Master Keaton: The Pied Piper of Hamelin

I read Master Keaton, Vol. 4

I posted a review at the ComicBookBin.  Follow me on Twitter and Tumblr or at Grumble.  Support me on Patreon.

Review: MAD MAX: FURY ROAD: Furiosa #1

MAD MAX: FURY ROAD: FURIOSA #1
DC COMICS/Vertigo – @DCComics

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

STORY: George Miller
SCRIPT: Nico Lathouris and Mark Sexton
ART: Mark Sexton; Tristan Jones; Szymon Kudranski
COLORS: Michael Spicer
LETTERS: Clem Robins
COVER: Tommy Lee Edwards
40pp, Color, $4.99 U.S. (August 2015)

Suggested for mature readers

In 1979, an Australian science fiction film, entitled Mad Max, introduced audiences to the character, Max Rockatansky (played by a young Mel Gibson).  Mad Max is set in a dystopian future that takes place “a few years from now,” and finds the roads of Australia plagued by motorcycle gangs and other high-speed drivers.  Trying to keep the roads safe are the police officers of the MFP – Main Force Patrol – who pursue reckless road criminals.  After his family and partner are destroyed by a motorcycle gang, Max becomes “Mad Max,” seeking revenge against the gang.

Mad Max yielded two sequels.  The first was 1981's Mad Max 2, which was known as The Road Warrior when it was originally released in the United States in 1982.  The second sequel was Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome, which featured legendary singer, Tina Turner, as the villain.

All three films were directed by George Miller, who spent the better part of the last two decades trying to revive the Mad Max film franchise.  Warner Bros. Pictures finally gave the go-ahead, and a fourth film, Mad Max: Fury Road, debuted earlier this year and starred Thomas Hardy as Mad Max.

DC Comics' Vertigo imprint has been publishing a series of Mad Max: Fury Road comic books that are prequels to the film.  These comic books are produced by George Miller and Nico Lathouris (who co-wrote Fury Road), and Mark Sexton (the lead storyboard artist on Fury Road).

On the recommendation of Mad Max super-fan, Erik Larsen (my VIZ Media PR rep), I recently obtained a copy of Mad Max: Fury Road: Furiosa #1.  This one-shot comic book is written by George Miller (story) and Nico Lathouris and Mark Sexton (script).  Furiosa is drawn by Mark Sexton; Tristan Jones; and Szymon Kudranski, with colors by Michael Spicer and letters by Clem Robins.  Tommy Lee Edwards provides the cover art.

Mad Max: Fury Road: Furiosa #1 opens in the vault, an edifice where the warlord Immortan Joe keeps five young women prisoner.  They are “The Five Wives,” his “Breeders,” whom he plans to use to sire healthy male heirs.  Joe believes these heirs will be future warlords, who will help repopulate the world in his image.

Joe introduces two women into the wives' living environment.  To guard against depression and mental ills, Joe gives his wives a teacher, Miss Giddy, a woman who will provide the wives with an education via books and music.  To protect them, Joe assigns one of his lieutenants, a mysterious woman named Imperator Furiosa, who moves in to live with the girls.  Things will never ever be the same.

Mad Max: Fury Road: Furiosa #1 really does not have a plot, so much as it is a prologue to the main event, which is, of course, the film, Mad Max: Fury Road (which I have not seen as of this writing).  For the most part, this comic book is frustratingly reticent about giving up Imperator Furiosa's past.  However, the story does convey, in a quiet way, Furiosa's growing discontent with the way things are under Immortan Joe.

The overall design layout of this story is excellent.  From the beginning, the design and layout of each page serves to convey the sense that some big change is simmering and that when it comes, it will be sudden and explosive.  As for the drawing styles, Tristan Jones and Szymon Kudranski encapsulate the idea of a slave pit of the post-apocalyptic, especially with the aid of Michael Spicer's colors.

Mad Max: Fury Road: Furiosa #1 has made it that I can't wait for my next trip to a comic book shop to pick up the other Mad Max: Fury Road prequel comics.

A-

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux


The text is copyright © 2015 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

Review: JOJO'S BIZARRE ADVENTURE: Part 1 - Phantom Blood Volume 3

JOJO'S BIZARRE ADVENTURE: PART 1 – PHANTOM BLOOD, VOL. 3
VIZ MEDIA – @VIZMedia

MANGAKA: Hirohiko Araki
TRANSLATION: Evan Galloway
LETTERS: Mark McMurray
ISBN: 978-1-4215-7881-1; hardcover (August 2015); Rated “T+” for “Older Teen”
348pp, B&W with some color, $19.99 U.S., $22.99 CAN, £12.99 U.K.

VIZ Media's presentation of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, the Phantom Blood arc, comes to an end with the third volume.  The legendary Shonen Jump manga series, JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, is available in English for the first time.  VIZ Media is publishing the manga as a series of deluxe edition graphic novels with color pages and new cover art.

