DC Comics from Diamond Distributors for June 1 2011

DC COMICS

APR110172 ADVENTURE COMICS #527 $2.99

APR110160 BATMAN BEYOND #6 $2.99

APR110189 DC COMICS PRESENTS SUPERMAN INFESTATION #1 $7.99

APR110144 DC UNIVERSE ONLINE LEGENDS #9 $2.99

APR110101 FLASHPOINT #2 $3.99

APR110110 FLASHPOINT ABIN SUR THE GREEN LANTERN #1 (OF 3) $2.99

APR110106 FLASHPOINT BATMAN KNIGHT OF VENGEANCE #1 (OF 3) $2.99

APR110108 FLASHPOINT SECRET SEVEN #1 (OF 3) $2.99

APR110112 FLASHPOINT THE WORLD OF FLASHPOINT #1 (OF 3) $2.99

MAR118259 GREEN LANTERN #64 2ND PTG (WAR OF GL) $2.99

MAR118263 GREEN LANTERN CORPS #58 2ND PTG (WAR OF GL) $2.99

MAR118261 GREEN LANTERN EMERALD WARRIORS #8 2ND PTG (WAR OF GL) $2.99

MAR110403 GREEN LANTERN MOVIE HAL JORDAN BUST $85.00

MAR110402 GREEN LANTERN MOVIE SINESTRO BUST $85.00

NOV100299 GREEN LANTERN REBIRTH COLLECTORS SET $45.00

OCT100342 HEROES OF THE DCU BLACK LANTERN BATMAN BUST $70.00

APR110241 HOUSE OF MYSTERY #38 (MR) $2.99

APR110250 IZOMBIE #14 (MR) $2.99

APR110176 JONAH HEX #68 $2.99

APR110225 LOONEY TUNES #199 $2.99

FEB110210 PLANETARY BATMAN DELUXE HC $22.99

APR110226 SCOOBY DOO WHERE ARE YOU #10 $2.99

APR110181 SECRET SIX #34 $2.99

APR110184 STATIC SHOCK SPECIAL #1 $2.99

MAR110390 STUCK RUBBER BABY SC NEW EDITION (MR) $17.99

APR110167 SUPERBOY #8 $2.99

MAR110347 SUPERMAN NEW KRYPTON TP VOL 04 $17.99

APR110252 SWEET TOOTH #22 (MR) $2.99

APR110183 WEIRD WORLDS #6 (OF 6) $3.99

MAR110315 WONDER WOMAN #611 $2.99

FEB110205 WONDER WOMAN HC VOL 01 ODYSSEY $22.99

Marvel Comics from Diamond Distributors for June 1 2011

MARVEL COMICS

APR110595 AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #663 $3.99

APR110632 ASTONISHING X-MEN #39 $3.99

APR110576 AVENGERS ACADEMY #14 POINT ONE $2.99

APR110604 AVENGERS THOR CAPTAIN AMERICA OFF INDEX MU #14 $3.99

DEC100649 CAPTAIN AMERICA SERVE AND PROTECT PREM HC $24.99

DEC100650 CAPTAIN AMERICA SERVE AND PROTECT PREM HC DM VAR ED 65 $24.99

MAR110770 CAPTAIN BRITAIN HC VOL 01 BIRTH OF LEGEND $39.99

APR110668 CRIMINAL LAST OF INNOCENT #1 (OF 4) (MR) $3.50

APR110559 DARK TOWER GUNSLINGER BATTLE OF TULL #1 (OF 5) $3.99

APR110736 DEADPOOL CLASSIC TP VOL 05 $29.99

APR110739 ESSENTIAL X-FACTOR TP VOL 01 NEW ED $19.99

APR110534 FEAR ITSELF #3 (OF 7) FEAR $3.99

APR110544 FEAR ITSELF DEEP #1 (OF 4) FEAR $2.99

APR110546 HERC #4 FEAR $2.99

APR110625 HEROES FOR HIRE #8 $2.99

APR110586 HULK #34 $2.99

MAR118209 INVINCIBLE IRON MAN #503 2ND PTG LARROCA VAR FEAR (PP #969) $3.99

MAR110794 IRON MAN WAR OF IRON MEN TP $16.99

MAR110695 MARVEL ZOMBIE CHRISTMAS CAROL #1 (OF 5) $3.99

APR110622 MOON KNIGHT #2 $3.99

DEC100644 NEW AVENGERS HC VOL 06 $29.99

APR110732 OSBORN TP EVIL INCARCERATED $16.99

APR110562 OZMA OF OZ #7 (OF 8) $3.99

APR110626 SHIELD #1 $3.99

APR110599 SPIDER-MAN POWER COMES RESPONSIBILITY #3 (OF 7) $3.99

APR110690 THOR TP THUNDERSTRIKE $24.99

APR110554 THUNDERBOLTS #158 FEAR $2.99

APR110657 UNCANNY X-FORCE #11 $3.99

APR110654 WOLVERINE HERCULES MYTHS MONSTERS AND MUTANTS #4 (OF 4) $2.99

APR110649 X-23 #11 $2.99

APR110659 X-FACTOR #220 $2.99

APR110642 X-MEN #12 $3.99

APR110641 X-MEN GREAT POWER #1 $4.99

APR110697 X-MEN TO SERVE AND PROTECT TP $14.99

IDW from Diamond Distributors for June 1 2011

IDW PUBLISHING

APR110354 30 DAYS OF NIGHT NIGHT AGAIN #2 (OF 4) $3.99

APR110371 DOCTOR WHO CLASSICS #5 SEVENTH DOCTOR $3.99

APR110343 GI JOE VOL 2 ONGOING #2 $3.99

APR110303 JURASSIC PARK TP DEVILS IN THE DESERT $17.99

APR110389 SUICIDE FOREST TP $17.99

APR110313 TRANSFORMERS ONGOING #20 $3.99

APR110376 WYNONNA EARP YETI WARS #2 $3.99

Dark Horse from Diamond Distributors for June 1 2011

DARK HORSE COMICS

FEB110023 ALIENS VS PREDATOR THREE WORLD WAR $19.99

APR110033 BPRD DEAD REMEMBERED #3 (OF 3) $3.50

FEB110027 CITIZEN REX HC (RES) $19.99

APR110031 HELLBOY THE FURY #1 (OF 3) MIGNOLA CVR $2.99

APR110026 SOLOMON KANE RED SHADOWS #3 (OF 4) GUY DAVIS CVR $3.50

APR110035 WITCHFINDER LOST & GONE FOREVER #5 (OF 5) $2.99

Image Comics from Diamond Distributors for June 1 2011

IMAGE COMICS

APR110392 50 GIRLS 50 #1 (OF 4) $2.99

MAR110545 BREED COL VOL 01 BOOK OF GENESIS TP (MR) $17.99

DEC100524 DARKNESS #91 (MR) $2.99

JAN110606 HALCYON #5 (OF 5) $2.99

FEB110460 HAUNT #16 $2.99

MAR118247 INFINITE VACATION #2 (OF 5) VAR CVR 2ND PTG $3.50

APR110508 INTREPIDS #4 $2.99

APR110518 RED SPIKE #2 (OF 5) $2.99

APR110403 REED GUNTHER #1 $2.99

APR110409 SHINKU #1 (MR) $2.99

JUN100473 TURF #5 (MR) $2.99

FEB118160 TURF #5 FORBIDDEN PLANET EXC CVR (MR) $2.99

