J. Scott Campbell: Time Capsule 1994-2004
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So, at the suggestion from another JSC fan at Penny Can, I managed to get me a Brand New copy of J. Scott Campbell: Time Capsule 1994-2004 and it was absolutely worth it. Even if most of the artwork within was stuff I had already seen, I still planned on picking this up because I wanted to read about what makes JSC tick. The bonus turned out to be that maybe 70% of the artwork was in fact new to me. So, I got the best of both worlds. As the books title suggest, we get a chronological rundown of his first 10 years in the biz and pretty much everything is covered, especially his Gen 13 and Danger Girl years. But what I was really looking forward to reading was about his Wildsiderz "run". Not so much because of what he produced, but I wanted an answer to explain his reason for abandoning the title after just one issue. It was kind odd to be able to read his thought process for when he was building it up as he does and going as far as hyping the eventual Trade Paperback for the series. Ouch. Talk about biting off more than one can chew. Looks pretty ridiculous in hindsight. Hopefully Volume II will answer the question on everyone's mind.
As for the rest of the book, I was kind of surprise that JSC more or less disses Jim Lee a few times about work ethic a couple of times throughout. No, he doesn't come right out and say it, but it's hinted at through veiled subtext. He's not the only one that seems to get a poor showing here. Marc Silverstri and Rob Liefeld come out looking pretty bad as well. It is what it is and not everyone is going to get along for whatever reason but I wasn't expecting that at all. I was also very surprise at how much religion played in both his life as well as how much he talks about it in the book, which I found to be fascinating. If you are a fan of JSC or cool art, this is definitely worth picking up for sure. I originally planned on getting the Back to the Future Cover from his website, but I balked at the idea they were charging $20 extra for shipping. F*ck that sh*t! Ended up getting the regular cover edition (signed and numbered) off of eBay for dirt cheap, Brand New. I will most likely pick up the BTTF Edition at Comic Con for sure. Any new forum lurkers that stumbles across Penny Can or this review in particular, be sure to check out Neumatic's review here (http://pennycan.createaforum.com/comic-books-and-art/what-are-you-reading/msg36495/#msg36495).
ECCC 2014: SECRET ORIGINS PRESENTS J. SCOTT CAMPBELL
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ge8-QSXuyk0&list=WL&index=3
If ya can't read the book, next best thing is a 45 minute conversation about his career.