Created by Hirohiko Araki, JoJo's Bizarre Adventure is a multi-generational tale that centers on the heroic Joestar family and their never-ending battle against evil.  JoJo's Bizarre Adventure begins with the “Phantom Blood” arc.  It is the story of two brothers; one who is ambitious, but is also cruel and evil, and the other who is dignified and strives to be a just man.

Dio Brando has used the evil “Stone Mask” to turn people into flesh-eating zombies and also to resurrect great warriors of the past as monstrous fighters.  As JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Part 1 – Phantom Blood, Vol. 3 (Chapters 28 to 44) opens,  Jonathan “JoJo” Joestar takes on two of those reanimated fighters, Tarkus and the Dark Knight Blueford.  JoJo will transform one of them, but the other will prove to be a determined killer who will take the life of one of Jojo's friends.

Then, JoJo and his companions travel to the village of one of their company, the boy named Poco.  Dio is in the village, making it his base of operations, where he has already transformed dozens of villagers into hungry zombies.  Is Poco's sisters one of those creatures?  This is the final battle between JoJo and Dio, but that battle will span continents.

I was vaguely familiar with the JoJo's Bizarre Adventure manga, which was first published in 1986 in Weekly Shonen Jump.  Now, I know why.  This manga cannot help but have a reputation.  The story's contents are the kind that turn into word-of-mouth praise.

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Part 1 – Phantom Blood, Volume 3 is the final collection of the Phantom Blood story arc.  For the most part, probably 300 pages of the narrative depict fight scenes.  Creator Hirohiko Araki composes the fights with big, meaty compositions that portray the human body as a stand of pulsating and twisting muscle.  His drawing style looks like the art of American comic book legends, Jack Kirby and Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez, and mangaka Mitsutoshi Shimabukuro squeezed into a Frankenstein anatomy for sculptors.

This finale earns the word “blood” and is shocking in so many ways.  For me, the most shocking is the scene where a woman devours her infant. Yeah...  JoJo's Bizarre Adventure is for the adventurous manga reader, and I have to admit that I am ready for more.  Fans of weird shonen manga will want to try the Shonen Jump Advanced series, JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Part 1 – Phantom Blood.

A-

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux


The text is copyright © 2015 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

Review: UNCLE SCROOGE #1

UNCLE SCROOGE #1
IDW PUBLISHING – @IDWPublishing

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

WRITERS: Rodolfo Cimino; Alberto Savini; Romano Scarpa and Luca Boschi
PENCILS: Romano Scarpa; Andrea Freccero
INKS: Giorgio Cavazzano; Andrea Freccero; Sandro Del Conte
COLORS: Digikore Studios; Disney Italia with David Gerstein; Disney Italia with Digikore Studios
LETTERS: Tom B. Long
TRANSLATION: Jonathan H. Gray; David Gerstein
DIALOGUE: Jonathan H. Gray; David Gerstein; Joe Torcivia
COVER: Giorgio Cavazzano
VARIANT COVERS: Derek Charm (subscription cover); Andrew Pepoy (RI cover); Giorgio Cavazzano (RE cover)
48pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (April 2015)

Scrooge McDuck is the maternal uncle of Walt Disney's Donald Duck and the grand-uncle of Donald's three nephews:  Huey, Dewey, and Louie.  Scrooge is the wealthiest person in the world (of Disney characters and stories), but he is quite thrifty, although for a long time, he could be described as a miser.  Scrooge McDuck was created by legendary comic book writer-artist, Carl Barks (who was named a “Disney Legend”), and he first appeared in Four Color #178 (Dell Comics).  Four Color Comics was a classic comic book series in which many Disney characters appeared.

Scrooge McDuck received his own comic book title, Uncle Scrooge (stylized as Uncle $crooge).  The first issue of Uncle Scrooge was Four Color #386 (cover dated: March 1952).  During a period of just over seven decades, several publishers and imprints have published Uncle Scrooge, including Gold Key Comics, Gladstone Publishing, and Disney Comics (now defunct), among others.

The latest American publisher to take on the license to publish comics featuring Walt Disney characters is IDW Publishing.  The publisher's Disney's comics will apparently reprint “classic stories” and offer new stories.  In April of this year, IDW started off its Disney publishing initiative with Uncle Scrooge #1, which is Uncle Scrooge #405, using a legacy numbering system that includes all the issue of the Uncle Scrooge comic book published in the past by various publishers.

Uncle Scrooge #1 reprints three stories, which I assume were first published in Europe, likely Italy, going by the names of the writers and artists.  Two are full-length stories, and a third is a single-page comic.  In “Gigabeagle: King of the Robot Robbers,” Scrooge McDuck frets because it has been several months since he has heard from the Beagle Boys.

