Review: STAR WARS: Legacy Volume 2 #4

STAR WARS: LEGACY VOLUME 2 #4
DARK HORSE COMICS – @DarkHorseComics

["Star Wars Central" review page is here.]

SCRIPT: Corrina Bechko and Gabriel Hardman
ART: Gabriel Hardman
COLORS: Rachelle Rosenberg
LETTERS: Michael Heisler
COVER: Dave Wilkins
EDITOR: Randy Stradley
28pp, Color, $2.99 U.S. (June 2013)

Prisoner of the Floating World Part Four

Star Wars: Legacy Volume 2 is a new comic book series from the creative team of co-writer Corrina Bechko and co-writer/artist Gabriel Hardman. This Star Wars comic book takes place “approximately 138 years after the events in Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope.” Legacy Volume 2 focuses on junk dealer, Ania Solo, the great-great granddaughter of Han Solo and Leia Organa Solo.

Young Miss Solo finds a battered Imperial communications droid and a lost lightsaber. Soon, Ania is on the run with her friend Sauk, an ice harvester and refugee from Mon Calamari. Later, AG-37, an ancient assassin droid, joins them. Meanwhile, young Imperial Knight, Jao Assam, searches for the master to whom he is apprenticed, Imperial Knight Yalta Val. The quartet becomes involved in a Sith conspiracy involving the building of a communications array in the Carreras System.

As Star Wars: Legacy Volume 2 #4 opens, Governor Biala of Shifala begins to realize that she cannot trust Imperial Knight Yalta Val, who has taken control of the construction of the Shifalan communications array. Little does she realize that this Val is an imposter and is actually a Sith warrior.

Ania, Sauk, AG-37, and Jao fall into a deadly trap, and Sauk makes a discovery about a disappearing planet. Can they escape with these secrets and their lives?

Brian Wood and Carlos D’Anda’s new eponymous Star Wars comic book series is getting a lot of attention. However, Corrina Bechko and Gabriel Hardman’s Star Wars: Legacy Volume 2 is the best new Star Wars comic book series of the year. I’m starting to think that Star Wars: Legacy Volume 2 is the best Star Wars comic book series I’ve read, after my beloved Marvel Comics’ Star Wars, of course.

Corrina Bechko and Gabriel Hardman have created a comic book with such dense character drama, superb character development, intricate politics, and intense plotting that it reads like a Star Wars novel… after only four issues! This is Star Wars as George Lucas and Lawrence Kasdan imagined it.

A+

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux

Psyren: The Two Test Subjects

I read Psyren, Vol. 11

I posted a review at the ComicBookBin.

Review: KING CONAN: The Hour of the Dragon #2

KING CONAN: THE HOUR OF THE DRAGON #2 (#10 in the series)
DARK HORSE COMICS – @DarkHorseComics

WRITER: Timothy Truman
ART: Tomás Giorello
COLORS: José Villarrubia
LETTERS: Richard Starkings & Comicraft
COVER: Gerald Parel
EDITOR: Philip R. Simon
28pp, Colors, $3.50 U.S. (June 2013)

Adapts the novel by Robert E. Howard

The Hour of the Dragon Part 2 of 6: “The Haunts of Hell”

The Hour of the Dragon is the only Conan novel written by the character’s creator, author Robert E. Howard. The Hour of the Dragon (also known as Conan the Conqueror) is currently being adapted into comic book form by Dark Horse Comics. The novel will yield two six-issue miniseries. The first is King Conan: The Hour of the Dragon, and the second will be entitled King Conan: The Conqueror.

King Conan: The Hour of the Dragon is written by Timothy Truman and drawn by Tomás Giorello, already acclaimed for the Conan comics they have produced together over the last several years. They are joined by their stellar collaborators, José Villarrubia on colors and Richard Starkings & Comicraft on letters.

King Conan: The Hour of the Dragon #2 opens in Tarantia, capital city of the kingdom of Aquilonia. King Conan continues to recount to the young scribe, Pramis, the tale of how he met his wife, the late Queen Zenobia.

The story once again returns to the long-ago, this time the aftermath of the battle at Valkia. With the help of the resurrected sorcerer, Xaltotun, a conspiracy against King Conan was successful in nearly destroying the army of Aquilonia. Now, the victorious army of Nemedia, however, is about to find out that the king is not dead. And Xaltotun does not want him dead.

Weakened by Xaltotun’s spells and imprisoned in a foreign land, Conan has lost his kingdom, and he could lose so much more. Now, his only hope may rest in the hands of a mysterious, harem girl named Zenobia.

I was ecstatic upon hearing that Dark Horse Comics was going to adapt into comics, Robert E. Howard’s sword-and-sorcery novel, The Hour of the Dragon, one of my all-time favorite books. After reading King Conan: The Hour of the Dragon #2, my initial excitement about the series is truly justified. This is a great comic book. I wonder if writer Timothy Truman and artist Tomás Giorello can maintain this high level of quality through the remaining four issues.

The word to describe Truman’s adaptation of Howard’s novel is “meaty.” This is masculine, sword-wielding fantasy. No one’s contemplating an epic war in which elves, little people, and squabbling human try to retrieve some magical items from the really, really bad guy. This is get-your-hands-dirty fiction.

Yet Tomás Giorello brings the pomp and circumstance of epic fantasy to this story. He makes it as spacious and epic, as it is closed-in, sword to sword. With José Villarrubia’s colors, there is an elegant, bejeweled quality to the art that does not take away from the frenzied, masculine sensations in King Conan: The Hour of the Dragon.

A

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux

One Piece: Cool Fight

I read One Piece, Vol. 67

I posted a review at ComicBookBin.

Review: Uncanny #1

UNCANNY #1
DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT – @dynamitecomics

WRITER: Andy Diggle
ARTIST: Aaron Campbell
COLORS: Bill Crabtree
LETTERS: Simon Bowland
COVERS: Jock (A), Sean Phillips (B), Dan Panosian (subscription cover)
28pp, Color, $3.99 U.S.

Rated T+

Season of Hungry Ghosts, Part One

Dynamite Entertainment launched its “Crime Line” with the comic book series, Red Team, from writer Garth Ennis. The second title in this new line is Uncanny. Written by Andy Diggle (Action Comics) and drawn by artist Aaron Campbell (The Shadow), Uncanny blends the supernatural (the lead character’s paranormal abilities) into a realistic genre (the fast-paced crime thriller).

Uncanny #1 introduces Weaver, a man born with an uncanny ability that allows him to steal other people’s skills. He can absorb their memories, abilities, and expertise and turn them into his own, but for only a short time. Weaver is a professional gambler, con-man, and thief-for-hire, and he prefers to look out for “Number One,” himself. When he tries to use his abilities at a casino card table in Hong Kong, he finds trouble that he did not expect. His only luck may be in the form of a mysterious young woman named Maggie.

After one issue, I’m not ready to pass complete judgment on Uncanny, but it is not bad at all. Uncanny #1 is a good read, slick and polished in its script. It reminds me of one of those espionage television series that were so popular and prevalent in the 1960s. Add some of Richard Stark’s Parker to that and you have Uncanny and its star, Weaver.

The art by Aaron Campbell yields good, if not spectacular graphical storytelling. Honestly, the art won’t “wow” you with prettiness or striking page design, but it is good, clear storytelling. So it would be a crime for readers who don’t mind some paranormal in their crime fiction not to try Uncanny.

B+

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux

Sequart Preps Neil Gaiman Documentary

Sequart Research & Literacy Organization, in conjunction with Respect! Films, is honored and proud to announce that author Neil Gaiman will be the next subject in its expanding line of comics-centric documentaries.

In the tradition of Sequart’s Grant Morrison: Talking with Gods and Warren Ellis: Captured Ghosts documentaries, the Neil Gaiman film will be an all-access look at the scribe’s illustrious, media-spanning career, from his first foray into published writing all the way up to the current signing tour for his new novel, The Ocean at the End of the Lane. This unique profile will include footage from Neil’s performances with Amanda Palmer, lectures and readings from across the country, as well as extensive interviews with Neil and his fans, contemporaries, and closest collaborators.

The film will be directed by Patrick Meaney, produced by Jordan Rennert, and executive produced by Mike Phillips and Julian Darius. More details will roll at Sequart.org throughout the summer, but for the time being, please enjoy this little teaser trailer: http://sequart.org/magazine/23941/sequarts-next-documentary-film-subject-is-neil-gaiman/.

