Anybody here read Xenozoic Tales?

[Lord Dalek]

Just picked up the first volume from my local Brick and mortar. Great stuff, anyone else here heard of it?

[Ed Liu]

Howdy,

Yup. If I had a bazillion dollars, I'd put Mark Schultz up for a year or two to make sure he could finish what he started properly. We don't get nearly enough art from him these days, but he works slower than Bryan Hitch (I think there was a year between issues by the end), meaning he can't make a living off drawing his own comics.

Hannah Dundee is one of the most interesting women in comics, not to mention a total hottie.

It's actually worth it to seek out either the original issues (not too hard to get on eBay) or the oversized trade paperbacks that were printed by Kitchen Sink Press. There were a total of 14 issues of Xenozoic Tales, which usually had a main story written and drawn by Mark Schultz, and a backup story written by Schultz and usually drawn by Steve Stiles. The backups weren't critical to the plot, but they do flesh out stuff in the series and give you a great sense of background history.

The good news is that the Kitchen Sink oversized TPBs really give you an eyeful of Schultz's astoundingly detailed and beautiful artwork. The bad news is that they stop at issue #12 :mad: . Also, none of the reprints include Schultz's covers -- which is unfortunate because they're some of the best art in the books.

-- Ed/Ace

[Lord Dalek]

Dark Horse is printing 'em now. They claim they have every issue.

[AdamYJ]

I have both of the Dark Horse TPBs. Good stuff indeed. Interesting plots and complex characters with just the right dash of style.

[Ed Liu]

Howdy,


Dark Horse is printing 'em now. They claim they have every issue.

Arg. Forgot to mention that the Dark Horse reprints reprint all 14 issues, but only the Schultz material. They don't reprint the backups.

-- Ed/Ace

[randomguy]

Hmmm... I've never heard of it, but anything passionately recommended by Ace has my immediate interest. What's it about?

[Ed Liu]

Howdy,


Hmmm... I've never heard of it, but anything passionately recommended by Ace has my immediate interest. What's it about?
In the late 21st century, a man-made cataclysm exterminates 90% of the life on Earth and forces mankind deep underground. There, a powerful anti-technology movement takes root, wiping out most scientific knowledge. When people finally emerge from their vaults after centuries of isolation, they are confronted with a world where dinosaurs and other pre-historic life roam the world again.

The main storyline centers around Jack "Cadillac" Tenrec, an "Old Blood Mechanic" who's part technician and part shaman. The first issue squares him off with Hannah Dundee, an ambassador from the neighboring state of Wassoon. The two are opponents as often as they are allies, as they confront natural disaster, the fauna of the age, and the motley assortment of people around them.

Really, I think it was a way for Mark Schultz to draw 50's-era GM automobiles, dinosaurs, and babes & beefcake and get paid for it :).

The earliest stories are simple and rough around the edges, but a larger storyline begins to take shape fairly soon. The stories are often short but dense, and conflict is as likely to come from political maneuvering as from a rampaging T-Rex. Jack and Hannah are also incredibly interesting human beings -- smart and sharp, but flawed and with agendas that are often at odds with each other.

It doesn't hurt that it's goregous (http://deniskitchen.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=S&Product_Code=PO_MS.overdrive). I remember a site which had the best XT issue summaries and a bunch of scanned artwork, but it seems to have vanished now. I'll have to see if I can dig it out when I get home.

(EDIT: Here it is (http://personal.bellsouth.net/t/a/tarqas/xenozoic.htm), along with some very nice B&W pin-ups of Hannah Dundee (http://personal.bellsouth.net/t/a/tarqas/Hannah.gif) and Jack Tenrec (http://personal.bellsouth.net/t/a/tarqas/Jack.gif).)

You may also be familiar with the material from the Epic Comics color reprints and the CBS Saturday Morning cartoon, both titled "Cadillacs & Dinosaurs." If you remember the cartoon, the original comics are about a hundred times more interesting and intelligent.

Some reviews & more info:
- This site run by a fan (http://personal.bellsouth.net/t/a/tarqas/xenozoic.htm) summarizes all the issues (including backups) and has a few scans of Schultz's artwork.
- The Fourth Rail's Randy Lander reviews Xenozoic Tales Vol I (http://www.thefourthrail.com/reviews/snapjudgments/051903/xenozoictales1tp.shtml) and Volume 2 (http://www.thefourthrail.com/reviews/snapjudgments/091503/xenozoictales2tp.shtml).
- Suspended Animation Comic reviews (http://www.starland.com/sus/2002/sus020313.htm). Contains some sample panels.
- iComics review of Vol. 1 (http://www.icomics.com/rev_061903_xenozoic.shtml), with some nice scans of Jack & Hannah. As a bonus, Hannah is in a furry pre-historic swimsuit.
- Here's one from Pulp & Dagger Magazine (http://www.pulpanddagger.com/pulpmag/rev_xenozoic.html), which pretty accurately describes the strengths and weaknesses of the series.

Sorry, didn't mean to babble. I still hope that if I hook enough people on the series that eventually Schultz will make more, in a novel or comics or whatever. You can order Volume 1 here (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1569716900/qid=1080840790/sr=1-2/ref=sr_1_2/102-1564430-9363357?v=glance&s=books) and Volume 2 here (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1569716919/qid=1080840790/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/102-1564430-9363357?v=glance&s=books).

-- Ed/Ace

[EarthX]

Just picked up the first volume from my local Brick and mortar. Great stuff, anyone else here heard of it?
Modern Classics. Get them all

Still can't figure out why Schultz's writing is so good here and so average on his Superman stuff...

Perhaps the lack of emotion connected to the character?

I miss his artwork too...

[2Divine]

I've been meaning to pick XT up for a good long time now. Maybe come next paycheck I'll drop a few bucks and finally get them.

[screw on head]

great great great books, i highly recommend these. i've met schultz once and he's a great guy as well as a great artist/writer. his art is hard to find nowadays, though it's really worth looking for and i hope we see him do more artwork soon.