APR110530 WALKING DEAD SURVIVORS GUIDE #3 (OF 4) (MR) $2.99

APR110525 WALKING DEAD WEEKLY #22 (MR) $2.99

FEB110476 WHO IS JAKE ELLIS #4 (MR) $2.99

Comics and Magazines from Diamond Distributors for June 1 2011

PREVIEWS PUBLICATIONS
APR112031 GAME TRADE MAGAZINE #136 PI
APR110001 PREVIEWS #273 JUNE 2011 PI

COMICS
FEB111126 2000 AD PACK APR 2011 $20.00

MAR111235 ABATTOIR #5 (OF 6) (MR) $3.50

MAR111237 ABYSS FAMILY ISSUES #4 (OF 4) $3.50

MAR110869 BETTY #192 $2.99

MAR110871 BETTY & VERONICA DOUBLE DIGEST #191 $3.99

APR110957 BOYS #55 (MR) $3.99

MAR111335 BRIDES STORY HC GN BOOK 01 (MR) $16.99

APR110894 CHIP N DALE RESCUE RANGERS #7 $3.99

JAN110967 COMEBACK KINGS #1 $2.99

MAR111104 CONSTRUCTIVE ABANDONMENT HC $15.95

APR110988 DEAN KOONTZ FRANKENSTEIN PRODIGAL SON TP VOL 02 $16.99

APR110973 DEATH OF ZORRO #4 $3.99

NOV100918 DF INVINCIBLE IRON MAN #500 FRACTION SGN ED $19.99

FEB110836 DO ANDROIDS DREAM OF ELECTRIC SHEEP #23 (OF 24) $3.99

DEC100802 DON LAWRENCE WESTERNS LTD HC WELLS FARGO & PONY EXPRESS $50.99

MAR110962 DRACULA COMPANY OF MONSTERS #10 $3.99

DEC100759 FATHOM PRIMER #1 $1.00

FEB110766 FATHOM VOL 4 #0 CVR A KONAT $2.50

FEB110767 FATHOM VOL 4 #0 CVR B KONAT $2.50

OCT100793 FLASH GORDON INVASION O/T RED SWORD #2 $3.99

NOV100741 FLASH GORDON MERCY WARS #0 $2.99

MAR111238 FOSTER BROUSSARD #1 (OF 5) DEMONS O/T GOLD RUSH $3.50

NOV100877 GREEN HORNET YEAR ONE #10 $3.99

FEB110755 GRIM GHOST #2 $2.99

MAR111194 HACK SLASH MEETS ZOMBIES VS CHEERLEADERS #1 $3.99

MAR111336 HIGURASHI WHEN THEY CRY OMNIBUS ED GN DEMON EXPOSING ARC $18.99

NOV100973 HONEY WEST #4 $3.99

APR110879 IRREDEEMABLE #26 $3.99

NOV100879 KEVIN SMITH KATO #10 $3.99

MAR111099 KING OF RPGS GN VOL 02 $10.99

MAR110873 LIFE WITH ARCHIE MARRIED LIFE #10 JULY 2011 (RES) $3.99

MAR111331 LIFE WITH MISTER DANGEROUS GN (RES) $22.00

MAR111337 MELANCHOLY OF SUZMIYA HARUHI CHAN GN VOL 02 $11.99

MAR111013 MERCHANT OF VENICE CAMPFIRE GN $9.99

JAN110968 MINX #1 $3.99

JAN111175 MOOMIN COMPLETE LARS JANSSON COMIC STRIP HC VOL 06 $19.95

MAR111239 MOON GIRL #2 (OF 5) $3.50

APR111154 PATRICK IN A TEDDY BEARS PICNIC & OTHER STORIES HC $12.95

FEB110757 PHOENIX #2 $2.99

MAR118220 PLANET OF THE APES #1 2ND PTG (PP #969) $3.99

FEB111201 POKEMON BLACK & WHITE ACTIVITY KIT $11.99

DEC100920 QUEEN SONJA #17 $3.99

MAR111339 RAIDERS GN VOL 06 $11.99

MAR111240 RICHELLE MEAD DARK SWAN #1 STORM BORN (MR) $3.99

MAR111012 ROMEO AND JULIET CAMPFIRE GN $9.99

FEB111130 SLAINE LORD OF MISRULE TP $24.99

MAR110876 SONIC THE HEDGEHOG #225 $2.99

MAR111340 SPICE AND WOLF GN VOL 04 (MR) $12.99

MAR111341 SUMOMOMO MOMOMO TP VOL 08 $11.99

FEB111118 TOOTH HC $24.99

APR110908 UNCLE SCROOGE #404 $3.99

FEB110873 WALT DISNEY COMICS & STORIES ARCHIVES TP VOL 01 $14.99

MAR111003 WALT DISNEYS COMICS & STORIES #719 $3.99

MAR110880 WORLD OF ARCHIE DOUBLE DIGEST #7 $3.99

FEB110756 WULF #2 $2.99

FEB111298 YOU MIGHT BE A ZOMBIE & OTHER BAD NEWS SC $14.00

FEB111092 ZOMBIES VS CHEERLEADERS #3 $3.99

MAGAZINES
FEB111285 FANGORIA #304 JUN 2011 $8.99
MAR111421 FREAKY MONSTERS MAGAZINE #1 $9.95
FEB111127 JUDGE DREDD MEGAZINE #310 $11.99
JAN111450 SCREAM MAGAZINE #2 $9.00
MAR111444 SUPERNATURAL MAGAZINE #25 NEWSSTAND ED (NOTE PRICE) $9.99
MAR111445 SUPERNATURAL MAGAZINE #25 PX ED $9.99

Kamisama Kiss Someone Else

I read Kamisama Kiss, Vol. 3

I posted a review at the Comic Book Bin (which has FREE smart phone apps).

Grand Guignol Orchestra Ma Cherie

I read Grand Guignol Orchestra, Vol. 3

I posted a review at the Comic Book Bin (which has FREE smart phone apps).

Google eBookstore Has Digital Manga Publishing Titles

Digital Manga Publishing launches on to Google Books!

Gardena, CA (May 25, 2010) - Digital Manga, one of the manga industry's most unique and creative publishers, is proud to announce its digital distribution expansion on to Google Books! http://books.google.com/ebooks

Digital Manga has so far launched over 90 titles from their DMP, Juné, and 801 Media imprints into the Google ebookstore, with more to follow in the coming weeks and months, including popular manga titles like Vampire Hunter D and Maiden Rose. Kindle blocked titles like The Color of Love, Weekend Lovers and The Selfish Demon King, are also available in the Google ebookstore.

Digital Manga believes in the “More the better…” concept where digital distribution to every available online storefront, platform, device or digital distributor can provide easier accessibility and availability to readers who own alternative e-reading devices.