In addition to the Gaiman documentary, completion is just a few months away on two other Sequart documentary projects. The Image Revolution, chronicling the founding and history of the world’s most successful independent comic book company, Image Comics, is extremely close to completion, and will be playing at festivals this autumn. Comics in Focus: Chris Claremont’s X-Men is also nearly complete. The film reveals the behind-the-scenes story of Claremont’s landmark seventeen-year run on the title. It will be released this autumn.

Our two previous films, Grant Morrison: Talking With Gods and Warren Ellis: Captured Ghosts, are available on Special Edition DVD, each with over two hours of bonus material (or for download).

About the Publisher: Sequart Research & Literacy Organization is a non-profit devoted to the study and promotion of comic books as a legitimate art form. It publishes books and documentaries aimed at making comics scholarship accessible. For more information, go to http://sequart.org/

Book Review: IF YOU WERE HERE: A Novel of Suspense

IF YOU WERE HERE
HARPERCOLLINS – @HarperCollins

AUTHOR: Alafiar Burke – @AlafairBurke
ISBN: 978-0-06-226915-7; hardcover (June 4, 2013)
384pp, B&W, $25.99 U.S.

Alafair Burke is formerly a prosecutor and currently an educator in criminal law. She is also the best-selling author of several novels, including the “Ellie Hatcher” series. Burke’s most recent book is the 2013 crime and mystery novel, If You Were Here. The novel focuses on a magazine journalist who is chasing down leads on a hot story only to discover that it involves someone from her past.

McKenna Jordan spent four years in the New York City District Attorney’s Office. Then, the controversial case of police shooting of a Black teenager led to her disgrace and departure. A decade later, McKenna Jordan is a journalist at NYC Magazine.

McKenna’s current assignment has her chasing the latest urban folktale. This is the story of an unidentified woman who heroically pulled Nicky Cervantes, a teenage boy, from the subway tracks seconds before the arrival of an oncoming train. McKenna gets lucky and locates a cell phone video that purportedly captures the incident. Our roving reporter thinks that she has an edge on competing journalists that are also scrambling to identify the mystery heroine.

When she sees the video, McKenna has her past come rushing headlong into her present. The woman on the video bears a striking resemblance to Susan Carol Hauptmann, a West Point classmate of McKenna’s husband, Patrick Jordan. But Susan disappeared 10 years ago, and is believed by some to be dead. Now, McKenna has to revisit everything that happened a decade ago, including the case the cost her a promising career. This former prosecuting attorney’s search for the truth is a journey of twists and turns across New York City. She will find that some friends are foes, and she will find in an enemy someone that has her back. But can McKenna deal with this cruel reality – some of the darkest secrets are actually buried close to her?

I can use sports metaphors and terms to describe If You Were Here. Like an exceptional football running back, once the mysteries and conspiracies that drive the narrative get moving, If You Were Here becomes a great “downhill runner.” There is no stopping this novel until it reaches the end zone.

Seriously, If You Were Here is a good read. I think this novel works because author Alafiar Burke forces the reader to become one with McKenna Jordan. McKenna is the reader’s friend, not just because she is the heroine, but also because the other characters are not one-hundred percent trustworthy (at least compared to McKenna).

McKenna is the protagonist, of course, but to some degree, all the other characters are antagonists. Not every character is an adversary, nemesis, villain, or killer, of course. Real or imagined, directly or indirectly, deliberately or inadvertently, purposefully or accidentally, everyone else is doing something that is an obstacle to McKenna’s goals. Some mean well, but they certainly live up to the saying about the road to hell being paved with good intentions.

That is how Burke creates a novel of twist and turns, surprises and shocks, and just plain bombshells. There are times in the story when McKenna takes things for granted or makes assumptions, and it leads to an embarrassment or worse, mortal danger for her and her allies and loved ones.

I do find If You Were Here to be a bit longer than necessary. There is a noticeable amount of this novel that seems like padding. In the realm of pop novels known as pot-boilers, however, Alafair Burke writes prose that brings heat to readers’ imaginations and keeps them hopping from one page to the next.

B+

www.alafairburke.com

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux

Albert Avilla Review: All-New X-Men #11

All New X-Men 011

Review by Albert Avilla

Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Pencils: Stuart Immonen
Inks: Wade Von Grawbadger
Colors: Marte Gracia

We’re at issue #11 already and things are still rolling. Here are some words that I never thought I would say: Brian Michael Bendis is one of my favorite X-writers of all time.

There have been some legendary writers who have chronicled the exploits of the X-Men; Bendis is more than holding his own. He is bringing his A-game. Bendis has been honing his craft, and now we get to enjoy the work of a master who is prolific enough to put quality work on the stands on a consistent basis. This is issue #11, and I feel like Bendis is just showing us the onion without revealing the multitude of layers beneath the skin. Few in the business today can handle the group dynamic as well as Bendis.

I wouldn’t try to count the number of characters that had a part in this story. I find the interaction between the two Beasts and the two Icemen interesting. They have similar personalities, but they are not carbon copy, “Xerox”, cut and paste, “Photoshopped” versions of each other. Damn, you have to go through a lot of advances in technology just to use figurative language that everyone can understand, and I left out holograms.

Bendis dropped a bomb on us. Angel is leaving the original team to join the Uncanny X-Men. I didn’t expect any of the original X-Men to leave the group, certainly not this early in the storyline. Mystique is off causing her own brand of mischief. She’s messing with the big boys.

Finally, to get this issue filled with all the uncanny there is, the Uncanny Avengers show up to leave us anticipating the next issue. The action was light, but this was a very interesting story. Bendis is exploring relationships within the X-Men. This pulls you into the story and reveals how the characters have grown over the years.

The art is really good. There are two scenes that really catch the eye, the burning factory and the basketball court at night.

I rate All New X-Men #11 Buy Your Own Copy. #2 (of 5) on the Al-O-Meter.

DC Comics from Diamond Distributors for June 26 2013

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APR130208 ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN #2 $3.99

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APR130244 HE MAN AND THE MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE #3 $2.99

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APR130188 RED LANTERNS #21 $2.99

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APR130165 TALON #9 $2.99

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IDW Publishing from Diamond Distributors for June 26 2013

Digital Comics: Digital new releases available from your local comic book shop are marked below. [DIG] = Digital version available. [DIG/P+] = Print-Plus digital/print combo pack available. For more information, go to www.digitalcomicsreader.com.

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Digital Comics: Digital new releases available from your local comic book shop are marked below. [DIG] = Digital version available. [DIG/P+] = Print-Plus digital/print combo pack available. For more information, go to www.digitalcomicsreader.com.

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Comics, Magazines and Books from Diamond Distributors for June 26 2013

Digital Comics: Digital new releases available from your local comic book shop are marked below. [DIG] = Digital version available. [DIG/P+] = Print-Plus digital/print combo pack available. For more information, go to www.digitalcomicsreader.com.

PREVIEWS PUBLICATIONS
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APR130923 BART SIMPSON COMICS #84 $2.99

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APR131220 BODIE TROLL #2 $2.99

MAR131056 BOYS DEFINITIVE EDITION HC VOL 05 (MR) $95.00

MAR131195 CLOCKWERX HC (MR) $29.95

FEB130691 CRAWLING SKY #4 [DIG] $3.99

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APR131321 HIGURASHI WHEN THEY CRY GN VOL 22 FESTIVAL ACCOMPANYING ARC $18.99