The Beagle Boys are the criminal gang that is constantly launching plots and schemes to rob Scrooge of his money.  When he doesn't hear from them for a long period of time, Scrooge worries that they are plotting a particularly devious (and potentially successful) plan to get his money.  Donald Duck and Huey, Dewey, and Louie take their Uncle Scrooge on a camping outing so that he can relax and forget about The Beagle Boys.  Then, Donald sees what can only be an apparition, a giant Beagle Boy...

In “Stinker, Tailor, Scrooge and Sly,” Uncle Scrooge is beset by a thief who keeps breaking into his home to steal Scrooge's trademark red frock coat.  After one of the theft attempts ends with the coat damaged, Scrooge visits “La Belle Brigitta,” a sewing boutique owned by Brigitta MacBridge, who has a mad crush on Scrooge.  However, Brigitta has a new minority business partner, Jubal Pomp, and they have plans for Scrooge, even as the thief continues to stalk the now-damaged frock coat.

I bought IDW's Uncle Scrooge #1 for two reasons.  It was a first issue, and it was a first issue of a comic book series (Uncle Scrooge) that I once read on a regular basis (even religiously) for about a decade.  I did not expect much from it.  I still like comics featuring classic Disney characters, but not enough to read them as much as I did in my younger days.  I was a bit miffed that this first issue did not even include a reprint of a Carl Barks story – Barks, the man who created Scrooge McDuck!

Well, it didn't matter.  The two main stories in Uncle Scrooge #1 are quite entertaining.  Romano Scarpa, the artist for both stories, recalls Carl Barks with his lively, energetic compositions.  If comics are composed of a series of static drawings, there is nothing in any panel that Scarpa draws for these two stories that seems static.  There is sense of movement; characters are moving with zip and arguing with zest.  These are stories of action and imagination.

Uncle Scrooge #1 is the kind of return that bodes well for IDW's foray into Disney comics.  I enjoyed Uncle Scrooge #1 so much that I will take a look at other IDW Walt Disney comic books.

A-

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux


The text is copyright © 2015 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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DC Comics from Diamond Distributors for October 28, 2015

DC COMICS

AUG150205     ALL STAR SECTION 8 #5     $2.99
AUG150177     AQUAMAN #45     $3.99
AUG150285     ART OPS #1 (MR)     $3.99
AUG150227     BATGIRL #45     $2.99
AUG150231     BATMAN 66 #28     $2.99
JUL150309     BATMAN ADVENTURES TP VOL 03     $16.99
AUG150159     BATMAN AND ROBIN ETERNAL #4     $2.99
JUL150304     BATMAN WAR GAMES TP VOL 01     $34.99
JUL150299     CONVERGENCE INFINITE CRISIS TP BOOK 01     $19.99
JUL150301     CONVERGENCE INFINITE CRISIS TP BOOK 02     $19.99
AUG150184     CYBORG #4     $2.99
AUG150181     DEATHSTROKE #11     $2.99
JUN150300     DEATHSTROKE BOOK AND MASK SET     $29.99
JUN150322     FABLES DELUXE EDITION HC VOL 11 (MR)     $29.99
JUL150340     FABLES THE WOLF AMONG US TP VOL 01 (MR)     $19.99
AUG150190     FLASH #45     $3.99
AUG150239     GOTHAM BY MIDNIGHT #10     $2.99
AUG150243     GRAYSON #13     $3.99
AUG150253     HE MAN THE ETERNITY WAR #11     $2.99
AUG150266     INJUSTICE GODS AMONG US YEAR THREE HC VOL 01     $22.99
JUL150315     INJUSTICE GODS AMONG US YEAR TWO TP VOL 02     $16.99
AUG150196     JUSTICE LEAGUE 3001 #5     $2.99
AUG150168     JUSTICE LEAGUE DARKSEID WAR BATMAN #1     $3.99
AUG150200     NEW SUICIDE SQUAD #13     $2.99
AUG150203     PREZ #5     $2.99
AUG150246     ROBIN SON OF BATMAN #5     $3.99
AUG150290     SANDMAN OVERTURE #6 SPECIAL EDITION (MR)     $4.99
AUG150251     SINESTRO #16     $2.99
AUG150221     SUPERMAN #45     $3.99
AUG150293     VERTIGO QUARTERLY SFX #3     $7.99
AUG150245     WE ARE ROBIN #5     $3.99

DC COMICS/DC COLLECTIBLES
JUN150334     BATMAN ANIMATED NBA ROBIN AF     $24.95
JUN150341     BATMAN ARKHAM KNIGHT NIGHTWING AF     $24.95
MAR150331     BATMAN BLACK & WHITE STATUE BY LEE BERMEJO 2ND ED     $79.95
MAR150325     DC COMICS BOMBSHELLS BATWOMAN STATUE     $124.95