Average pricing for most DMP titles is between $5.95 to $7.95 downloaded to your device. You can find a direct listing of current available Digital Manga titles in the Google ebook store here: http://www.junemanga.com/digitaledition/

Google eBooks is compatible with just about any dedicated ebook reader as it stores your library in their digital cloud. Access, your ebooks using your favorite e-reading device like the Barnes & Noble Nook™ and Reader™ from Sony. Follow the link for an overview of Google’s wide array to read your favorite ebook on your favorite device or platform: http://books.google.com/help/ebooks/overview.html

Google Books also provides FREE online eReading applications to help you browse, purchase and download directly off their sites to your preferred device. Apps for PCs, Macs, iPads, iPhones, and Android smartphones and tablets are available now.

http://books.google.com/help/ebooks/devices.html

Sample some of the DMP’s titles below now or go to Google eBooks http://books.google.com/ebooks (best keyword search: digital manga, yaoi, manga)

Sample links:
Vampire Hunter D vol.1: http://books.google.com/books?printsec=frontcover&id=uLb7M1yvHNoC#v=onepage&q&f=false

Love Water: http://books.google.com/ebooks?id=Q2uwSRq_IxgC&dq=digital+manga&as_brr=5

Same Cell Organism: http://books.google.com/books?id=MlP8mzc9OWwC&printsec=frontcover&dq=same+cell+organism&hl=en&ei=GxXXTeXOHY-WsgO1zfCwBw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CC0Q6AEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=false

Digital Manga currently also publishes manga through other storefronts like the Amazon Kindle, the Barnes & Noble Nook, Kobo books and their very own eManga.com. Check back for new manga title releases which will be up on sale over the next few weeks and months through our newsletter, blog, and our other social networking links below.


About Digital Manga Publishing
Located in Gardena, CA, Digital Manga Publishing is one of the industry's most unconventional and innovative companies, specializing in building corporate and cultural bridges from Japan to the Western Hemisphere - specifically through the licensing, importation and preparation of anime (Japanese animation), manga (Japanese comic books) and related merchandise for the North American mainstream and subculture markets. In this capacity, DMI serves as a catalyst for the expansion of Japanese pop culture institutions into global arenas. The company's imprint line includes DMP: its mainstream imprint, DMP PLATINUM: its classic manga imprint, JUNE´: its boys love imprint, 801 MEDIA: its adult boys love imprint, and DokiDoki: its exclusive co-publishing imprint with Shinshokan Publishing.

For more information about Digital Manga Publishing, visit http://www.digitalmanga.com/ as well as:

http://www.emanga.com/
http://twitter.com/digitalmanga
http://www.youtube.com/user/junemanga
http://www.youtube.com/user/801media
http://www.youtube.com/user/digitalmanga
http://www.facebook.com/DigitalMangaInc

The Signifiers on Kickstarter

Following my review of The Signifiers #1 by Michael Neno (published by M.R. Neno Productions), I want to let you know that The Signifiers #2 is listed on Kickstarter.com. The first issue didn't sell enough copies through Diamond Distributors for them to continue distributing it.

The Signifiers #2 will also feature an exclusive interview with cartoonist Tom Scioli (Godland, The Myth of 8-Opus) on the state of comic book distribution, including unpublished art from his wicked webcomic, American Barbarian. Issue #2 will be 52 pages, B&W, with color covers and a $5.95 cover price. Money pledged for this project will be used towards the printing bill and pledgers will receive new copies of The Signifiers #2 as soon as they are printed.

The Kickstarter.com project will only be funded if the goal amount is pledged by June 5th, 2011.

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1317514173/the-signifiers-2?ref=live

Leroy Douresseaux on THE SIGNIFIERS #1

THE SIGNIFIERS #1
M.R. NENO PRODUCTIONS

CARTOONIST: Michael Neno
48pp, B&W, $4.95

The Signifiers is a new comic book series from self-publisher, cartoonist, letterer, and comic book creator, Michael Neno. The Signifiers #1 takes me back to the ancient days of my first encounters with comic books.

One of the first things that captured my imagination about comic books was that the pictures they held within their flimsy covers were strange and were full of weird looking things. What has kept me reading comic books for pretty much every year of my life since I was seven (except for about three or four years) is that they are fun to read – even when I don’t completely understand what they are trying to tell me or sell me.

The Signifiers #1 embodies that. Even after two readings, I don’t quite understand it all, but I want more. This old-school, black and white comic book is set in a whacked out universe. The focus is a character named Splash, a Summer of Love-type black youth who must either obey or fight a mysterious force called The Voyst. In another story, Establishment gadfly/advocate, Landlark, the Heat-Seeking Dwarf, must escape his captors, the Polution Pioneers. What awaits him if he gains his freedom is even stranger.

If Jack Kirby and Paul Pope had gotten drunk together and produced a comic book, The Signifiers would be it. Of course, what would also be needed was Stan Lee trippin’ on something so that he could add his obtuse, sometimes fumbling dialogue. In another way, The Signifiers also seem like something that David Lynch and J.J. Abrams would have cooked up with Jack Kirby in mind.

Beyond Kirby, I can’t say for sure who or what influenced The Signifiers, but it has a free spirit and a willingness to go on a journey into the imagination without the weight of other comic books’ expectations and rules. Reading The Signifiers #1 reminded me of the first time I read Love & Rockets (either #8 or #9 of the first volume) in that, like early L&R, The Signifiers has a look that is old, but also new in a strange and exotic way.

This first issue also offers two backups. One of them features Landlark, the Heat-Seeking Dwarf. It is a lovely mixture of Jack Kirby’s New Gods with a funky take on counterculture. The story is strange, but Neno builds that story with thoughtfully drawn graphics and compositions. It is beautiful art. I could see every page of it in a gallery show.


Copies of The Signifiers can be ordered by sending a check or money order for $7.20 ppd. ($7.53 for Ohio residents), $4.95 for each additional copy, to M.R. Neno Productions, P.O. Box 151303, Columbus, Ohio 43215.

Copies can also be ordered via PayPal: http://www.nenoworld.com/The_Signifiers_No.1.html

http://www.nenoworld.com/
http://twitter.com/#!/Nenofsky
http://eventized.blogspot.com/

Natsume's Pal of a Water God

I read Natsume's Book of Friends , Vol. 6

I posted a review at the Comic Book Bin (which has FREE smart phone apps).

Fantagraphics Books to Publish Two Guy Peellaert Graphic Novels

FANTAGRAPHICS ACQUIRES RIGHTS TO TWO LEGENDARY BELGIAN CLASSICS: PEELLAERT’S THE ADVENTURES OF JODELLE AND PRAVDA

Fantagraphics Books has signed a deal to release two groundbreaking graphic novels from cult Belgian artist Guy Peellaert (1934-2008): The Adventures of Jodelle (1966) and Pravda (1967). The remastered editions will be produced in collaboration with the late artist’s estate, which will contribute previously unseen material for extensive archival supplements.

Both albums were originally released in France by Eric Losfeld, the controversial publisher who passionately defied censorship in the lead-up to the cultural revolution of 1968; along with Jean-Claude Forest’s Barbarella, Peellaert’s Jodelle and Pravda were among the earliest of European adult-oriented graphic novels.

The Adventures of Jodelle, whose voluptuous title heroine was modeled after French teen idol Sylvie Vartan, is a satirical spy story set in a Space Age Roman-Empire fantasy world. Its then-revolutionary clashing of high and low culture references, borrowing as much from Renaissance painting as from a fetishized American consumer culture, marked the advent of the Pop movement within the nascent “9th art” of comic books, not yet dignified as “graphic novels” but already a source of great influence in avant-garde artistic circles. Visually, Jodelle was a major aesthetic shock. According to New York magazine, its “lusciously designed, flat color patterns and dizzy forced perspective reminiscent of Matisse and Japanese prints set a new record in comic-strip sophistication.”