MAY131266 HOMESICK GN $15.99

MAR131276 JACK THE RIPPER HELL BLADE GN VOL 04 (MR) $11.99

APR130847 JIRNI #3 ASPEN RESERVED CVR $3.99

APR130846 JIRNI #3 DIRECT MARKET CVR [DIG] $3.99

FEB138628 KINGDOM HEARTS CHAIN OF MEMORIES TP $19.00

APR131172 KITCHEN PRINCESS OMNIBUS TP VOL 04 $19.99

MAR131201 KNIGHTS OF THE DINNER TABLE #199 $5.99

APR131123 MAGIC WIND GN VOL 01 $12.99

APR130924 MALEVOLENT MR BURNS #1 $3.99

APR131030 MASKS #8 $3.99

MAR130802 MOUSE GUARD LEGENDS O/T GUARD VOL 2 #1 $3.50

FEB131025 NEW SCHOOL HC $39.99

APR131323 PANDORA HEARTS GN VOL 16 $11.99

APR130972 PEANUTS VOL 2 #9 [DIG] $3.99

APR130766 POWER OF 6 TWISTED APPLES PART 1 $4.95

APR131324 PUELLA MAGI KAZUMI MAGICA GN VOL 01 INNOCENT MALICE $11.99

DEC121029 RED SONJA #77 $3.99

APR131064 RED SONJA UNCHAINED #3 $3.99

MAR130947 REGULAR SHOW #2 MAIN CVRS [DIG] $3.99

MAY131019 SHADOW TP VOL 02 REVOLUTION $19.99

APR131325 SPICE AND WOLF GN VOL 08 (MR) $12.99

MAR130938 STEED AND MRS PEEL ONGOING #9 [DIG] $3.99

MAR130976 TAROT WITCH OF THE BLACK ROSE #80 DLX ED (MR) $19.99

APR130979 TAROT WITCH OF THE BLACK ROSE TP VOL 11 (MR) $24.99

APR131326 TRIAGE X GN VOL 03 (MR) $13.99

APR130767 TRUE SWAMP STONEGROUND & HILLBOUND (MR) $4.95

APR130996 UNCANNY #1 $3.99

MAR131349 UTSUBORA STORY OF A NOVELIST OMNIBUS TP $18.95

FEB130946 VAMPIRELLA #30 $3.99

APR131217 WAR MACHINE GN (MR) $17.99

MAY131065 WARLORD OF MARS DEJAH THORIS TP VOL 04 (MR) $16.99

APR131288 X-O MANOWAR (VU) #14 (PD) REG LOZZI $3.99

APR130909 ZEBRAFISH SPF 40 TP $9.99

JAN131163 ZIPPY DINGBURG DIARIES TP $29.99

MAGAZINES
MAR131501 AVENGER DOUBLE NOVEL VOL 10 $14.95

APR131381 COMIC SHOP NEWS #1358 PI

APR131383 COMICS REVUE PRESENTS JUN 2013 $19.95

MAR131445 DC BATMAN AUTOMOBILIA FIG COLL MAG #10 BATMAN #311 $20.00

MAR131444 DC BATMAN AUTOMOBILIA FIG COLL MAG #9 BATMAN #5 $20.00

MAR131446 DC SUPERHERO CHESS FIG COLL MAG #34 WONDER WOMAN WHITE QUEEN $16.00

APR130696 DISNEY PRINCESS MAGAZINE #14 $4.99

APR131440 DOC SAVAGE DOUBLE NOVEL VOL 67 $14.95

MAR131489 G FAN #101 (RES) $6.95

JAN131378 ILLUSTRATION MAGAZINE #41 $15.00

MAY131455 LITTLE SHOPPE OF HORRORS #30 $9.95

APR131439 LOCUS #629 $7.50

MAR131297 MONSTER HIGH MAGAZINE #3 $4.99

BOOKS
MAR131498 COSPLAY MADE IN JAPAN HC $39.95

APR131328 DISSOCIATION OF HARUHI SUZUMIYA HC $15.99

MAY131439 DOCTOR WHO IN TIME & SPACE ESSAYS 1963-2012 $45.00

MAY131405 FEVER PITCH SC VOL 01 HOT GIRLS OF ELIAS CHATZOUDIS HOT GIRL $14.95

MAY131433 GRAPHIC NOVELS & COMICS IN CLASSROOM SC $45.00

APR131433 MAN OF STEEL INSIDE LEGENDARY WORLD OF SUPERMAN HC $45.00

APR131434 MAN OF STEEL OFF NOVELIZATION MMPB $7.99

MAY131434 MYTH OF THE SUPERHERO SC $24.95

MAR131497 NEIL GAIMAN OCEAN AT END OF LANE NOVEL HC $25.99

FEB131148 SUMMER WARS MATERIAL BOOK SC $39.99

MAY131478 TELEVISION WESTERNS EPISODE GUIDE ALL US SERIES 1949-1996 SC $39.95

MAY131479 TRUE BLOOD DRINKS & BITES HC $18.95

MAR132225 WARHAMMER 40K MACHARIAN CRUSADE FIST OF DEMETRIUS HC $24.99

MAR132227 WARHAMMER 40K THE SOUL DRINKERS SECOND OMNIBUS SC $17.50

MAY131462 WOMEN OF HAMMER HORROR HC $49.95

APR131438 WORLD WAR Z ART OF FILM SC $19.95

Children of the Sea: Final Volume

I read Children of the Sea, Vol. 5

I posted a review at the ComicBookBin (which has free smart phone apps and comics).

Yaoi Review: Sleeping Moon Volume 1

SLEEPING MOON, VOL. 1
SUBLIME – @SuBLimeManga

CARTOONIST: Kano Miyamoto
TRANSLATION: Christine Dashiell
LETTERS: NRP Studios
COVER: Kono Miyamoto and Courtney Utt
EDITOR: Jennifer LeBlanc
ISBN: 978-1-4215-5550-8; Rated “M” for “Mature”
186pp, B&W, $12.99 U.S., $14.99 CAN, £8.99 UK

Kano Miyamoto is a prolific creator of boys’ love manga and of independent or amateur comics (doujinshi). Sleeping Moon is a yaoi manga graphic novel series from Miyamoto. Yaoi manga is a subset of boys’ love manga (BL) and features explicit depictions of sex between male characters. The series follows a college student trying to unravel a family curse.

Sleeping Moon, Vol. 1 introduces 27-year-old college student, Akihiko Odagawa. He returns to his family’s ancestral home in order to solve the mystery of a rumored curse that brings early death to the male descendants in his lineage, the Sakaki Family. There, he meets his Aunt Akiko and her two children, twin brother and sister, Ren and Eri.

Eri remains mostly unseen because she has some kind of illness, and though he is distant at first, Ren begins to make moves on Akihiko. That isn’t the most shocking thing. While in the home, Akihiko experiences a time slip that takes him back 100 years in the past. There, he meets student, Eitarou Shinjou, who looks strikingly like Ren. Can the two men bridge time to unravel a family curse?

Not really sexual in terms of content, Sleeping Moon, Volume 1 is a supernatural mystery. There really is not a strong current of romance, for that matter. Instead, it is ghosts plus time travel; that can be an interesting combination, and it is here. The ghosts and spirits are especially creepy and menacing, and, in the early chapters, Kano Miyamoto teases them just enough to string the reader along with sightings and dark auras to stir the echoes of fear.

There is something oddly sweet about the time travel angle. This is a mysterious and less sci-fi kind of time travel. It is impressionistic and spiritual; therefore, this kind of “time slip” seems earthier than the usual future-tech histrionics. Yes, I do want more sex scenes in the next volume, but I also want to solve the mysteries of this engaging manga. Readers looking for romance, mystery, and the supernatural will want to try Sleeping Moon.

B+

www.SuBLimeManga.com

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux

Review: The Black Bat #2

BLACK BAT #2
DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT – @dynamitecomics

WRITER: Brian Buccellato
ARTIST: Ronan Cliquet
COLORS: Mat Lopes
LETTERS: Rob Steen
COVERS: Jae Lee (A), Joe Benitez (B), Ardian Syaf (C), Billy Tan (D), Marcos Martin (subscription cover)
28pp, Color, $3.99 U.S.

Rated T+

“The Black Bat” was a character that appeared in Black Bat Detective Mysteries, a short-lived, 1930s pulp magazine, published for six issues. The first Black Bat is thought to have had an influence on The Batman, either through Bob Kane (the man solely credited with creating Batman) or Bill Finger (the first Batman writer and essentially the co-creator of the character) or both. There was also a second version of The Black Bat, influenced by the first.

Dynamite Entertainment recently returned this pulp hero from the 1930s to comics. Dynamite’s The Black Bat comic book stars Tony Quinn, a brash defense attorney for the mob who compromises his ethics for financial gain. When Tony refuses to commit murder, his gangster employers torture and blind him. It is a covert agency that rescues and gives Quinn a chance to make amends. Tony dons a cape and cowl and becomes the Black Bat in a quest of redemption to right the wrongs of his past

The Black Bat #2 opens with Tony as the Black Bat about to break up a drug shipment for the city’s drug lord, Oliver Snate. Tony’s baptism in fire becomes literal when a moral dilemma complicates the mission. Meanwhile, anger in the city continues to rise over the unsolved case of the missing policemen.

