Concrete (comics): Difference between revisions

'''''Concrete''''' is a [[comic book]] series created and written by [[Paul Chadwick]] and published by [[Dark Horse Comics]].<ref name=T>{{cite webmagazine|workmagazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]]|title=Heavy|author=Arnold, Andrew D.|date=June 11, 2005|url=http://content.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,1070506,00.html}}</ref>

The ''Concrete'' series focuses on realism. Apart from the aliens (which appear only in original series issue #3, in Concrete's recounting of his origin) and Concrete's own high-tech, artificial, stone body (which includes a host of attendant abilities), there are no supernatural or science- fiction elements to any stories.

Concrete's sexuality is addressed in the series. An artist at heart, he collects paintings of female nudes. He is notably embarrassed at his lack of sexual organs; this is often the subject of hurtful jokes thrown his way.

The series focuses on the life of Concrete, formerly Ron Lithgow, whose brain was involuntarily transplanted by aliens into a hulking artificial body which is made up of a substance that closely resembles [[concrete]]. As part of the [[back-story]], he eventually escaped and made contact with the [[US Senator]] he worked for as a [[speechwriter]]. After a prolonged period of scientific tests and examinations, he was allowed to live on his own with the cover story that he was a cyborg constructed by the government.

* ''The Complete Concrete'' ([[Trade paperback (comics)|TPB]] of the original 1987 ten-issue series)

* ''Concrete: Fragile Creatures'' (TPB of the 1991 four-issue limited series, in black-and-white (the earlier version was in color), plus "Fire at Twilight".

* ''Concrete: Killer Smile'' (TPB of the 1994 four-issue limited series)

* ''Concrete: Think Like A Mountain'' (TPB of the 1996 six-issue limited series)

* ''Concrete: Strange Armor'' (TPB of the 1997 five-issue limited series)

* ''Concrete: Complete Short Stories 1986-1989''

** "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous" from ''Dark Horse Presents'' #1, July 1986

** "Under the Desert Stars" from ''Dark Horse Presents'' #2, September 1986

** "The Four-Wheeled Sleeping Pill" from ''Dark Horse Presents'' #3, November 1986

** "The Gray Embrace" from ''Dark Horse Presents'' #4, January 1987

** "Burning Brightly Brightly" from ''Dark Horse Presents'' #5, February 1987

** "Little Pushes" from ''Dark Horse Presents'' #6, April 1987

** "Water God" from ''Dark Horse Presents'' #8, July 1987

** "Straight in the Eye" from ''Dark Horse Presents'' #10, September 1987

** "Next Best" from ''Dark Horse Presents'' #12, November 1987

** "Now Is Now" from ''Dark Horse Presents'' #14, January 1988

** "A Sky of Heads: With a Whimper" from ''Dark Horse Presents'' #16, March 1988

** "A Sky of Heads: Quality Time" from ''Dark Horse Presents'' #18, May 1988

** "Fitful Sleep" from ''Dark Horse Presents'' #20, July 1988

** "Watching A Sunset" from ''Dark Horse Presents'' #20, July 1988

** "Goodwill Ambassador" from ''Dark Horse Presents'' #22, September 1988

** "Stay Tuned For Pearl Harbor" from ''Dark Horse Presents'' #28, March 1989

** "Visible Breath" from ''Dark Horse Presents'' #32, August 1989

* ''Concrete: Complete Short Stories 1990-1995''

** "Fire at Twilight" from ''Dark Horse Presents'' #38, April 1990

** "Like Disneyland, Only Toxic" & "A Billion Conscious Acts" from ''Concrete Celebrates [[Earth Day]]'', April 1990

** "What Needs to be Done" from ''Concrete: Odd Jobs'', July 1990

** "Objects of Value" from ''Dark Horse Presents Fifth Anniversary Special'', April 1991

** "American Christmas" from ''Within Our Reach'', December 1991

** "Byrdland's Secret" from ''Dark Horse Presents'' #66, September 1992

** "King of the Early Evening" in black-and-white (the original was in color) from ''Concrete Eclectica'' #1, April 1993

** "I Strive For Realism", in black-and-white (the original was in color) from ''Concrete Eclectica'' #2, May 1993

** "Steel Rain" from ''San Diego Comic Con Comics'' #2, August 1993

** "Enough World" from ''Dark Horse Presents'' #87, September 1994

** "The Artistic Impulse" from ''Dark Horse Presents'' #100 [3], August 1995

* ''Concrete: Volume One &ndash; Depths'' collects:

** ''Concrete'' #1-5

** "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous", "Water God", and "Straight in the Eye" from ''Collected Stories 1986-1989''

** "Orange Glow" from ''Dark Horse Presents Annual'' 1999, August 1999

** "Sympathy From A Devil" from ''Dark Horse Presents'' #150, January 2000

* ''Concrete: Volume Two &ndash; Heights'' collects:

** ''Concrete'' #6-10

** "Now Is Now" and "Goodwill Ambassador" from ''Collected Stories 1986-1989''

** "What Needs to be Done" from ''Collected Stories 1990-1995''

** "The Damp Descent" from ''Concrete Color Special'' #1, here in black-and-white, February 1989

* ''Concrete: Volume Three &ndash; Fragile Creature'' collects:

** 1991 four-issue limited series

** "The Gray Embrace", "Burning Brightly Brightly", "Little Pushes", and "Next Best" from ''Collected Stories 1986-1989''

** "Fire at Twilight", "Byrdland's Secret", and "The Artistic Impulse" from ''Collected Stories 1990-1995''

* ''Concrete: Volume Four &ndash; Killer Smile'' collects:

** 1994 four-issue limited series

** "Under the Desert Stars", "The Four-Wheeled Sleeping Pill", and "Visible Breath" from ''Collected Stories 1986-1989''

** "Enough World", "King of the Early Evening", and "American Christmas" from ''Collected Stories 1990-1995''

** "The Lyle Committee", "The Ugly Boy", and "Jack O'Fingers" all from ''Concrete Eclectica'' #1, April 1993

** "The Dictator's Dream" and "The Maiden of Crete" from ''Concrete Eclectica'' #2, May 1993

** "Coming Soon: Emptiness", "Life Bomb", and "Frozen" from the ''Killer Smile'' series

** "The Cave", "The Bore", "Earth's Birthday", "The Wish" and "The Arm" from the ''Think Like a Mountain'' series

** "Family Night" from '''Dark Horse Maverick 2000'', July 2000

* ''Concrete: Volume Five &ndash; Think Like a Mountain'' collects:

** 1996 six-issue limited series

** "A Sky of Heads: With a Whimper" and "Stay Tuned For Pearl Harbor" from ''Collected Stories 1986-1989''

** "Like Disneyland, Only Toxic", "A Billion Conscious Acts", and "Steel Rain" from ''Collected Stories 1990-1995''

** "RiotusObjects Lifeof (Lost in Amazonis)Value" from ''Dark Horse ExtraPresents Fifth Anniversary Special'' #1-4, JuneApril 19981991

* ''Concrete: Volume Six &ndash; Strange Armor'' collects

** 1997 five-issue limited series

** "IA StriveSky of Heads: Quality Time", "Fitful Sleep", and "Watching ForA RealismSunset" from ''Collected Stories 19901986-19951989''

** "AI SkyStrive ofFor HeadsRealism" from ''ConcreteCollected EclecticaStories 1990-1995'' #2, May 1993

** "WorldA BeneathSky theof SkinHeads" from ''Dark HorseConcrete DecadeEclectica'' #42, OctoberMay 19961993

** "Running" and "On Van Gogh's 'The Bedroom'" previously unpublished
* ''Concrete: Land and Sea'', 1989, reprints "A Stone Among Stones" and "The Transatlantic Swim" with several pages of new art and story.

* ''Concrete: A New Life'', 1989, reprints "Mountain With a Steel Heart" and "In the Glare of the Lights" with several pages of new art.

* ''Concrete: Odd Jobs'', 1990, reprints the original issues #5 and #6, plus one new story set immediately after the events in #6, "What Needs to be Done".

* ''Concrete: Volume Seven &ndash; The Human Dilemma'' collects

** 2006 six-issue limited series

** "Winter" one-page story

** "Discovery" one-page story

* ''Concrete: Three Uneasy Pieces (one-shot)'' collects the Concrete stories from ''Dark Horse Presents'' v.2 #1–#3, January 2012

* ''Fragile Creatures'', full color version, 1994

* ''Killer Smile'', full color version, 1995

* ''Think Like a Mountain'', full color version, 1997

* ''Strange Armor'', full color version, 1998

* ''Concrete: Eclectica'' #1, color comic, April 1993, has color versions of "King of the Early Evening", "100 Horrors" #1, #2, and #3, and a nine-page art portfolio.

* ''Concrete: Eclectica'' #2, color comic, has color versions of "I Strive for Realism", "Soon, we'll all float in A Sky of Heads", "100 Horrors" #4, and a five-page art portfolio.

* ''Concrete Hero Special'', April 1995, reprinted "Moving a Big Rock" with 2 alternate pages not published elsewhere. This was an eight-page story produced to promote the then upcoming "Think Like a Mountain" mini-series. Six pages of this story are actually straight from ''Think Like a Mountain'' #4, and appear both in the original issue and the collected editions. However, the first and last page of the story were redone for the Hero Special so the story would make sense in the context of eight pages. Much of the dialogue is the same as what appears in the original comics and collected editions, so there really isn't much difference between the two alternate pages that appear in the ''Hero Special'' and what appears in ''Think Like a Mountain'' #4 and the subsequent collected editions.

* [http://www.darkhorse.com/Interviews/1293/Paul-Chadwick-Interview-The-Human-Dilemma-4-19-06 Paul Chadwick interview about ''The Human Dilemma''] at Darkhorse.com

* [https://web.archive.org/web/20050910101955/http://www.sequart.com/concrete.htm The Continuity Pages: Concrete]

* [http://www.darkhorse.com/downloads.php?did=265 Concrete: Lost in Amazonis ecomic] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050417032956/http://darkhorse.com/downloads.php?did=265 |date=2005-04-17}} at Darkhorse.com