Released a year later and first serialized in the French counter-culture bible Hara-Kiri, Pravda follows the surreal travels of an all-female motorcycle gang across a mythical American landscape, led by a mesmerizing cold-blooded heroine whose hyper-sexualized elastic anatomy was this time inspired by quintessential Gallic chanteuse Françoise Hardy. Pravda’s eye-popping graphics pushed the psychedelic edge of Jodelle to dazzling new heights, further liberating the story from narrative conventions to focus the reader’s attention on the stunning composition and glaring acid colors of the strips, with each frame functioning as a stand-alone cinematic picture.

Pravda, with its themes of female empowerment and beauty emerging from chaos, became an instant sensation on the European underground scene, inspiring various tributes and appropriations from the worlds of film, literature, fashion, music, live arts, advertising or graphic design. Over the years, it has acquired a rarefied status as a unique and timeless piece of Pop Art defying categorization or trends, and has found itself exhibited in such unlikely “high culture” institutions as the Musée d’Orsay or the Centre Pompidou. An early admirer of Peellaert’s radical vision—along with luminaries as diverse as Jean-Luc Godard (who optioned the film rights to Pravda) and Mick Jagger—Frederico Fellini praised Jodelle and Pravda as “the literature of intelligence, imagination and romanticism.”

The Adventures of Jodelle was published in the United States in 1967 by Grove Press, whose legendary editor-in-chief Richard Seaver (the man credited with introducing Samuel Beckett, William Burroughs and Henry Miller to America) also provided the translation; Pravda has never been released in English, despite its lead character transcending the long out-of-print book where she originated to become a peculiar iconic figure, the maverick muse of a few “au courant” art and design aficionados from Paris to Tokyo.

Refusing to cash in on the phenomenal success of Jodelle and Pravda (he viewed the former as a one-time graphic “experiment” of which the latter marked the accomplishment) the reclusive Peellaert abruptly left cartoons behind after only two albums at the dawn of the 1970s to pursue an obsessive kind of image-making which painstakingly combined photography, airbrush painting and collage in the pre-computer age. His best-known achievement in America remains the seminal 1973 book Rock Dreams, a collection of portraits which resulted from this distinctive technique and was hailed as “the Sistine Chapel of the Seventies” by Andy Warhol’s Interview magazine, eventually selling over a million copies worldwide, influencing a generation of photographers and earning its place in the pantheon of rock culture. Other well-known creations include the iconic artwork for David Bowie’s Diamond Dogs album cover (1974) as well as The Rolling Stones’ It’s Only Rock ‘N’ Roll the same year. Peellaert also created the indelible original poster for Martin Scorcese’s Taxi Driver (1978), the first of many commissions from renowned auteurs including Wim Wenders, Robert Altman, Stephen Frears, Alain Resnais and Robert Bresson.

As the original negatives and color separations for Jodelle and Pravda are long lost (interestingly, Peellaert never reclaimed the original ink-on-paper pages from Losfeld) Fantagraphics will be re-coloring both books digitally. “The original Books were colored via hand-cut separations from Peellaert’s detailed color indications,” said Fantagraphics co-publisher Kim Thompson, who will be editing and translating the new editions. “Since the Losfeld editions were printed quite well and Peellaert’s linework is thick and simple, we’re going to be able to generate crisp black-and-white versions of the line art to start from which should duplicate the original ‘look’ exactly. Although actually our edition of Pravda should be better than the original, which had some pretty erratic color registration.”

The Adventures of Jodelle is scheduled for release in May 2012, and Pravda in November 2012, both in deluxe oversized hardcover editions. Each will feature an extensive original essay discussing the works and their historical context, accompanied by numerous archival illustrations and photographs.

“I am terrifically excited to bring these two landmark books to American audiences especially Pravda, which has never been published in English,” said Thompson. “They are some of the most graphically jaw-dropping comics ever put to paper. They remain both quintessentially 1960s in attitude and look, and utterly timeless.”

I Reads You Review: NEGIMA, VOL. 28

Creator: Ken Akamatsu; Alethea Nibley and Athena Nibley (translation and adaptation)

Publishing Information: Del Rey Manga, paperback, 186 pages, $10.99 (US), $11.99 CAN

Ordering Numbers: ISBN: 978-0-345-52160-6 (ISBN-13)

Rating “OT for Ages 16+”

Negi Springfield is a ten-year-old wizard who dreams of becoming a Magister Magi (a “Master of Magic” or “Master Mage”), a special wizard who uses his powers to help normal people. Negi’s primary reason for becoming a Magister Magi is to find his father, Nagi Springfield, the legendary mage also known as the “Thousand Master,” who is believed to be dead. After graduating from the Merdiana Magic Academy in Wales, Negi becomes an English teacher at Mahora Academy in Japan, where he deals with 31 older girls, each very special in her own way.

Negima!, Vol. 28 opens post-Ostia Festival. Negi has managed to free his enslaved friends. As Negi and company prepare to leave Magical World for their homeworld (Earth), they discover that they have been branded as outlaws. That is when Negi encounters Kurt Goedel, the Governor-General of Ostia, who plans to arrest all of them.

This sinister man also claims to be well-acquainted with Negi’s parents, especially Negi’s mother, Arika Anarchia Entheufushiaa, the Queen of Calamity. Goedel offers to pardon Negi and company if they attend his party, the Governor’s Ball. Also, Negi and his friends make a shocking discovery about Magical World and its location.

I always find Negima a difficult read whenever I receive a copy for review, as I have with Vol. 28. There are so many characters, and the story seems (at least to me) to be too busy. Still, I’m a sucker for team books, and this is essentially a team book or the shonen manga equivalent of one. Such a large cast is always bound to yield many interesting and engaging characters, and out of all those sub-plots, surely some of them will capture the imagination.

This time around, Negima offers something to keep readers interested and me coming back – at least for a while. Negi’s parents, their connection to Ostia, Goedel’s part in these mysteries, and the truth about Magical World are the kind of storylines that grab you. I must also admit to enjoying the dynamic of Negi and all those girls – some with romantic feelings for him. It’s like a gift that keeps on giving.

Archaia to Publish "Planet of the Apes" Novel

Archaia Entertainment Targets a July Launch for Conspiracy of the Planet of the Apes

Features 30 Full-Color Illustrations From The Industry’s Most Acclaimed Artists

CHICAGO (May 23, 2011) – Archaia Entertainment has set July 25th for the release of Conspiracy of the Planet of the Apes, its first illustrated novel, through its new book trade distributor Publishers Group West (PGW).