The first time I saw images of the cover art for The Black Bat #2, I was struck by how much it all looked similar to various Batman images and graphics. [I wonder how many times you can poke the lion that is DC Comics’ legal department?] Actually, instead of Batman, The Black Bat #2 reads like a blending of Doug Moench’s Moon Knight and Mike Baron’s The Punisher, and I rather enjoyed it.

Writer Brian Buccellato is more than competent, offering familiar “street level” comic book tales, with a character made interesting because his determination is matched by his ignorance. Ronan Cliquet is also more than competent as a graphical storyteller, and his composition and page design is nice. Cliquet’s art improves Buccellato’s script in terms of storytelling.

I liked The Black Bat #2. I might read future issues, but as I have access to digital review copies from Dynamite Entertainment, that declaration might be something of a cheat. Still, The Black Bat has promise.

B

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux

Review: The Black Bat #1

BLACK BAT #1
DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT – @dynamitecomics

WRITER: Brian Buccellato
ARTIST: Ronan Cliquet
COLORS: Mat Lopes
LETTERS: Rob Steen
COVERS: J. Scott Campbell (A), Joe Benitez (B), Ardian Syaf (C), Billy Tan (D), Marcos Martin (subscription cover)
28pp, Color, $3.99 U.S.

Rated T+

Dynamite Entertainment has brought The Black Bat back from the public domain comic book graveyard in a new comic book series. The character that appeared in Black Bat Detective Mysteries, a short-lived, 1930s pulp magazine, published for six issues. The first Black Bat is thought to have had an influence on the creation of The Batman.

The Black Bat #1 opens with the Black Bat kicking ass. He’s looking for Silk, a police snitch who will become his assistant. The story also goes into flashback mode in order to take a look at the man who would become the Black Bat, Tony Quinn. He was a brash defense attorney for the mob who compromised his ethics for financial gain. It cost him a lot, but now as the Black Bat he can seek redemption… or vengeance?

Images and graphics in The Black Bat resemble image and graphics in and perhaps the spirit of Batman comic books. However, what writer Brian Buccellato offers is closer to “street level” comic books that Marvel Comics has produced over the years, featuring characters like Daredevil, Moon Knight, and The Punisher. It’s vigilante vs. organized crime, and the superhero costume seems extraneous in the moody, urban fiction edge of Buccellato’s script.

Artist Ronan Cliquet has a graphic style and visual sense that is perfect for the comics yarn Buccellato spins. Cliquet’s compositions and designs are flashy in a Batman mode, but a bit earthier. Once again, crime fiction edges out costumes. Dynamite Entertainment’s The Black Bat does have potential.

B+

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux

Demon Love Spell: Yamabuki the Onmyoji

I read Demon Love Spell, Vol. 3

I posted a review at the ComicBookBin.

Review: DREAM THIEF #2

DREAM THIEF #2 (OF 5)
DARK HORSE COMICS – @DarkHorseComics

STORY: Jai Nitz
ART/LETTERS: Greg Smallwood
COVER: Ryan Sook
MISC. ART: Kevin Nowlan, Rob Croonenborghs, Andrew MacLean, Ryan Browne, Jeremy Mohler
32pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (June 2013)

Dream Thief is a new five-issue limited series from Bram Stoker Award-winning writer Jai Nitz (“Best Illustrated Narrative,” 2004) and artist Greg Smallwood. The series focuses on John Lincoln, whose body and mind become possessed after he dons a strange mask.

Lincoln is an Atlanta-based carouser and pot-smoker/connoisseur. He tends to get drunk and wake up in strange places; often those places are the bedrooms of women who are not his girlfriend, Claire. After a visit to the Fernbank Museum of Natural History, John awakens, wearing an Aboriginal mask he stole from the museum. Now, John’s problems have been replaced by blood stains and an unsteady memory that suggests he’s been disposing of bodies. He’s even killed his girlfriend.

As Dream Thief #2 opens, John is still trying to deal with the spirits of the dead who possess his mind and body while he sleeps. Now, he has a head full of another dead man’s memories, a young man named Jimmy Oliver. Tossed out of the U.S. Army for being gay, Jim found love and a career in the grungy underworld of drugs and pornography. Now, the Dream Thief has to enter that world on a vengeful errand.

When Dark Horse Comics made a PDF of Dream Thief #1 available to reviewers, I read it on a lark because it was a first issue. That was a moment of fortune in my life as a comic book reader. Dream Thief is just a damn good comic book and a great read.

Jai Nitz has written a fine, creepy dark fantasy, and he has an engaging character in John Lincoln. Lincoln is even better as the “Dream Thief,” whom Nitz uses, in this issue, to tell a poignant story of a young man lost. Dream Thief is partly a lovely character story, one that recalls Neil Gaiman’s The Sandman.

The scope of the talent of artist Greg Smallwood expands, practically with each page of this series. He draws Dream Thief as if it were a crime comic book, but he also captures the supernatural-infused nature of the narrative. I don’t think anyone could do a better job with Dream Thief than Smallwood is doing.

Comic book readers looking for excellence have a dream lover in Dream Thief.

A+

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux

Fantagraphics' Co-Publisher Kim Thompson Dies at Age 56

Photograph of Kim Thompson with two Eisner Award trophies. Photo by Lynn Emmert

Fantagraphics co-publisher Kim Thompson died at 6:30 this morning, June 19. "He was my partner and close friend for 36 years," said Gary Groth.

Thompson was born in Denmark in 1956. He grew up in Europe, a lifelong comics fan, reading both European and American comics in Denmark, France, and Germany. He was an active fan in his teen years, writing to comics — his letters appeared in Marvel's letter columns circa early 1970s — and contributing to fanzines from his various European perches. At the age of 21, he set foot, for the first time, on American soil, in late 1977. One "fanzine" he had not contributed to was The Comics Journal, which Groth and Michael Catron began publishing in July of 1976. That was soon to change.

"Within a few weeks of his arrival," said Groth, "he came over to our 'office,' which was the spare bedroom of my apartment, and was introduced by a mutual friend — it was a fan visit. We were operating out of College Park, Maryland and Kim's parents had moved to Fairfax, Virginia, both Washington DC suburbs. Kim loved the energy around the Journal and the whole idea of a magazine devoted to writing about comics, and asked if he could help. We needed all the help we could get, of course, so we gladly accepted his offer. He started to come over every day and was soon camping out on the floor. The three of us were living and breathing The Comics Journal 24 hours a day."

Thompson became an owner when Catron took a job at DC Comics in 1978. As he became more familiar with the editorial process, Thompson became more and more integral to the magazine, assembling and writing news and conducting interviews with professionals. Thompson's career in comics began here.

In 1981, Fantagraphics began publishing comics (such as Jack Jackson's Los Tejanos, Don Rosa's Comics and Stories, and, in 1982, Love and Rockets). Thompson was always evangelical about bandes dessinées and wanted to bring the best of European comics to America; in 1981, Thompson selected and translated the first of many European graphic novels for American publication — Herman Huppen's The Survivors: Talons of Blood (followed by a 2nd volume in 1983). Thompson's involvement in The Comics Journal diminished in 1982 when he took over the editorship of Amazing Heroes, a bi-weekly magazine devoted to more mainstream comics (with occasional forays into alternative and even foreign comics). Thompson helmed Amazing Heroes through 204 issues until 1992.

Among Thompson's signature achievements in comics were Critters, a funny-animal anthology that ran from 50 issues between 1985 to 1990 and is perhaps best known for introducing the world to Stan Sakai's Usagi Yojimbo; and Zero Zero, an alternative comics anthology that also ran for 50 issues over five years — between 1995 and 2000 — and featured work by, among others, Kim Deitch, Dave Cooper, Al Columbia, Spain Rodriguez, Joe Sacco, David Mazzuchelli, and Joyce Farmer. His most recent enthusiasm was spearheading a line of European graphic novel translations, including two major series of volumes by two of the most significant living European artists — Jacques Tardi (It Was the War of the Trenches, Like a Sniper Lining up His Shot, The Astonishing Exploits of Lucien Brindavoine) and Jason (Hey, Wait..., I Killed Adolf Hitler, Low Moon, The Left Bank Gang) — and such respected work as Ulli Lust's Today Is the Last Day of the Rest of Your Life, Lorenzo Mattotti's The Crackle of the Frost, Gabriella Giandelli's Interiorae, and what may be his crowning achievement as an editor/translator, Guy Peelaert's The Adventures of Jodelle.