Marvel Comics from Diamond Distributors for October 28, 2015

MARVEL COMICS

AUG150715     ANGELA QUEEN OF HEL #1     $3.99
AUG150903     AVENGERS TIME RUNS OUT TP VOL 02     $19.99
MAY150819     AVENGERS ULTRON FOREVER TP     $16.99
AUG150802     CAPTAIN AMERICA SAM WILSON #2     $3.99
AUG150862     CHEWBACCA #2     $3.99
AUG150690     DEADPOOL VS THANOS #4     $3.99
AUG150910     GUARDIANS OF GALAXY BY JIM VALENTINO TP VOL 03     $34.99
AUG150907     GUARDIANS TEAM-UP TP VOL 01 GUARDIANS ASSEMBLE     $16.99
AUG150845     GUIDEBOOK MARVEL CINEMATIC UNIV MARVELS IRON MAN     $3.99
AUG150676     HOUSE OF M #4 SWA     $3.99
AUG150776     HOWLING COMMANDOS OF SHIELD #1     $3.99
AUG150869     KANAN #7     $3.99
AUG150794     NEW AVENGERS #2     $3.99
AUG150900     NOVA TP VOL 06 HOMECOMING     $16.99
MAY150648     SECRET WARS OFFICIAL GUIDE OF MARVEL MULTIVERSE #1 SWA     $4.99
AUG150909     SILK TP VOL 00 LIFE AND TIMES OF CINDY MOON     $19.99
AUG150818     SPIDER-MAN 2099 #2     $3.99
AUG150821     UNBEATABLE SQUIRREL GIRL #1     $3.99
AUG150775     WHAT IF INFINITY DARK REIGN #1     $3.99
AUG150668     WHERE MONSTERS DWELL #5 SWA     $3.99

IDW Publishing from Diamond Distributors for October 28, 2015

IDW PUBLISHING

AUG150461     DRAGONLANCE CLASSICS TP VOL 02     $29.99
AUG150431     EMPIRE TP UPRISING     $17.99
AUG150456     GHOSTS AND GIRLS OF FICTION HOUSE HC     $29.99
AUG150459     RAMPAGE JACKSON STREET SOLDIER TP VOL 01     $17.99
AUG150387     SHRINKING MAN #4     $3.99
AUG150399     SKYLANDERS SUPERCHARGERS #1     $3.99
AUG152379     STAR WARS MICRO COMIC COLLECTORS PACK     PI
AUG150340     TMNT ONGOING #51     $3.99
AUG150365     TRANSFORMERS REDEMPTION     $7.99
AUG150421     WALT DISNEY COMICS & STORIES #724     $3.99
AUG150410     WALT DISNEY COMICS & STORIES 75TH ANN SPECIAL     $5.99
AUG150411     WALT DISNEY COMICS & STORIES 75TH ANN SPECIAL SUBCRIPTION VA     $5.99
DEC140570     WINTERWORLD TP BOOK 01 MECHANICS SONG     $9.99

Dark Horse Comics from Diamond Distributors for October 28, 2015

DARK HORSE COMICS

JUN150091     BURROUGHS TARZAN SUNDAY COMICS 1935-1937 HC VOL 03     $125.00
AUG150028     COLDER TOSS THE BONES #2     $3.99
JUN150092     COMPLETE LOVE HURTS TP     $19.99
AUG150071     CONAN THE AVENGER #19     $3.50
AUG150025     CREEPY COMICS #22     $3.99
AUG150027     DEATH HEAD #4     $3.99
JUN150089     EC ARCHIVES HAUNT OF FEAR HC VOL 02     $49.99
AUG150048     FIGHT CLUB 2 #6 MACK MAIN CVR     $3.99
JUN150102     GANTZ TP VOL 37 (MR)     $13.99
JUN150088     GREEN RIVER KILLER A TRUE DETECTIVE STORY TP     $19.99
AUG150066     HALO ESCALATION #23     $3.99
AUG150020     HELLBOY & BPRD 1953 PHANTOM HAND & KELPIE     $3.50
JUN150033     MURDER MYSTERIES AND OTHER STORIES HC GALLERY EDITION     $125.00
JUN150095     OREIMO KURONEKO TP VOL 03     $10.99
AUG150050     PASTAWAYS #7     $3.99
AUG150060     PLANTS VS ZOMBIES GARDEN WARFARE #1     $2.99
JUN158297     PLANTS VS ZOMBIES HC BULLY FOR YOU     $9.99
AUG150051     TOMORROWS #4     $3.99