Written by celebrated author, artist, and digital producer Andrew E.C. Gaska, and adapted from a story by Gaska, Rich Handley, Christian Berntsen and Erik Matthews, Conspiracy of the Planet of the Apes recounts what happened between the scenes of the classic 1968 Twentieth Century Fox film, centering on the astronaut John Landon, Chimpanzee scientists Dr. Milo and Dr. Galen, and Gorilla Security Chief Marcus. The book contains 30 full-color paintings and another 19 black-and-white illustrations, including a cover by legendary artist Jim Steranko (Raiders of the Lost Ark, Bram Stoker's Dracula, Nick Fury: Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.) and interior art from some of the top talent in the industry, including renowned book cover painter Ken Kelly (Conan, KISS), Joe Jusko (Savage Sword of Conan, Tarzan), Sanjulian (Eerie, Vampirella), Mark Texeira (Ghost Rider, Wolverine), Leo Leibelman (Heavy Metal), Matt Busch (Star Wars, Battlestar Galactica), Brian Rood (Indiana Jones, Star Wars), Tom Scioli (Godland), David Hueso (G.I. Joe: Storm Shadow) and newcomers Dan Dussault (Critical Millennium) and Dirk Shearer (Mice Templar).

Conspiracy of the Planet of the Apes marks an expansion of Archaia’s successful collaboration with Gaska, following up on his science fiction comic epic, Critical Millennium: The Dark Frontier, which has received early critical acclaim.

“It means a lot to have this project be set for release and we cannot think of a better partner to have than Archaia with their outstanding production value,” said Gaska. “It’s been a great working partnership with 20th Century Fox and an honor to contribute to this legendary franchise.”

Conspiracy of the Planet of the Apes also marks Archaia’s first venture into prose books.

“We’re very excited about our first foray into prose fiction publishing, particularly being able to work with a brilliant creative talent in Drew Gaska and a storied franchise like Planet of the Apes. I’m a huge fan of the original film and Conspiracy is a great example of an author playing successfully in an established narrative canon. We are very excited to introduce this extraordinary science fiction release across the book trade and genre markets and look forward to Conspiracy emerging as one of the year’s most talked-about titles,” said Mark Smylie, CCO of Archaia.

The original Planet of the Apes was an immediate pop-culture phenomenon, spanning decades with several film and television sequels, including the 2001 remake starring Mark Wahlberg and the latest, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, starring 127 Hours star James Franco, Harry Potter’s Tom Felton and Immortals’ Freida Pinto.


About Archaia Entertainment
Archaia is a multi-award-winning graphic novel publisher with more than 50 renowned publishing brands, including such domestic and international hits as Mouse Guard, Return of the Dapper Men, Gunnerkrigg Court, Awakening, The Killer, Days Missing, Tumor, Syndrome, Artesia, Engineer, and an entire line of The Jim Henson Company graphic novels. Archaia has built an unparalleled reputation for producing meaningful content that perpetually transforms minds, building one of the industry’s most visually stunning and eclectic slates of graphic novels. Archaia was named Graphic Novel Publisher of the Year according to Ain’t it Cool News, Graphic Policy, and Comic Related, and was honored with nine 2011 Eisner Awards nominations. Archaia has also successfully emerged as a prolific storyteller in all facets of the entertainment industry, extending their popular brands into film, television, gaming, and branded digital media.

About Drew Gaska
For the past decade, Gaska has served as a freelance consultant for Rockstar Games on such hit titles as Grand Theft Auto, Red Dead Redemption, the Midnight Club series, and all other major releases. He is the founder and creative director of BLAM! Ventures, a guerrilla design studio that produces print and digital media for the comic book and science fiction industry. Gaska is currently writing and directing a Space: 1999 revival graphic novel and digital media series - continuing the legacy the show started thirty five years ago - as well as working on various new graphic novel projects.

About Twentieth Century Fox Licensing and Merchandising
A recognized industry leader, Twentieth Century Fox Licensing and Merchandising licenses and markets properties worldwide on behalf of Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation, Twentieth Television and Fox Broadcasting Company, as well as third party lines. The division is aligned with Twentieth Century Fox Television, one of the top suppliers of primetime entertainment programming to the broadcast networks.

The Return of Bagge and Hernandez's YEAH!

YEAH! #1
HOMAGE COMICS/DC COMICS

WRITER: Peter Bagge
ARTIST: Gilbert Hernandez
LETTERS: Rick Parker
COLORS: Joanne Bagge
32pp, Color, $2.95 U.S., $4.50 CAN

Yeah! was an all-ages comic book co-created by two legends of alternative comics, Peter Bagge (Hate) and Gilbert Hernandez (Love and Rockets). Written by Bagge and drawn by Hernandez, Yeah! ran for nine issues from late 1999 to 2000 and was published by Homage Comics, a DC Comics imprint via Wildstorm Productions.

Fantagraphics Books has reprinted the series in a black and white trade paperback (Yeah!; 224-page black & white 7" x 10.25" softcover • $19.99; ISBN: 978-1-60699-412-2). The book is scheduled to be available to comic book shops and bookstores this week, as well as being available through www.fantagraphics.com.

Yeah! was a girl-centered comic book and was probably meant to appeal to girls. Still, fans of Bagge and Hernandez, regardless of gender, probably liked it. I was a fan of both men, and I liked Yeah! a lot.

Yeah! was like a comic book version of two early 1970s Hanna-Barbera Productions, Josie and the Pussycats and its follow-up, Josie and the Pussycats in Outer Space. These Saturday morning animated series were based on the long-running, Archie Comics title, Josie and the Pussycats (initially known as She’s Josie and later as Josie). Gilbert Hernandez’s art for Yeah! does have some similarities to the work of the late Dan DeCarlo, the creator of Josie and whose work has reportedly had a strong influence on Hernandez.

Yeah! is about an all-girl band called Yeah! Krazy, a lanky blonde, is the lead guitarist. Thick, curvy Woo-Woo is the keyboardist and a practical type. With her thick braids, Honey is Yeah!’s brown sugar and drummer. Believe it or not, Yeah! is the most popular band in the universe, and as the series begins, they are wrapping up their 50-planet intergalactic tour.

Now, the girls are ready to conquer Earth, where they are simply nobodies. Their manager, a skid-row bum type named Crusty, isn’t doing anything to help them become rich and famous rock stars. The trio turns to an industry power player and all-around shady guy named Mongrel Mogul. Surprisingly, Mongrel is ready to make the girls stars, but the cost may be too high. Well, at least most of the group seems to think so.

There were many things that I liked about Yeah! For me, it helped that this comic book was created by two of my all-time favorite cartoonists, Peter Bagge and Gilbert Hernandez, who are also two the most acclaimed comics creators of the last 30 years. What I liked most was that Bagge and Hernandez somehow mixed the playfully screwy nature of the Saturday morning cartoons that appeared on ABC, CBS, and NBC in the 1960s and 1970s with the Underground Comix sensibilities of the alternative comix and independent comics of the 1980s. Like Saturday morning cartoons, Yeah! was about a kind of science fiction that embraced weirdo aliens rather than science fact. From alt-comix came characters that were outcasts, lived on the margins of society, or had outsider personalities. Instead of being offensive and edgy, this unusual comic book series was imaginative and inventive. That it was approved by the comics industry watchdog group, the Comics Code Authority, testifies that this is an all-ages comic book.

Well, it was an all-ages gem, and I’m glad that its back, even in reprint form as a trade paperback. I still hold onto the fantasy that someday, Yeah! will return with new stories.


Yeah!

Kekkaishi 1-2-3

I read Kekkaishi (3-in-1 Edition) Volume 1.

I posted a review at the Comic Book Bin (which has FREE smart phone apps).