Throughout his career at Fantagraphics, Thompson was active in every aspect of the company, selecting books, working closely with authors, guiding books through the editorial and production process. "Kim leaves an enormous legacy behind him," said Groth, "not just all the European graphic novels that would never have been published here if not or his devotion, knowledge, and skills, but for all the American cartoonists he edited, ranging from Stan Sakai to Joe Sacco to Chris Ware, and his too infrequent critical writing about the medium. His love and devotion to comics was unmatched. I can't truly convey how crushing this is for all of us who've known and loved and worked with him over he years."

Thompson was diagnosed with lung cancer in late February. He is survived by his wife, Lynn Emmert, his mother and father, Aase and John, and his brother Mark.

I want to offer my prayers and condolences to Kim Thompson's family, friends, and colleagues.  Rest in peace, Kim. - Leroy Douresseaux

Dawn of the Arcana: Overuse the Arcana?

I read Dawn of the Arcana, Vol. 10

I posted a review at the ComicBookBin.

DC Comics from Diamond Distributors for June 19 2013

DC COMICS

APR130246 100 BULLETS BROTHER LONO #1 (MR) $3.99

APR130191 ANIMAL MAN #21 $2.99

MAR130279 BATGIRL ROBIN YEAR ONE TP $24.99

APR130167 BATMAN AND BATGIRL #21 $2.99

APR130211 BATMAN BEYOND UNLIMITED #17 $3.99

APR130173 BATWOMAN #21 $2.99

APR130178 BIRDS OF PREY #21 $2.99

APR130252 FABLES #130 (MR) $2.99

MAR130275 FURY OF FIRESTORM TP VOL 02 FIRESTORM PROTOCOLS (N52) $14.99

APR130186 GREEN LANTERN NEW GUARDIANS #21 $2.99

APR130135 JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICAS VIBE #5 $2.99

APR130201 LEGION OF SUPER HEROES #21 $2.99

AUG120258 METAL MEN ARCHIVES HC VOL 02 $75.00

APR130180 RED HOOD AND THE OUTLAWS #21 $2.99

APR130156 SUPERGIRL #21 $2.99

MAR130305 SWEET TOOTH TP VOL 06 WILD GAME (MR) $16.99

MAR130272 TEEN TITANS TP VOL 02 THE CULLING (N52) $16.99

APR130145 WONDER WOMAN #21 $2.99

DC COMICS/DC COLLECTIBLES

MAR130314 INJUSTICE CYBORG VS HARLEY QUINN 2 PACK $29.95

MAR130315 INJUSTICE FLASH VS RAVEN 2 PACK $29.95

Marvel Comics from Diamond Distributors for June 19 2013

MARVEL COMICS

APR130666 A PLUS X #9 NOW $3.99

APR130589 AGE OF ULTRON #10 $3.99

APR130598 AVENGERS #14 INF $3.99

MAR130734 AVENGERS BY BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS TP VOL 04 AVX $19.99

APR130651 CABLE AND X-FORCE #10 NOW $3.99

APR130682 CAPTAIN MARVEL #13 $2.99

APR130629 FANTASTIC FOUR #9 NOW $2.99

MAR130736 INCREDIBLE HULK BY JASON AARON TP VOL 02 $24.99

APR130664 INDESTRUCTIBLE HULK #9 NOW $3.99

MAR130743 INVINCIBLE IRON MAN TP VOL 11 FUTURE $19.99

JAN130774 MMW AVENGERS HC VOL 13 $69.99

APR130656 MORBIUS LIVING VAMPIRE #6 NOW $2.99

APR130627 NEW AVENGERS #7 NOW $3.99

APR130604 SUPERIOR SPIDER-MAN #12 NOW $3.99

APR130635 THUNDERBOLTS #11 NOW $2.99

APR130675 ULTIMATE COMICS SPIDER-MAN #24 $3.99

APR130678 ULTIMATE COMICS ULTIMATES #26 $3.99

APR130596 UNCANNY AVENGERS #9 NOW $3.99

MAR130741 UNCANNY X-MEN COMPLETE COLL BY FRACTION TP VOL 03 $29.99

APR130703 WOLVERINE MAX #8 (MR) $3.99

APR130693 X-FACTOR #258 $2.99

APR130655 X-MEN LEGACY #12 NOW $2.99

IDW Publishing from Diamond Distributors for June 19 2013

Digital Comics: Digital new releases available from your local comic book shop are marked below. [DIG] = Digital version available. [DIG/P+] = Print-Plus digital/print combo pack available. Click here for a complete list of this week's Digital New Releases. For more information, go to www.digitalcomicsreader.com.

IDW PUBLISHING

APR130391 ALAN ROBERT KILLOGY TP [DIG] $19.99

FEB138164 COMICS ABOUT CARTOONISTS HC LTD SKETCH ED PI

APR130395 DANGER GIRL TRINITY #3 [DIG/P+] $3.99

APR130373 DOCTOR WHO VOL 3 #10 [DIG/P+] $3.99

APR130377 EDISON REX TP $19.99

APR130323 GI JOE #5 [DIG/P+] $3.99

APR130329 GI JOE A REAL AMERICAN HERO #191 [DIG/P+] $3.99

APR130327 GI JOE COBRA FILES #3 [DIG/P+] $3.99

APR130310 JUDGE DREDD YEAR ONE #3 [DIG] $3.99

APR130363 MY LITTLE PONY COLOR ME TREASURY ED $9.99

APR130366 MY LITTLE PONY MICRO SERIES #5 PINKIE PIE [DIG/P+] $3.99

FEB138162 TMNT ONGOING HC VOL 01 RED LABEL ED PI

APR130358 TMNT VILLAIN MICROSERIES #3 OLD HOB $3.99

FEB138163 TRANSFORMERS ART OF FALL OF CYBERTRON HC RED LABEL ED PI

FEB138352 TRANSFORMERS IDW COLLECTION HC VOL 02 RED LABEL ED PI

APR130342 TRANSFORMERS MONSTROSITY #1 $3.99

APR130338 TRANSFORMERS MORE THAN MEETS EYE #18 [DIG/P+] $3.99

APR130320 WILD BLUE YONDER #1 [DIG/P+] $3.99

APR130303 X-FILES SEASON 10 #1 [DIG] $3.99

Dark Horse Comics from Diamond Distributors for June 19 2013

DARK HORSE COMICS

FEB130023 ART OF THE LAST OF US HC $39.99

APR130041 BALTIMORE THE INQUISITOR ONE SHOT $3.50

FEB130033 BLOODHOUND TP $19.99

APR130042 BPRD HELL ON EARTH #108 WASTELAND #2 $3.50

APR130018 CAPTAIN MIDNIGHT #0 $2.99

APR130063 CONAN THE BARBARIAN #17 $3.50

FEB130052 CONAN TP VOL 13 QUEEN O/T BLACK COAST $19.99

APR130017 DARK HORSE PRESENTS #25 (MR) $7.99

JAN130090 DOMOVI GN $19.99

APR130023 DREAM THIEF #2 $3.99

APR130049 EDGAR ALLAN POES FALL O/T HOUSE OF USHER #2 $3.99

APR130051 HOUSE OF GOLD & BONES #3 ALEXANDER CVR $3.99

FEB130043 STAR WARS CLONE WARS SMUGGLERS CODE TP $7.99

APR130060 STAR WARS DARTH VADER & NINTH ASSASSIN #3 $3.50

FEB130047 STAR WARS LOST TRIBE O/T SITH SPIRAL TP $18.99

Image Comics from Diamond Distributors for June 19 2013

Digital Comics: Digital new releases available from your local comic book shop are marked below. [DIG] = Digital version available. [DIG/P+] = Print-Plus digital/print combo pack available. Click here for a complete list of this week's Digital New Releases. For more information, go to www.digitalcomicsreader.com.

