022. You can unlock it and ALL of our past bonus stuff from the past two-plus years for just five measly bucks.
Either way, I hope you have a great week, and Niko, Fonografiks and I will see you back here next Monday evening for more free Spectators.