DC Comics from Diamond Distributors for May 25 2011

DC COMICS

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Marvel Comics from Diamond Distributors for May 25 2011

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IDW from Diamond Distributors for May 25 2011

IDW PUBLISHING

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Dark Horse from Diamond Distributors for May 25 2011

DARK HORSE COMICS

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Image Comics from Diamond Distributors for May 25 2011

IMAGE COMICS

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Comics and Magazines from Diamond Distributors for May 25 2011

COMICS

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I Reads You Review: BLADE #9

BLADE (2006) #9
MARVEL COMICS

WRITER: Marc Guggenheim
ARTIST: Howard Chaykin
COLORIST: Edgar Delgado
LETTERS: VC’s Rus Wooton
COVER: Marko Djurdjevic
32pp, Color, $2.99 U.S., $3.75 CAN

“The Big Fight”

Several years ago, Marvel Comics launched a new comic book starring Blade, their vampire hunter who first appeared in the 1970s horror comic book series, The Tomb of Dracula (#10, July 1973). Of course, Blade is best known for the trilogy of films starring Wesley Snipes as Blade. Marvel has had, at best, mixed success with Blade comic book series. [Although an African-American (Snipes) was the star and co-producer of the Blade film franchise, Marvel has never allowed an African-American to write or draw a Blade comic book series.]

Debuting in 2006, the most recent Blade series was written by television writer-producer, Marc Guggenheim and drawn by Howard Chaykin, a longtime industry veteran writer and artist, best known for the highly influential 1980s comic book, American Flagg! (although Chaykin has also been a television writer-producer). Guggenheim’s take on Blade was closer to the character in the comics than the one in the movies, and the series ran for 12 issues, much of it having to do with Blade’s origin.

Blade #9 finds Eric Brooks, a.k.a. Blade in London delving into his later mother, Tara Brooks’ past to discover her connection and his possible connection to the Order of Tyrana. The apparent head of this group is Lucas Cross, the man claiming to be Blade’s father. Meanwhile, at a London hotel, Union Jack, a vampire hunter, launches an attack on Blade’s colleague, vampire detective Hannibal King.

Evan as a back issue, Marc Guggenheim and Howard Chaykin’s Blade comic book still feels fresh and new. Guggenheim wrote each issue as a self-contained story. While each issue is connected to a larger narrative, it can be read, comprehended, and enjoyed without reading other issues. Visually and graphically, Chaykin infused Blade with a sense of humor, irony, and a touch of satire.

Blade #9 epitomizes what Guggenheim and Chaykin did so well with the entirety of their Blade comic book series, and that was the creation of a serial drama in which each chapter was important unto itself. An individual issue did not need the overall story arc to validate it. This allowed readers to pick up any issue and get both a complete reading experience and the Blade experience.

Publishers Group West to Distribute Archaia Entertainment Graphic Novels

ARCHAIA ENTERTAINMENT SIGNS WITH PGW

Rising Graphic Novel Publishing Star Finds New Home for Book Trade Market and Beyond

Berkeley, CA (May 23, 2011) –Archaia Entertainment, LLC and Publishers Group West (“PGW”), a Perseus Books Group company, announced today that PGW will begin distributing Archaia titles in the US and Canada beginning June 20, 2011. The deal encompasses all of Archaia’s backlist titles, which include fan-favorites: Mouse Guard, Return of the Dapper Men, and The Killer, plus over 40 frontlist titles for the second half of 2011. Included are two major media tie-in releases: the illustrated prose edition of The Conspiracy of the Planet of the Apes in July and an original graphic novel anthology to Relativity Media’s Immortals in September.

PJ Bickett, Archaia’s CEO, said, “We are forging powerful partnerships with industry leaders in all aspects of our business, underscoring Archaia’s arrival as a substantial player within the publishing world. PGW will be a key partner in our success, and with their world-class distribution they will allow Archaia to continue to expand our presence across the book trade, as well as in educational, library and international markets.”

“Archaia is a publisher to be reckoned with. They are consistently developing some of the most beautifully illustrated and wonderfully written titles across genres,” said Kevin Votel, PGW’s Vice President of Marketing and Business Development. “In a short time, they’ve become a leading brand and we’re thrilled to be working with their list.”


About Archaia Entertainment
Archaia is a multi-award-winning graphic novel publisher with more than 50 renowned publishing brands, including such domestic and international hits as Mouse Guard, Return of the Dapper Men, Gunnerkrigg Court, Awakening, The Killer, Days Missing, Tumor, Syndrome, Artesia, Engineer, and an entire line of The Jim Henson Company graphic novels. Archaia has built an unparalleled reputation for producing meaningful content that perpetually transforms minds, building one of the industry’s most visually stunning and eclectic slates of graphic novels. Archaia was named Graphic Novel Publisher of the Year according to Ain’t it Cool News, Graphic Policy, and Comic Related, and was honored with nine 2011 Eisner Awards nominations. Archaia has also successfully emerged as a prolific storyteller in all facets of the entertainment industry, extending their popular brands into film, television, gaming, and branded digital media.

About PGW
PGW, a member of the Perseus Books Group, is a one-stop solution for world English language sales and marketing for independent publishers. Established in 1976, PGW is headquartered in Berkeley, CA, with a national sales office in New York City and a distribution center located in Jackson, TN.

One of the top ten book vendors in the country, PGW represents more than 100 independent publishers, who together are publishing some of the most topical, innovative, literary, and award-winning books available today. Major national and international bestsellers from PGW client publishers include Matterhorn (Atlantic Monthly Press), The Power of Now (New World Library), Strengthsfinder 2.0 (Gallup Press), and the Rick Steves Guidebooks series (Avalon Travel Publishing).

About the Perseus Books Group
The Perseus Books Group is an independent company committed to enabling independent publishers to reach their potential whether those publishers are Perseus-owned, joint ventures or owned by third parties. Member publishing programs include Avalon Travel, Basic Books, Basic Civitas, Da Capo Press, Da Capo Lifelong Books, Running Press, Seal Press, Vanguard Press and Westview Press, as well as partnerships with PublicAffairs and with Nation Books. Through Consortium, Perseus Distribution and Publishers Group West, the Perseus Books Group is the leading provider of sales, marketing, distribution, and digital services to independent publishers. For more information, visit our websites at http://www.perseusbooks.com/, www.perseusdigital.com/constellation.

We Were There: The Return of Yano

I read We Were There, Vol. 12 (See all Manga)

I posted a review at the Comic Book Bin (which has FREE smart phone apps).

Image Comics to Publish New Sarkar/Gastonny Joint, The Vault

UNLOCK THE VAULT

Image Comics Reunites Sarkar and Gastonny In New Series

Image Comics is pleased to announce that writer Sam Sarkar and artist Garrie Gastonny (Warren Ellis’ Supergod), the team behind Caliber: First Canon of Justice, have reunited to unlock the horror and action within their new miniseries THE VAULT.

THE VAULT is about a small team of treasure hunters, struggling to excavate a dangerous and legendary treasure pit before a massive storm hits Sable Island, the "Graveyard of the North Atlantic." Equipped with all the latest technology, the scientists believe they are prepared against all of nature's fury, but nothing can prepare them for what they are about to unleash.