IMAGE COMICS

MAR130572 INVINCIBLE #103 [DIG] $2.99

APR130543 IT GIRL & THE ATOMICS #11 [DIG] $2.99

FEB130456 MARA #5 (MR) [DIG] $2.99

MAR130582 MIND THE GAP #11 CVR A ESQUEJO [DIG] $2.99

MAR130583 MIND THE GAP #11 CVR B GAYDOS $2.99

FEB130430 MIND THE GAP TP VOL 02 WISH YOU WERE HERE (MR) [DIG] $14.99

APR130555 MINIATURE JESUS #3 (MR) [DIG] $3.99

APR130568 REVIVAL #11 [DIG] $2.99

APR130443 SAGA TP VOL 02 (MR) [DIG] $14.99

APR130502 WITCH DOCTOR TP VOL 02 MAL PRACTICE [DIG] $14.99

APR130578 WITCHBLADE #167 CVR A CHRISTOPHER [DIG] $2.99

APR130579 WITCHBLADE #167 CVR B BERNARD $2.99

Comics, Magazines and Books from Diamond Distributors for June 19 2013

Digital Comics: Digital new releases available from your local comic book shop are marked below. [DIG] = Digital version available. [DIG/P+] = Print-Plus digital/print combo pack available. Click here for a complete list of this week's Digital New Releases. For more information, go to www.digitalcomicsreader.com.

COMICS & GRAPHIC NOVELS

NOV121275 ACG COLL WORKS ADV INTO UNKNOWN HC VOL 04 $47.99

MAR131261 ACG COLL WORKS ADV INTO UNKNOWN SLIPCASE ED VOL 01 $119.99

APR130964 ADVENTURE TIME TP VOL 03 $14.99

APR130815 B & V FRIENDS DOUBLE DIGEST #234 [DIG/P+] $3.99

SEP121087 BARNABY HC VOL 01 $35.00

APR130987 BETELGEUSE TP VOL 03 OTHER $11.95

APR130812 BETTY & VERONICA #266 REG CVR [DIG/P+] $2.99

APR130988 BLAKE & MORTIMER GN VOL 13 CURSE OF 30 PIECES OF SILVER PT 1 $15.95

APR131277 BLOODSHOT (VU) #12 HARBINGER WARS REG ANDRASOFSZKY $3.99

APR131375 BOYS OF STEEL THE CREATORS OF SUPERMAN YR SC $7.99

APR131253 BURNING BUILDING COMIX HC $19.95

MAR131379 CHILDREN OF THE SEA TP VOL 05 $14.99

MAR131290 COMP FLASH GORDON LIBRARY HC VOL 03 FALL OF MING (RES) $39.95

FEB131140 CRATER XV HC $19.95

APR130757 CRYPT OF HORROR #18 $29.95

APR131047 DARK SHADOWS YEAR ONE #3 $3.99

APR131102 DF DEJAH THORIS & GREEN MEN #1 EMERALD CITY EXC $19.99

MAR131116 DF DEJAH THORIS & GREEN MEN #4 RISQUE CVR $18.99

MAR131127 DF REGULAR SHOW #1 EXC CVR $10.00

DEC121082 DF THOR GOD OF THUNDER #1 AARON SGN ED $29.99

APR131100 DF VAMPIRELLA STRIKES #1 COMICSPRO EXC $50.00

AUG121098 DF WARLORD OF MARS #25 RISQUE RED EXC (MR) $14.99

FEB131073 DOMINO LADY BLONDE BOMBSHELL TP $25.95

JAN131055 EVIL ERNIE #6 $3.99

JAN130878 EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT IRIS VOL 3 #4 CVR A LEI $3.99

JAN130879 EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT IRIS VOL 3 #4 CVR B PANTALENA $3.99

APR130935 EXTERMINATION TP VOL 02 $14.99

APR130867 EXTINCTION PARADE #1 (MR) $3.99

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Loveless: Ritsuka or Seimei?

I read Loveless, Vol. 11

I posted a review at the ComicBookBin.

I Reads You Review: X-Men #1

X-MEN #1
MARVEL COMICS

WRITER: Brian Wood
PENCILS: Olivier Coipel
INKS: Olivier Coipel and Mark Morales
COLORS: Laura Martin
LETTERS: VC’s Joe Caramagna
COVER: Olivier Coipel with Laura Martin
28pp, Colors, $3.99 U.S. (July 2013)

Rated T+

Marvel Comics’ Marvel NOW initiative (which began in Fall 2012) is the major re-launch of the publisher’s comics line. Within that major re-launch have been several re-launches, and one of the big unveilings is a new comic book entitled, X-Men.

The new X-Men is written by Brian Wood and drawn by Olivier Coipel. That is a major creative team, but the really big news about this new X-Men title is that it features a female-only lineup. This new X-Men comic book stars Storm, Kitty Pryde, Psylocke, Rachel, Rogue, and Jubilee.

X-Men #1 (2013) begins with Jubilation Lee (Jubilee, of course) on the run, and in possession of an infant. Someone is following her, and she calls for the X-cavalry. Meanwhile, John Sublime shows up at The Jean Grey School for Higher Learning in Westchester, New York. He has a tale of impending doom to tell.

Writing the X-Men means recycling the ideas of other writers, ideas that were first published decades ago. What Stan Lee, Roy Thomas, Len Wein, and Chris Claremont wrote can be and has been rehashed, re-imagined, remade, and re-jiggered into countless new comic book stories. This has gone on for decades and can go on for many, many more decades.

Along comes Brian Wood. He is one of those writers that can take someone else’s concept and write new stories that are as fresh and as innovative as the original idea. See him do it on Dark Horse’s new eponymous Star Wars comic book with artist Carlos D’Anda. Wood’s new X-Men is the freshest take on the franchise since Grant Morrison shocked us with New X-Men 13 years ago.

One of the elements that made Morrison’s New X-Men so bracing was the art by Frank Quitely. Wood has an artist collaborator who is still ascending. Olivier Coipel, the French comic book artist, has not yet reached his creative peak, but he is a good storyteller. His pretty, eye-candy style is made even prettier by Laura Martin’s dazzling colors.

Coipel is making X-Men a stimulating, refreshing read. Also, amazing is that he is the first “artist of color” (or how about “Black guy”) to be the series artist (and not a guest artist) on a main or “flagship” X-Men title in the 50-year history of the franchise. When you consider that people associated with Marvel have evoked Dr. Martin Luther King and Malcolm X to describe the X-Men, it is ridiculous that it took this long.

By the way, no African-American or Black writer has been the series writer for Uncanny X-Men or X-Men. Is this an accident or is it because the powers-that-be over the years just wanted it that way? Well, I guess Brian Wood and Olivier Coipel are as bold as it’s ever going to get.

Any way, I like X-Men #1. This is just the first issue, but I already think that the 2013-launched X-Men is a fabulous comic book.

A

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux

Arata the Legend: Ghosts of Muroya

I read Arata: The Legend, Vol. 14

I posted a review at the ComicBookBin (which has free smart phone apps and comics).

Review: HIS FAVORITE Volume 4

HIS FAVORITE, VOL. 4
SUBLIME – @SuBLimeManga

CARTOONIST: Suzuki Tanaka
TRANSLATION: Ivana Bloom
LETTERING: Annaliese Christman
COVER: Suzuki Tanaka and Fawn Lau
EDITOR: Alexis Kirsch
ISBN: 978-1-4215-4358-1; paperback (June 2013); Rated “T+” for “Older Teen”
194pp, B&W, $12.99 U.S., $14.99 CAN, £8.99 UK

What if a guy says he loves you? What do you do if you don’t think he takes anything, even love seriously?

Suzuki Tanaka, the creator of Love Hurts, also produced the boys’ love manga series, His Favorite. Boy’s love (also known by the acronym, BL) depicts romantic relationships between male characters. His Favorite can be classified as “shounen-ai,” the subset of BL that does not feature explicit depictions of sex between male characters.

His Favorite focuses on Yoshio Yoshida, an awkward high school student, and Takahiko Sato, the hottest guy in school and a guy madly in love with Yoshida. However, Yoshida thinks that Sato is not really serious about anything, especially love. Meanwhile, all the girls in school are crazy about Sato, and they think that Sato and Yoshida are just really close friends. That’s why they insist that Yoshida help them get closer to Sato.