Image Comics from Diamond Distributors for October 28, 2015

IMAGE COMICS

AUG150553     BLACK MAGICK #1 CVR A SCOTT     $3.99
AUG150554     BLACK MAGICK #1 CVR B THOMPSON     $3.99
AUG150556     CASANOVA ACEDIA TP VOL 01 (MR)     $9.99
AUG150555     CHEW #51 (MR)     $3.50
AUG150602     DIGITAL ART TUTORIALS ADVANCED DIGITAL INKING CDROM VOL 01     $29.99
AUG150605     DIGITAL ART TUTORIALS SET OF 4     $90.00
AUG150558     FROM UNDER MOUNTAINS #2 (MR)     $2.99
AUG150560     ISLAND #4 (MR)     $7.99
MAY150551     IXTH GENERATION #6 CVR A SEJIC     $3.99
MAY150552     IXTH GENERATION #6 CVR B ROJO     $3.99
MAY150538     MANIFEST DESTINY #18     $2.99
AUG150490     MANTLE TP VOL 01     $14.99
AUG150512     ODYC #8 (MR)     $3.99
AUG150538     REVIVAL #34 (MR)     $3.99
AUG150565     RUMBLE #8 (MR)     $3.50
JUN150578     SAVAGE DRAGON #208     $3.99
JUL150597     SPAWN #257     $2.99
AUG150545     SPREAD #11 (MR)     $3.50
AUG150567     THEYRE NOT LIKE US #9 (MR)     $2.99

IMAGE COMICS/MCFARLANE TOYS

SEP152281     TMP SPORTS NFL SERIES 36 AF     $15.99
SEP152282     TMP SPORTS NFL SERIES 36 ANDREW LUCK AF     PI
SEP152285     TMP SPORTS NFL SERIES 36 JJ WATT AF     PI
SEP152286     TMP SPORTS NFL SERIES 36 RICHARD SHERMAN AF     PI
SEP152287     TMP SPORTS NFL SERIES 36 ROB GRONKOWSKI AF     PI

Comics, Magazines and Books from Diamond Distributors for October 28, 2015

PREVIEWS PUBLICATIONS
SEP150004     PREVIEWS #326 NOV 2015 CUSTOMER ORDER FORM     PI
SEP150001     PREVIEWS #326 NOVEMBER 2015     $3.99