"THE VAULT is kind of a contemporary Pandora’s Box story," explained creator and writer, Sam Sarkar. "Though it appears on the surface to be a pretty straightforward story, it has most of its mythology buried deeply. It gets uncovered both literally and figuratively as the pit gets excavated."

When asked how THE VAULT found its home at Image, Sarkar replied: "Well, I’m incredibly fortunate that most of the lasting gifts of Caliber were the relationships it helped to cement. Chief among them, David Elliott. Dave and I have soldiered through quite a few storms personally and professionally, and when I asked him to edit THE VAULT, he didn’t hesitate. There are few people I trust as much. I asked Dave what he thought the best way to release THE VAULT would be and Image was at the top of his list of publishers to approach. I’ve always been a fan of Image, not just because of their model, but because of the quality of titles they have represented and continue to represent."

THE VAULT #1 (1 of 3), a 32-page full color comic book, will be on sale in stores July 27th for $3.50 and is available to order in the June 2011 edition of Diamond Previews (Diamond Order Code: JUN110501).


ABOUT SAM SARKAR
Born in , Sam Sarkar is a 23-year veteran of the entertainment industry. He began his career as an actor and was one of the leads on the long-running, syndicated television series Neon Rider. Following the series, Sam decided to pursue writing and worked for the hit television series Beverly Hills 90210. Stemming from his work on the show, he also co-wrote a television pilot for Spelling Entertainment under the direct guidance of TV legend Aaron Spelling. Deciding then to embark on feature films, Sam took some chances, following a varied path of writing screenplays and working as a sound technician. In 2004, after working on several films with actor Johnny Depp, Sam was asked to help run Depp's production company, Infinitum Nihil, headed by Christi Dembrowski. As Senior VP at the company, he continues to serve the varied needs of as an executive, producer and writer.

ABOUT GARRIE GASTONNY
Having worked as a comic book artist and illustration lecturer, Garrie Gastonny now mainly focuses on illustration to avoid getting beaten up. Garrie also serves as Senior Artist at Imaginary Friends Studios. His credits include Warren Ellis' Supergod, Caliber: First Canon of Justice and Lady Death. For more information about the artist, please visit http://thegerjoos.deviantart.com/.

ABOUT IMAGE COMICS
Image Comics is a comic book and graphic novel publisher founded in 1992 by a collective of best-selling artists. Image has since gone on to become one of the largest comics publishers in the . Image currently has five partners: Robert Kirkman, Erik Larsen, Todd McFarlane, Marc Silvestri and Jim Valentino. It consists of four major houses: Todd McFarlane Productions, Top Cow Productions, Shadowline and Image Central. Image publishes comics and graphic novels in nearly every genre, sub-genre, and style imaginable. It offers science fiction, romance, horror, crime fiction, historical fiction, humor and more by the finest artists and writers working in the medium today. For more information, visit http://www.imagecomics.com/.

De-Otomen Potion

I read Otomen, Vol. 10 (See all Manga)

I posted a review at the Comic Book Bin (which has FREE smart phone apps).

I Reads You Review: THE SPEED ABATER (OGN)

Creator: Christophe Blain (cartoonist) with Joe Johnson (translator)

Publishing Information: NBM/ComicsLit, paperback, Color, 80 pages, $13.95 (US)

Ordering Numbers: ISBN: 1-56163-349-6 (ISBN-10)

Originally published in 1999 by the French publishing house, Dupuis, The Speed Abater is a graphic novel from Christophe Blain. NBM published an English language edition of The Speed Abater in 2003, with translation by Joe Johnson. A French cartoonist who once studied economics, Blain has worked with David B. and Lewis Trondheim and is the creator of the Isaac the Pirate graphic novel series.

The Speed Abater is set during wartime (World War II?) aboard a destroyer, a battleship named the Bellicose. The story primarily focuses on George Guilbert, a young helmsman, who has difficulty adjusting to life on the high seas due to his extreme seasickness. He befriends Louis Bleno, another novice helmsman, and Sam Nordiz, a coxswain with a penchant for claiming to be more well-connected than he really is.

Trying to find a place to get a way from the noise and also the constant motion that causes their seasickness, George and Louis follow Sam deep into the bowels of the Bellicose. An accident causes problems with the Bellicose’ sensitive reduction gears. Catastrophe follows and the men find themselves trapped, while an enemy submarine stalks the Bellicose.

On the surface, The Speed Abater seems like a character drama, and in many ways, it is also a suspense thriller. At its core, however, Christophe Blain’s graphic novel is about the struggle between man and the enormous, complex, and bureaucratic machine that is life on this planet. The Bellicose is this giant, self-contained world and, perhaps, a stand-in for our own world.

For all its immensity and power, the Bellicose is susceptible breakdowns, even those sometimes caused by the most insignificant objects. The Bellicose has a seemingly unending supply of sailors/operators and also parts that keep it operating. With so much that can go wrong, it is a wonder that the ship operates at all. When it comes to the crew members, Blain’s narrative gives the impression that they work at cross purposes. The right hand doesn’t know what the left hand is doing, indeed.

George Guilbert and, to a lesser extent, Louis Bleno and Sam Nordiz, are tiny souls trapped in this world that is the belly of the beast. The goal is to survive the Bellicose and life – by hook, by crook, or by luck and circumstance. The colorful, odd assortment that is this story’s cast and the riveting storyline that is the story’s driving force are all engaging. Why? The answer is in how this deeply human story unveils George’s path to victory and survival.

The Speed Abater

Fantagraphics Books Brings Floyd Gottfredson's Mickey Mouse Back to Life

Walt Disney’s Mickey Mouse by Floyd Gottfredson
“Race to Death Valley”
Edited by David Gerstein & Gary Groth

Designed by Jacob Covey
Featuring essays by Warren Spector, Floyd Norman, Thomas Andrae and David Gerstein
FANTAGRAPHICS BOOKS, SEATTLE, WA
$29.99 Hardcover • 260 pages, color and black-and-white • 10 1/2” x 8 1/2” • ISBN 978-1-60699-441-2
HUMOR / Comic Strips • PUBLICATION DATE: Late May 2011

• Produced in full cooperation with The Walt Disney Company
• Great gift idea
• Featuring the #1 character franchise in the world
• Fantagraphics’ most anticipated release since the first volume of The Complete Peanuts, which has sold over 150,000 copies

Today everyone knows Mickey Mouse as the cheerful ambassador of all things Disney, and the #1 character franchise in the world. But back in the 1930s, Mickey gained fame as a rough-and-tumble, two-fisted epic hero — an adventurous, underdog scrapper matching wits with mobsters, kidnappers, spies, and even (gulp!) city slickers! And Mickey’s greatest feats of derring-do took place in his daily comic strip, written and drawn by one of the greatest cartoonists of the 20th century — Floyd Gottfredson.

Gottfredson’s vibrant visual storytelling has never been more beautifully reproduced, with each daily lovingly restored from Disney’s original negatives and proof sheets.

Walt Disney often said that his studio’s success “all started with a Mouse,” and today Mickey is among the world’s most recognizable icons. Now it’s time to rediscover the wild, unforgettable personality behind the icon!

Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse: "Race to Death Valley" (Vol. 1) (Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse)

Introducing Fotolia Image Bank with FREE Trial Promotion

Fotolia offers the largest image bank of free and most affordable royalty free photos and illustrations perfect for any medium, web or print.  So far, there are 12,278,167 images, vectors and HD videos available at Fotolia.

