It occurs to me that I don't mention good comics much on this site, outside of mine. Let me remedy that and make a vow to talk about funnybooks more often.

Like say... SHANGRI-LA, by Marc Bryant and Shepherd Hendrix, which came out in January. It follows a rockstar with a contract out on his life-- but the killer is one of his biggest fans. While that plot unfolds, the story oftens cuts to the afterlife, where the late legends of Rock and Roll look on and offer commentary. This is the kind of book you can leave with your friends who don't think comics are for them-- if it was a movie they'd watch the whole thing. Bryant's writing is witty and considers all the neat possibilities of his fictional premises. Hendrix' art is rock solid, full of good characterization, and works well in black and white.

I wonder if this grew out of Bryant talking to Shepherd about his famous rock-legend relative Jimi. Which reminds me of another cousin of his I wanted to mention a while back, Reggie Hendrix. Reggie played guitar as well (and keyboards), but I met him while doing storyboards in Los Angeles. Reggie was an excellent artist too, and fun to talk to. We worked for a couple of days on some project I can't even remember, both sent there by the agency Famous Frames. But I remember what a great guy he was, and a ton of his anecdotes. He died a few months back, and I really wish I'd gotten to work with him again.

Sorry to get sidetracked. Again, Shangri-La: what the mainstream in comics should, and hopefully will be. Get it.