COMICS & GRAPHIC NOVELS

AUG151837     A CERTAIN MAGICAL INDEX GN VOL 03     $13.00
JUL151068     A PIGGYS TALE #4     $2.99
AUG151838     ACCEL WORLD GN VOL 05     $13.00
AUG151207     ADVENTURE TIME 2015 SPOOOKTACULAR #1 MAIN CVR     $4.99
AUG151839     AKAME GA KILL GN VOL 04     $13.00
AUG151840     ALICE IN MURDERLAND GN VOL 02 (MR)     $17.00
JUL158738     AMAZING AGENT LUNA GN VOL 11     $12.99
SEP151094     APOCALYPSE MEOW MEOW GN     $13.99
AUG151243     ARCADIA #6     $3.99
AUG151538     BABY SITTERS CLUB COLOR ED GN HC VOL 03 MARY ANNE SAVES THE     $24.99
AUG151841     BARAKAMON GN VOL 07     $15.00
AUG151300     BAYOU BOUND GN (MR)     $9.99
AUG151074     BETTY & VERONICA JUMBO COMICS DIGEST #238     $6.99
AUG151541     BIRD & SQUIRREL GN HC VOL 03 ON THE EDGE     $18.99
AUG151540     BIRD & SQUIRREL GN VOL 03 ON THE EDGE     $9.99
AUG151056     BLACK HOOD #6 REG CVR A FRANCAVILLA (MR)     $3.99
SEP151728     BLEACH 3IN1 TP VOL 13     $14.99
SEP151709     BLEACH GN VOL 65     $9.99
SEP151274     BOBS BURGERS ONGOING #4 RARE FORTE VIRGIN ED     $50.00
AUG151757     BOOK OF DEATH #4 CVR A NORD     $3.99
AUG151758     BOOK OF DEATH #4 CVR B SUAYAN     $3.99
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AUG158352     BOOK OF DEATH FALL OF NINJAK #1 2ND PTG     $3.99
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AUG150935     CYRUS PERKINS AND THE HAUNTED TAXI CAB #1 MAIN CVR     $3.99
SEP151730     D GRAY MAN 3IN1 TP VOL 08     $14.99
AUG151842     DEVIL IS PART TIMER GN VOL 03     $13.00
SEP151322     DF AVENGERS X-MEN AXIS #1 DF EXC PLUS 1     PI
SEP151321     DF CAPTAIN AMERICAN REBORN #1 DF EXC PLUS 1     PI
SEP151320     DF IRON MAN #1 DF EXC PLUS 1     PI
SEP151311     DF SECRET WARS #1 DF EXC PLUS 1     PI
SEP151319     DF STAR WARS #1 DF EXC PLUS 1     PI
AUG151661     DINOSAURS HC VOL 04 A GAME OF BONES     $10.99
JUN151540     DOCTOR WHO 11TH ARCHIVES OMNIBUS TP VOL 02     $24.99
AUG151743     EVIL INC ANNUAL REPORT TP VOL 07     $19.95
AUG151292     EXIT GENERATION #2     $3.99
AUG150937     F1RST HERO FIGHT FOR YOUR LIFE #3     $3.99
AUG150325     FEAR & LOATHING IN LAS VEGAS HC     $24.99
AUG151844     FIRST LOVE MONSTER GN VOL 02     $13.00
JUN150997     FOUR POINTS #5 DIRECT MARKET CVR A     $3.99
JUN150998     FOUR POINTS #5 DIRECT MARKET CVR B     $3.99
AUG151225     GARFIELD TP VOL 07     $13.99
AUG151874     GFT VAN HELSING VS DRACULA #3 A CVR TOLIBAO (MR)     $3.99
AUG151875     GFT VAN HELSING VS DRACULA #3 B CVR BUZZ (MR)     $3.99
AUG151876     GFT VAN HELSING VS DRACULA #3 C CVR YOON (MR)     $3.99
AUG151877     GFT VAN HELSING VS DRACULA #3 D CVR WATSON (MR)     $3.99
AUG151970     GIVE ME LIBERTY OR GIVE ME OBAMACARE TP     $28.00
SEP151081     GOD IS DEAD #44 (MR)     $3.99
SEP151083     GOD IS DEAD #44 CARNAGE WRAP CVR (MR)     $3.99
SEP151085     GOD IS DEAD #44 ENCHANTING CVR (MR)     $3.99
SEP151084     GOD IS DEAD #44 END OF DAYS CVR (MR)     $3.99
SEP151082     GOD IS DEAD #44 ICONIC CVR (MR)     $3.99
JUL151581     GOLDEN TIME GN VOL 01     $12.99
AUG150972     GRAVEDIGGER HOT WOMEN COLD CASH TP (MR)     $11.99
JUL151573     HENCHGIRL #1     $3.99
SEP151617     HEROES SDCC 2015 ASHCAN     $5.00
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SEP151724     IDOL DREAMS     $9.99
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AUG151336     JOHN CARTER WARLORD #12 CVR B MALSUNI (MR)     $3.99
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AUG151255     MUNCHKIN #10     $3.99
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SEP151700     NISEKOI FALSE LOVE GN VOL 12     $9.99
AUG151000     OH BROTHER BRAT ATTACK TP     $9.99
SEP151699     ONE PIECE GN VOL 76     $9.99
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AUG151101     ONIBA SWORDS OF THE DEMON #0 DIRECT MARKET CVR A     $2.50
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SEP151735     ORESAMA TEACHER GN VOL 19     $9.99
AUG151263     OVER THE GARDEN WALL #3     $3.99
JUN151275     OWNERS MANUAL TO TERRIBLE PARENTING GN     $12.95
JUN151567     PEANUTS REVISTED HC 1955-1959 (TITAN ED)     $8.99
AUG151251     POWER UP #4     $3.99
AUG151797     PRIEST & BRIGHTS QUANTUM & WOODY TP VOL 03 AND SO     $19.99
AUG150962     PRINCELESS TP VOL 04 BE YOURSELF     $14.99
AUG151847     PUELLA MAGI MADOKA MAGICA HOMURAS REVENGE GN VOL 02     $13.00
JUL150894     PUPPET MASTER #7 MAIN CVR (MR)     $3.99
JUL150898     PUPPET MASTER HALLOWEEN SP ONE SHOT (MR)     $3.99
AUG151353     PURGATORI TP VOL 01 HELL AND BACK     $17.99
AUG151666     RED SHOES AND OTHER TALES HC     $12.99
AUG151633     RICK & MORTY #7     $3.99
SEP151282     RRH #2     $3.95
AUG151508     SELF STORAGE #1     $3.99
AUG151048     SESAME STREET ANOTHER SUNNY DAY     $3.99
AUG151525     SHADOW TIGER #2     $2.99
AUG151323     SHAFT COMPLICATED MAN TP (MR)     $19.99
SEP151487     SHEHEWE GN     $6.95
AUG151186     SIMPSONS COMICS EXPLOSION #2     $9.99
AUG150929     SIP (STRANGERS IN PARADISE) KIDS #4     $4.99
AUG151848     SO I CANT PLAY H GN VOL 03     $13.00
AUG151091     SONIC UNIVERSE #81 REG CVR A YARDLEY     $3.99
AUG151235     SPIRE #4     $3.99
AUG151533     STAN LEE CHAKRA THE INVINCIBLE #4     $2.99
AUG151359     STEAMPUNK BATTLESTAR GALACTICA 1880 TP     $15.99
MAY151585     STEINS GATE GN VOL 01     $12.99
AUG151611     STORY OF LEE GN VOL 02     $11.99
AUG151849     STRIKE THE BLOOD GN VOL 01     $13.00
AUG151631     STRINGERS #3     $3.99
JUN151455     STUMPTOWN V3 #8     $3.99
JUL151196     SUPERMAN WAR YEARS HC     $24.99
AUG151301     TAINTED GN     $9.99
SEP151562     USERNAME EVIE GN     $17.95
AUG150943     VENTURE #3     $3.99
SEP151166     WEBWITCH #1 (MR)     $5.99
SEP151171     WEBWITCH #1 ALIEN SEDUCTION CVR (MR)     $5.99
SEP151168     WEBWITCH #1 HONEY TRAP CVR (MR)     $5.99
SEP151169     WEBWITCH #1 VINTAGE VIXEN CVR (MR)     $5.99
SEP151167     WEBWITCH #1 WRAP CVR (MR)     $5.99
AUG151857     WELCOME TO SHOWSIDE #1     $3.99
AUG151600     WES CRAVEN COMING OF RAGE #1 (MR)     $3.99
AUG151603     WES CRAVEN COMING OF RAGE #1 BLOODY WHITE LTD CVR B     $24.99
AUG151602     WES CRAVEN COMING OF RAGE #1 LTD CVR A (MR)     $9.99
AUG151231     WILDS END ENEMY WITHIN #2     $3.99
SEP151729     YO-KAI WATCH GN VOL 02     $9.99
AUG151595     YOUR LIE IN APRIL GN VOL 04     $10.99
SEP151710     YU GI OH 3IN1 TP VOL 04     $14.99
SEP151727     YUKARISM GN VOL 04     $9.99

