Content deleted Content added
Tags: Mobile edit Mobile app edit |
m block evasion |
||
| (48 intermediate revisions by 30 users not shown) | |||
Line 1:
{{Short description|Comic book series created and written by Paul Chadwick}}
[[Image:Complete concrete chadwick cover.jpg|right|200px]]▼
{{Italic title}}
{{more citations needed|date=March 2019}}
{{Infobox comic book title
<!--Wikipedia:WikiProject Comics-->
| title = Concrete
| image_size = <!-- default 250 -->
| alt =
| caption =
| schedule =
| format =
| limited = Y
| ongoing = Y
| 1shot = Y
| genre = '''''see below'''''
| publisher = [[Dark Horse Comics]]
| date = 1986
| startmo =
| startyr =
| endmo =
| endyr =
| issues = TBA
| main_char_team =
| issn =
| writers = [[Paul Chadwick]]
| artists = Paul Chadwick
| pencillers =
| inkers =
| letterers =
| colorists =
| editors =
| creative_team_month =
| creative_team_year =
| creators =
| CEheader =
| TPB =
| ISBN =
| subcat =
| altcat =
| sort =
| addpubcat# =
| nonUS =
}}
'''''Concrete''''' is a [[comic book]] series created and written by [[Paul Chadwick]] and published by [[Dark Horse Comics]].<ref
The character's first appearance is ''Dark Horse Presents'' #1 (July 1986). The [[eponym]]ous central character is a normal man whose [[brain]] was transplanted into a large, [[Rock (geology)|stone]] body by aliens, and who lives an extraordinary life on Earth following his escape.<ref name=T/>
The Concrete series focuses on realism. Apart from the aliens (which appear only in original series issue No. 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.▼
▲The ''Concrete'' series focuses on realism. Apart from the aliens (which appear only in original series issue
The hero tries to use his body for noble endeavors, such as helping out on a family farm. Later, Concrete climbs Mount Everest, becomes involved with a group of hardline environmental militants, and reluctantly agrees to become the spokesperson of a campaign to voluntarily reduce the Earth's population. ▼
▲The hero tries to use his body for noble endeavors, such as helping out on a family farm. Later, Concrete climbs Mount Everest, becomes involved with a group of hardline environmental militants, and reluctantly agrees to become the spokesperson of a campaign to voluntarily reduce the Earth's population.
Concrete's sexuality is addressed in the series. An artist at heart, he collects paintings of female nudes. He is embarrassed at his lack of sexual organs; this is often the subject of hurtful jokes thrown his way.
Real-world physics apply to Concrete. Examples include Concrete breaking objects by sitting on them, or Concrete being shot forward from a braking car, due to the momentum of his large body. He is constantly breaking telephones and doorknobs, and must hire an assistant, Larry Munro, because his hands are too clumsy to handle a pen. The series makes frequent use of thought balloons, showing characters' interior thoughts and feelings.
Line 16 ⟶ 61:
==Character history==
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.
In his new body, Concrete decides to use his tremendous strength, endurance and vision for a series of adventures he never thought of in his previous sedate life.
▲In his new body, Concrete decides to use his tremendous strength, endurance and vision for a series of adventures he never thought of in his previous sedate life. Hiring a personal assistant writer and taking a female scientist who is assigned to monitor his body, Concrete has a wide variety of adventures.
==Awards and recognition==
The series won the [[Eisner Award]]s for Best Continuing Series for 1988 and 1989, Best Black-and-White Series for 1988 and 1989, and Best New Series for 1988, and their Best Writer/Artist Award for [[Paul Chadwick]] for 1989.
==Collections==
* ''The Complete Concrete'' ([[Trade paperback (comics)|
* ''Concrete: Fragile Creatures'' (
* ''Concrete: Killer Smile'' (
* ''Concrete: Think Like A Mountain'' (
* ''Concrete: Strange Armor'' (
* ''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"
** "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
** "I Strive For Realism", in black
** "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
** ''Concrete'' #1-5
** "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous", "Water God", and "Straight in the Eye"
** "Orange Glow" from ''Dark Horse Presents Annual'' 1999, August 1999
** "Sympathy From A Devil" from ''Dark Horse Presents'' #150, January 2000
* ''Concrete: Volume Two
** ''Concrete'' #6-10
** "Now Is Now"
** "What Needs to be Done" from ''Collected Stories 1990-1995''
** "The Damp Descent" from ''Concrete Color Special'' #1, here in black
* ''Concrete: Volume Three
** 1991 four
** "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
** 1994 four
** "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"
** "Coming Soon: Emptiness", "Life Bomb", and "Frozen" from the ''Killer Smile'' series
** "The Cave", "The Bore", "Earth's Birthday", "The Wish"
** "Family Night" from ''Dark Horse Maverick 2000'', July 2000
* ''Concrete: Volume Five
** 1996 six
** "A Sky of Heads: With a Whimper"
** "Like Disneyland, Only Toxic", "A Billion Conscious Acts", and "Steel Rain" from ''Collected Stories 1990-1995''
** "
** "Riotus Life (Lost in Amazonis)" from ''Dark Horse Extra'' #1-4, June 1998
* ''Concrete: Volume Six
** 1997 five
** "
** "I Strive For Realism" from ''Collected Stories 1990-1995''
** "
** "World Beneath the Skin" from ''Dark Horse Decade'' #4, October 1996
** "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
** 2006 six
** "Winter"
** "Discovery"
* ''Concrete: Three Uneasy Pieces (
==Variants==
* ''
* ''
* ''
* ''Concrete: Eclectica'' #
▲*''Strange Armor'', full color version, 1998
* ''Concrete: Eclectica'' #
* ''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.
▲*''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. However, 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.
==In other media==
A film based on the character was in pre-production during the early 1990s, with a script written by [[Larry Wilson (screenwriter)|Larry Wilson]] and [[Paul Chadwick]]. The film was cancelled.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Mangels |first=Andy |date=January 1993 |title=Hollywood Heroes |journal=[[Wizard (magazine)|Wizard]]
==References==
Line 126 ⟶ 165:
==External links==
* [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
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Concrete (Comics)}}
[[Category:
[[Category:Comics characters introduced in 1986]]
[[Category:Dark Horse Comics titles]]
[[Category:Dark Horse Comics characters]]
[[Category:Science fiction comics]]
[[Category:Eco-terrorism in fiction]]
[[Category:Comics characters with superhuman strength]]
[[Category:Eisner Award winners for Best New Series]]
[[Category:Eisner Award winners for Best Continuing Series]]
| |||