Fotolia has over 12 million photos, graphics and HD videos that are perfect for presentations, design and web publishing.  The microsite http://fotolianews.com/ has all of the info about Fotolia.

Fotolia is offering a free trial promotion with two coupon codes for I Reads You readers. They are valid for two weeks of Fotolia and 3 image downloads per day and they can only be used once.

Here they are:
1HV9Y0IQ

GXFFDIAO

Coupon codes should be entered here: https://www.fotolia.com/stock-photos-for-bloggers.

The Return to Saiunkoku

I read The Story of Saiunkoku, Vol. 3

I posted a review at the Comic Book Bin (which has FREE smart phone apps).

Make Your Mark with Flink12 Global Icon Art Competition

Flink12, a new social networking site, has put out a call for artists and graphic designers to take part in a Global Icon Art Competition.  They're offering a minimum of $3,000 commissions to create feature icons for the site.  They're looking for graphic icons to be used as status updates for the network.

Visit the site at http://flink12news.com/

They are interested in hiring talented graphic artists on a work for hire basis, and they will not publish or use your icons unless you are awarded a contract.

Enter the competition at http://news.flink12.com/tagged/competitions

Bakuman Phone Call and the Night Before

I read Bakuman., Vol. 4

I posted a review at the Comic Book Bin (which has FREE smart phone apps).

DC Comics from Diamond Distributors for May 18 2011

DC COMICS

FEB110194 BATGIRL THE FLOOD TP $14.99

MAR110299 BATMAN #710 $2.99

MAR110300 BATMAN AND ROBIN #23 $2.99

MAR110292 BATMAN GATES OF GOTHAM #1 OF (5) $2.99

MAR110281 BOOSTER GOLD #44 (FLASHPOINT) $2.99

MAR110337 DC COMICS PRESENTS BATMAN DARK CITY #1 $7.99

MAR110285 DC UNIVERSE ONLINE LEGENDS #8 $2.99

AUG100282 DC UNIVERSE ONLINE STATUE WONDER WOMAN $85.00

MAR110375 DEUS EX #4 (OF 6) (MR) $2.99

MAR110386 DMZ #65 (MR) $2.99

FEB110213 DONG XOAI VIETNAM TP $19.99

MAR110382 FABLES #105 (MR) $2.99

JAN110328 FLASH OMNIBUS BY GEOFF JOHNS HC VOL 01 $75.00

MAR110384 HELLBLAZER #279 (MR) $2.99

FEB110256 HELLBLAZER CITY OF DEMONS TP (MR) $14.99

FEB110211 JSA ALL STARS GLORY DAYS TP $17.99

MAR110286 JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #57 $2.99

MAR110318 LEGION OF SUPER HEROES #13 $2.99

FEB110158 OUTSIDERS #39 $2.99

MAR110327 POWER GIRL #24 $2.99

MAR110322 SPIRIT #14 $2.99

FEB110203 SUPERBOY LEGION OF SUPER HEROES THE EARLY YEARS TP $14.99

MAR110313 SUPERGIRL #64 $2.99

MAR110314 SUPERMAN BATMAN #84 $2.99

MAR110331 TEEN TITANS #95 $2.99

MAR110329 THUNDER AGENTS #7 $2.99

MAR110367 TINY TITANS #40 $2.99

MAY100312 WOMEN OF THE DCU SERIES 3 STAR SAPPHIRE BUST $60.00

MAR110368 YOUNG JUSTICE #4 $2.99

MAR110334 ZATANNA #13 $2.99

Marvel Comics from Diamond Distributors for May 18 2011

MARVEL COMICS

MAR110629 ALPHA FLIGHT #0 POINT ONE $2.99

MAR110664 AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #661 $3.99

MAR110721 ASTONISHING X-MEN #38 $3.99

MAR110620 AVENGERS #13 FEAR $3.99

MAR110648 AVENGERS ACADEMY #14 $2.99

MAR110656 CAPTAIN AMERICA FIRST VENGEANCE #2 (OF 4) $2.99

MAR110790 CHAOS WAR INCREDIBLE HULKS TP $19.99

MAR110781 DEADPOOL MAX PREM HC NUTJOB (MR) $24.99

MAR110774 DEADPOOL TEAM-UP HC VOL 03 BFFS $19.99

MAR110797 DEADPOOL WADE WILSONS WAR TP $14.99

MAR110745 DEADPOOLMAX #8 (MR) $3.99

MAR110798 DEATH OF DRACULA TP $19.99

MAR110796 ELECTRIC ANT TP (MR) $19.99

MAR110803 ESSENTIAL X-MEN TP VOL 08 NEW ED $19.99

MAR118014 FEAR ITSELF #1 (OF 7) 2ND PTG IMMONEN VAR (PP #967) $3.99

MAR110741 GENERATION HOPE #7 $2.99

MAR110693 HAWKEYE: BLIND SPOT #4 (OF 4) $2.99

MAR110627 HERC #3 FEAR $2.99

MAR110692 HEROES FOR HIRE #7 $2.99

MAR110671 HULK #33 $2.99

MAR110618 INVINCIBLE IRON MAN #504 FEAR $3.99

MAR110712 NAMOR FIRST MUTANT ANNUAL #1 $3.99

MAR110746 POWERS PREM HC VOL 01 WHO KILLED RETRO GIRL (MR) $24.99

MAR110633 SIGIL #3 (OF 4) $2.99

MAR110709 SILVER SURFER #4 (OF 5) $2.99

MAR110676 SKAAR KING OF SAVAGE LAND #3 (OF 5) $2.99

MAR110788 SUPER HERO SQUAD SQUAD FOR ALL SEASONS GN TP $14.99

MAR110761 THOR WORLD EATERS PREM HC $24.99

MAR110710 THUNDERBOLTS #157 $2.99

MAR110784 TROUBLE BY MARK MILLAR PREM HC $19.99

MAR118163 ULTIMATE AVENGERS VS NEW ULTIMATES #1 (OF 6) 2ND PTG YU VAR $3.99

MAR118134 ULTIMATE AVENGERS VS NEW ULTIMATES #2 (OF 6) 2ND PTG YU VAR $3.99

MAR118135 ULTIMATE AVENGERS VS NEW ULTIMATES #3 (OF 6) 2ND PTG YU VAR $3.99

MAR110639 ULTIMATE AVENGERS VS NEW ULTIMATES #4 (OF 6) DOSM $3.99

MAR110779 ULTIMATE COMICS DOOMSDAY HC $39.99

MAR110641 ULTIMATE COMICS SPIDER-MAN #158 DOSM $3.99

MAR110801 ULTIMATE COMICS SPIDER-MAN TP VOL 02 CHAMELEONS $19.99

MAR110731 UNCANNY X-FORCE #10 $3.99

MAR110708 WOLVERINE ENEMY OF STATE MGC 20 #1 $1.00

MAR110737 X-23 #10 $2.99

MAR110743 X-FACTOR #219 $2.99

MAR110768 X-MEN AGE OF APOCALYPSE PRELUDE TP $29.99

MAR110718 X-MEN GIANT-SIZE #1 $4.99

MAR110715 X-MEN PRELUDE TO SCHISM #2 (OF 04) $2.99