MAGAZINES
AUG152038     COMIC SHOP NEWS #1480     PI
AUG152039     COMICS REVUE PRESENTS OCT 2015     $19.95
JUN151470     DOCTOR WHO ADVENTURES MAGAZINE #5     $7.99
JUL151523     DOCTOR WHO ADVENTURES MAGAZINE #6     $7.99
JUL151920     DOCTOR WHO MAGAZINE #491     $11.99
AUG151668     NICKELODEON MAGAZINE #5     $4.99
AUG152040     ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN MAGAZINE #6     $4.99

BOOKS
SEP151866     100 THINGS STAR WARS FANS SHOULD KNOW DO BEFORE THEY DIE SC     $14.95
SEP151816     ART OF BARBARA JENSEN SC VOL 01 CLOTHING OPTIONAL (MR)     $14.95
SEP151817     ART OF BARBARA JENSEN SC VOL 02 COME AS YOU LIKE (MR)     $14.95
SEP151818     ART OF EDWARD REED HC PORTRAITS & PIN-UPS (MR)     $24.95
SEP151843     ART OF HORROR ILLUSTRATED HISTORY HC     $40.00
AUG151981     AVATAR LAST AIRBENDER LEGACY HC     $24.95
JUL151853     BIG BANG THEORY KIT     $9.95
AUG151984     CRIMSON PEAK ART OF DARKNESS HC     $50.00
AUG151917     DALI & DISNEY DESTINO STORY ARTWORK& FRIENDSHIP     $40.00
SEP151646     DARKSTALKERS TRIBUTE HC     $59.99
AUG151943     DIGITAL PAINTING TECHNIQUES SC VOL 07     $49.99
SEP151861     DOC SAVAGE NEW ADV SC VOL 10 SINISTER SHADOW     $24.95
JUN158872     DOCTOR WHO COMP HIST HC VOL 02 3RD DOCTOR STORIES 58-60     $14.95
AUG151922     DOCTOR WHO IMPOSSIBLE WORLDS 50 YEAR TREASURY ART & DESIGN     $45.00
SEP151841     GEORGE RR MARTIN GAME OF THRONES COLORING BOOK     $16.95
JUL151857     GHOSTBUSTERS ULTIMATE VISUAL HISTORY HC     $50.00
AUG151985     HARRY POTTER CHARACTER VAULT HC     $45.00
AUG151934     KRAMPUS ILLUST NOVEL SC     $19.99
AUG151936     KULIPARI SC NOVEL VOL 03 AMPHIBIANS END     $15.95
SEP151859     LET THERE BE GWAR HC     $59.95
SEP151645     MEGA MAN TRIBUTE HC     $59.99
SEP151853     MODERN JAPANESE MOVIE POSTER FOR AMERICAN & EUROPEAN FILMS S     $35.00
SEP151696     NARUTO KAKASHI STORY NOVEL SC     $10.99
AUG151988     NEIL GAIMAN TRIGGER WARNING SHORT FICTIONS & DISTURBANCES SC     $16.99
AUG151852     NO GAME NO LIFE LIGHT NOVEL VOL 03     $14.00
AUG151511     OVERSTREET COMIC BK MARKETPLACE YEARBOOK 2015 CORTO MALTESE     $12.95
AUG151510     OVERSTREET COMIC BK MARKETPLACE YEARBOOK 2015 VALIANT CVR     $12.95
AUG151520     OVERSTREET GUIDE SC VOL 04 COLLECTING MOVIE POSTERS     $15.00
SEP151819     PIRELLI CALENDAR 50 YEARS & MORE HC (MR)     $69.99
AUG151987     SHERLOCK CHRONICLES HC     $29.99
SEP151815     SKETCHING TIMES INSPIRATION FROM 25 ARTISTS SKETCH SELECTION     $35.00
SEP151865     STAR TREK POP UPS HC     $29.95
SEP151867     STAR WARS FAQ EVERYTHING LEFT TO KNOW ABOUT TRILOGY SC     $24.99
AUG151853     SWORD ART ONLINE NOVEL PROGRESSIVE VOL 03     $14.00
SEP151870     VADER PROJECT AUCTION CATALOG 100 HELMETS 100 ARTISTS SC     $29.95
AUG152898     WARHAMMER 40K LEGACIES OF BETRAYAL MMPB     $9.99
SEP151834     WHONIVERSE UNOFF GUIDE OF DOCTOR FROM GALLIFREY TO SKARO     $29.99
SEP151856     X FILES FAQ SC     $24.99
AUG151850     YANA TOBOSO ARTWORKS BLACK BUTLER HC VOL 01     $45.00