His Favorite, Vol. 4 (Chapters 13 to 16) opens with a trip to the “House of Horrors,” a haunted house attraction at an amusement park named, “Gorilland.” Yoshida wants no part of a haunted house because he is too afraid. Sato just wants an opportunity to get close to Yoshida. Their female classmates want to use the attraction to get closer to Sato, and they’ll hurt anyone who gets in their way.

Then, go back to Yoshida and Sato’s middle school past. One was cool and popular; the other was a misfit about to be sent abroad. Next, Seijuro Nishida is madly in love with Yoshida, and now, he will wait no longer. It leads to a showdown at “Hell’s Pass.”

As boys’ love manga goes, His Favorite is light-hearted fare. The energy that fuels this series isn’t even hot-and-heavy petting, let alone actual sex. His Favorite is fueled by comedy hijinks. Yoshio Yoshida is so comical that it is difficult to imagine him sexualized or even depicted in a sex act. This may be boys’ love, but I hardly think that I can call this a gay comic or comic about gay teens.

That’s not to say that His Favorite is not enjoyable. I especially enjoy the throng of high school girls that wants Sato so badly, yet the girls cannot recognize the truth that is practically in their faces everyday. The best part of His Favorite Volume 4 is the story of Yoshida and Sato’s past, which is a surprisingly good character piece. In fact, it is an oddity in the silliness that surrounds it. That story is the reason I’m giving this volume a grade of “B” and not something below that.

B

www.SuBLimeManga.com

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux

Sakura Hime: The New Emperor

I read Sakura Hime: The Legend of Princess Sakura , Vol. 10

I posted a review at the ComicBookBin.

Review: A GAME OF THRONES: The Graphic Novel Volume 2

A GAME OF THRONES: THE GRAPHIC NOVEL, VOL. 2
BANTAM BOOKS/RANDOM HOUSE – @randomhouse
DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT – @dynamitecomics

WRITER: George R.R. Martin
ADAPTATION: Daniel Abraham
ART: Tommy Patterson
COLORS: Ivan Nunes
LETTERS: Marshall Dillon
ORIGINAL SERIES COVERS: Mike S. Miller, Michael Komark
COVER: Tommy Patterson with design by Charles Brock, Faceout Studio
ISBN: 978-0-440-42322-5; hardcover (June 11, 2013)
240pp, Color, $25.00 U.S., $29.95 CAN

A Game of Thrones is the 1996 novel from science fiction and fantasy author, George R.R. Martin. The novel is the first book in Martin’s best-selling A Song of Ice and Fire series of high fantasy novels, which are the basis for the HBO television series, “Game of Thrones.”

Dynamite Entertainment is producing a comic book adaptation of A Game of Thrones. The comic book adaptation of the novel is expected to run over 24 issues of about 29 pages per issue. The writer responsible for adapting George R.R. Martin’s prose into comics form is science fiction and fantasy novelist, Daniel Abraham (who sometimes collaborates with Martin on fiction). The artist is Tommy Patterson, who has drawn comic books for Boom! Studios and Zenescope Entertainment. Mike S. Miller has provided the cover art for most issues of A Game of Thrones the comic book.

Bantam Books is collecting the comic book adaptation as A Game of Thrones: The Graphic Novel. A Game of Thrones: The Graphic Novel: Volume 2, to be released shortly (as of this writing), will collect A Game of Thrones, issues 7 to 12. The book also contains some back matter. “The Making of A Game of Thrones: The Graphic Novel: Volume 2” illustrates how a section of Martin’s novel is transformed into 5 pages of A Game of Thrones #9.

In A Game of Thrones: The Graphic Novel: Volume 2, the action takes place in the icy north of The Wall, the valley of the Eyrie, the decadent south and the capital city of King’s Landing, and the Dothraki’s sacred Vaes Dothrak. Much is happening. Lord Eddard Stark, the King’s Hand, continues to investigate the death of Jon Arryn, the previous Hand. Stark’s wife, Lady Catelyn Stark, accuses the dwarf Tyrion Lannister of trying to kill her son, Brandon (“Bran”), and of another possible murder.

In the barbarian lands, the young princess, Daenerys Targaryen, has found the unexpected in her marriage to Dothraki warlord, Khal Drogo. Meanwhile, her petulant brother, Prince Viserys (who calls himself “The Dragon”), continues to demand that the Dothraki help him reclaim his inheritance as Lord of the Seven Kingdoms from King Robert Baratheon. Meanwhile, the Lannisters continue to plot against everyone.

When I first read A Game of Thrones: The Graphic Novel: Volume 1, I was not familiar with anything related to A Game of Thrones, except that I’d heard of the television series. I did not know that the novel was being adapted into comic book form until Random House sent me a review copy of the first graphic novel in early 2012.

I did not expect much from that first experience, but I ended up thoroughly enjoying it. Thus, I have been anticipating Random House sending me the second collection of A Game of Thrones: The Graphic Novel for several weeks now, and they have sent it.

Based only on my readings of the comic book, I see A Game of Thrones as a great big character drama and an epic soap opera, told as historical fiction. The comic book, as written by Daniel Abraham, captures the epic scope of A Game of Thrones – the large cast and the expansive setting and background – by giving the reader an intimate view of all the major players. Abraham also focuses closely on bit players in the moments they make a direct impact on the narrative. Abraham engages the readers by narrowing the focus on character conflicts, motivations, and relationships.

In Vol. 1, I thought Tommy Patterson was a good artist, but I found his storytelling to be inconsistent. Now, the awkwardness I noticed in some scenes is gone. Patterson’s style is consistent and his compositions results in clear storytelling. Patterson captures everything that is big, grand, and expansive about A Game of Thrones, but his pencil has a laser focus on detailing the characters, both their physicality and personality. Graphically, visually, and pictorially, Patterson brings the characters to life with the skill of someone doing this much longer than he has.

The result of Abraham and Patterson’s efforts is one especially good comic book. Yes, you can call it a “good read,” but add “x 2” to that. As for the back matter: this book offers five pages from A Game of Thrones the novel. Then, the editors show how those pages of prose become a script, thumbnails, pencil art, lettered art, colored art, and finally 5 pages of A Game of Thrones #9.

Fans of all things A Game of Thrones will want A Game of Thrones: The Graphic Novel, so will readers looking for a good fantasy comic book.

A

www.bantamdell.com

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux

Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan: Fragments of the Past

I read Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan, Vol. 15

I posted a review at the ComicBookBin.

Superman Leads Latest "We Can Be Heroes" Charge

Superman Takes Centerstage as DC Entertainment Kicks-Off “We Can Be Heroes” Crowdfunding Campaign to Benefit Horn of Africa

Fans Get One-of-a-Kind Items by Donating to the Cause Including Limited Edition Commemorative Artwork, Access to Comic Creators and Other Rare Comic Collectibles

BURBANK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--A hometown visit by a legendary comic book artist who will paint a one-of-a kind art piece on an entire wall, sneak peeks at one of the industry’s most anticipated video games and a custom bedroom designed for the kid that always wanted their own Fortress of Solitude. This is just some of what lies ahead in the Superman-themed wave of DC Entertainment and Warner Bros.’ We Can Be Heroes charitable giving campaign announced today by DC Entertainment President Diane Nelson.

Following the success of the campaign’s first Batman-themed wave in April and May, the second installment is focused entirely around the Superman character, aligning with the June 14 premiere of the Man of Steel film and ongoing activities in 2013 celebrating the global icon’s 75th Anniversary.

The “perks” that will be made available to DC Entertainment fans over the next four weeks are a dazzling array of the assets and talent that make up the DC Entertainment and Warner Bros. universe. The perks range from unlimited items at $10 apiece to once-in-a lifetime opportunities for $25,000. As with the first wave, the campaign will be hosted on Indiegogo, the world’s largest crowdfunding platform (www.indiegogo.com/at/WeCanBeHeroes).

“The generosity from the fans of DC Comics during the Batman wave was outstanding and challenged us to create another wave of unique, once-in-a-lifetime opportunities,” said Nelson. “The first wave of the campaign eclipsed its initial goal of $50,000 in just three days and ultimately raised more than $150,000 in less than six weeks. We continue to be overwhelmed and appreciative of our fans who are helping to make a difference in millions of lives.”

Among the perks highlighting the Superman wave of We Can Be Heroes are:

•A hometown visit by legendary DC Entertainment artist Jim Lee, who will paint larger than life, custom artwork on a 10x10 wall

•More than 50 beta keys providing advance access to the upcoming Infinite Crisis video game

•A Superman-themed dream bedroom for kids

•The opportunity to be drawn into an issue of Action Comics

•Scores of signed issues of iconic Superman comics and theatrical posters from “Man of Steel”

In its second year, We Can Be Heroes (http://www.WeCanBeHeroes.org) is the largest charitable initiative in the history of DC Entertainment and Warner Bros. The funds raised will benefit the campaign’s nonprofit partners (Save the Children, International Rescue Committee and Mercy Corps) to deliver food, medicines and other resources critical to the survival of people in Ethiopia, Somalia and Kenya.


About DC Entertainment
DC Entertainment, home to iconic brands DC Comics (Superman, Batman, Green Lantern, Wonder Woman, The Flash), Vertigo (Sandman, Fables) and MAD, is the creative division charged with strategically integrating its content across Warner Bros. Entertainment and Time Warner. DC Entertainment works in concert with many key Warner Bros. divisions to unleash its stories and characters across all media, including but not limited to film, television, consumer products, home entertainment and interactive games. Publishing thousands of comic books, graphic novels and magazines each year, DC Entertainment is the largest English-language publisher of comics in the world. In January 2012, DC Entertainment, in collaboration with Warner Bros. and Time Warner divisions, launched We Can Be Heroes—a giving campaign featuring the iconic Justice League super heroes—to raise awareness and funds to fight the hunger crisis in the Horn of Africa.

Batman Leads DC Comics in May 2013

Batman Continues to Be DC Entertainment’s Best-Selling Comic in May - as June Looks to Be All Things Superman

New digital and print publishing initiatives solidify DC Entertainment’s place as industry leader, innovator

BURBANK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--BATMAN #20 continued the popular comic book's three-month reign as the top-selling DC Entertainment periodical, according to Diamond Comic Distributors, the largest comic book distributor in the world.

The Batman story by the bestselling team of writer Scott Snyder and artist Greg Capullo features the conclusion of the Dark Knight's two-part battle with the shape-shifting villain Clayface and serves as a prelude to June’s BATMAN #21 – the first part of “Zero Year,” the modern re-telling of Batman’s classic origin. Additionally, the month saw GREEN LANTERN #20, the critically-acclaimed conclusion of writer and DC Entertainment’s Chief Creative Officer Geoff Johns’ epic nine-year run on the series, clock in as the top DC book in total dollars and the softcover graphic novel SUPERMAN: EARTH ONE VOL. 1 as the top DC Entertainment collection in sales to comic shop retailers, according to Diamond.

In celebration of Superman’s 75th anniversary, Warner Bros. Entertainment and DC Entertainment revealed plans befitting the most popular and enduring super hero of all time. The celebration kicks into high gear next Wednesday, June 12 with the launch of SUPERMAN UNCHAINED #1, also from writer Snyder and legendary artist and DC Entertainment Co-Publisher Jim Lee.

Ahead of the theatrical release of Warner Bros. Pictures’ “Man of Steel” on June 14, DC Entertainment announced a partnership with comic book retailers, libraries and bookstores across America to declare Wednesday, June 12 “‘Man of Steel’ Day.” Fans visiting their local comic book retailers on “‘Man of Steel’ Day” will receive a free copy of an ALL STAR SUPERMAN #1 Special Edition comic book, one of the most acclaimed Superman stories ever by the award-winning and beloved creative team of Grant Morrison and Frank Quietly.

“It’s a great time to be a fan of both Batman and Superman,” said Diane Nelson, President DC Entertainment. “The continued success of these iconic characters is further proof that DC Entertainment is the home to the World’s Greatest Super Heroes. For Superman’s 75th anniversary, we’re showcasing the character’s enduring greatness, from the first panel of ACTION COMICS #1 to next week’s SUPERMAN UNCHAINED #1.”

This week also saw the company make two game-changing announcements in the areas of digital and print publishing. Earlier this week, Nelson and Lee unveiled DC2 and DC2 Multiverse — new digital innovations that will take comics to the next level of interactivity — at Time Warner’s “The Future of Storytelling” exhibition at the Time Warner Media Lab in New York. DC2 is a new feature that layers dynamic artwork onto digital comic panels, adding a new level of dimension to digital storytelling. DC2 Multiverse allows readers to determine a specific story outcome by selecting individual characters, storylines and plot developments while reading the comic, creating multiple options and end results for each digital comic chapter, leading the way in interactive comic book storytelling.

Additionally, plans were revealed for an epic month of September and beyond, as Lee and fellow Co-Publisher Dan DiDio announced that the company’s legendary villains would be taking over the entire publishing line as part of a month-long event aptly titled “Villains Month,” spearheaded by the seven-issue limited series FOREVER EVIL, from the powerhouse creative team of writer Geoff Johns and artist David Finch, and spinning out of the conclusion of TRINITY WAR, a two-month crossover involving the three ongoing JUSTICE LEAGUE titles this summer. Each of the “DC Comics – The New 52” regular comic book series for September will focus on a key foe and answer the question: “What happens when the villains win?” Each “Villains Month” book will also feature a never-before-seen printing innovation: 3-D Motion covers. Featuring five layers of visual scenery and completely lenticular stock cover, the groundbreaking initiative creates an unparalleled sense of visual depth and brings to life the most beloved – and evil – characters in the DC Entertainment pantheon of characters. The 3-D Motion covers - paired with the universe-spanning saga that is FOREVER EVIL and “Villains Month” - give comic shop retailers and core fans of the company’s print business a great event with lasting value and an engaging story.

Vertigo kicked off the summer in fine form, with the launch of the horror-tinged THE WAKE, from Snyder and writer Sean Murphy in May and this week’s ASTRO CITY #1, from the classic creative team of writer Kurt Busiek, artist Brent Anderson and cover artist Alex Ross. The series leads a pack of notable debuts coming down the line for the genre-defying imprint, including this month’s 100 BULLETS: BROTHER LONO #1 from the legendary team of writer Brian Azzarello and artist Eduardo Risso, July’s sci-fi adventure COLLIDER #1 by rising star writer Simon Oliver and artist Robbi Rodriguez and renowned writer/artist Jeff Lemire’s TRILLIUM #1 in August. More Vertigo news – including details about Neil Gaiman’s much-anticipated return to the world of SANDMAN - will be announced throughout this year.

Just a few weeks ahead of the debut of the BEFORE WATCHMEN deluxe collections, digital sales of the classic WATCHMEN paperback increased in May during a two-week promotion with partner Kindle. This uptick was also seen in overall physical sales.

The New York Times Graphic Novel Bestseller lists also featured a number of new additions from the DC Entertainment library, including DC Comics’ AQUAMAN VOL. 2: THE OTHERS, the second top-selling volume by JUSTICE LEAGUE’s dynamic creative team of writer Geoff Johns and artistic collaborators Ivan Reis and Joe Prado and THE AUTHORITY VOL. 1, from the iconic creative team of writer Warren Ellis and artist Bryan Hitch.

MAD continues to bring humor to our lives daily on The Idiotical with parodies like “Drone Ranger” and “Obama and Christie: Jersey Shore BFFs.” And MAD Presents Superman #1, the Super Spectacular Summer issue featuring some of the most beloved Superman parodies and includes 7 new pages that put a uniquely MAD spin on the upcoming film, arrives in stores June 12.

The coming weeks will also see a refreshed and streamlined DC Entertainment website, featuring a homepage redesign, a more robust video section and enhanced, daily coverage and features of our products and news.


About DC Entertainment:
DC Entertainment, home to iconic brands DC Comics (Superman, Batman, Green Lantern, Wonder Woman, The Flash), Vertigo (Sandman, Fables) and MAD, is the creative division charged with strategically integrating its content across Warner Bros. Entertainment and Time Warner. DC Entertainment works in concert with many key Warner Bros. divisions to unleash its stories and characters across all media, including but not limited to film, television, consumer products, home entertainment and interactive games. Publishing thousands of comic books, graphic novels and magazines each year, DC Entertainment is the largest English-language publisher of comics in the world. In January 2012, DC Entertainment, in collaboration with Warner Bros. and Time Warner divisions, launched We Can Be Heroes—a giving campaign featuring the iconic Justice League super heroes—to raise awareness and funds to fight the hunger crisis in the Horn of Africa.