Hayate the Combat Butler: B-DMP!

I read Hayate the Combat Butler, Vol. 26

I posted a review at the ComicBookBin.  Follow me on Twitter and Tumblr or at Grumble.  Support me on Patreon.

Review: WE STAND ON GUARD #1

WE STAND ON GUARD #1
IMAGE COMICS – @ImageComics

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

WRITER: Brian K. Vaughan
ARTIST: Steve Skroce
COLORS: Matt Hollingsworth
LETTERS: Fonografiks
36pp, Color, $2.99 U.S. (July 2015)

Rated M / Mature

We Stand on Guard is a new comic book series from writer Brian K. Vaughan and artist Steve Skroce.  Vaughan is best known for the comic book series, Saga and Y: The Last Man.  Skroce began his career as a comic book artist, drawing the late 1990s Gambit series and a four-issue story arc of Wolverine.  He found fame as the storyboard artist for the 1999 film, The Matrix.

We Stand on Guard #1 opens in Ottawa, Ontario in the year 2112.  It is a scene of domestic tranquility until the United States launches a devastating military strike against Canada.  The story moves to Yellowknife, Northwest Territories in the year 2124, where we meet Amber, who survived the 2112 strike as a child.  Hunting for food, Amber finds herself facing off against an American war machine when she is rescued by “The Two-Four.”

This Canadian resistance group is both curious and wary of Amber.  She could be a spy, or worse, a collaborator with the Americans.  The next time they face an American war machine, Amber will have to prove herself, but is she willing to do so?

I did not know what to expect from We Stand on Guard #1.  I am not a regular reader of Brian K. Vaughan's work, having only read the first 10 or 12 issues of Y: The Last Man several years ago.  I have not read Vaughan's popular and award-winning series, Saga.  I am a fan of Steve Skroce, and I read his comics whenever he produces any.

Having read the first issue, I now have high expectations for We Stand on Guard.  The concept is intriguing and plausible.  The majority, or at least a sizable minority, of the American ruling and political class seems increasingly belligerent and jingoistic when it comes to international relations.  The characters in this comic book do not play to type, and I want to get to know them.  And surprise, surprise:  we have a science fiction comic book series that has an actual Black male character.

Skroce's art and storytelling is as striking as one would expect, but the graphical storytelling is focused on drama, character, and setting rather than on bells-and-whistles and on over-rendered illustrations.  I would say that this clear storytelling is closer to Skroce's work on The Matrix storyboards than it is to the busy, detailed oriented art found in his Wolverine (1988 series) story arc, “Blood Debt,” (issues #150-153).

I am ready for the second issue of We Stand on Guard, which is in comic book shops as I write this review.  I heartily recommend that you, dear readers, find this comic book.

A

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux


The text is copyright © 2015 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

Seraph of the End: More Power From Your Cursed Gear

I read Seraph of the End, Vol. 6

I posted a review at the ComicBookBin.  Follow me on Twitter and Tumblr or at Grumble.  Support me on Patreon.

One-Punch Man: The Secret to Strength

I read One-Punch Man, Vol. 2

I posted a review at the ComicBookBin.  Follow me on Twitter and Tumblr or at Grumble.  Support me on Patreon.

Review: FIGHT CLUB 2 #3

FIGHT CLUB 2 #3
DARK HORSE COMICS – @DarkHorseComics

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

WRITER: Chuck Palahniuk
ART: Cameron Stewart
COLORS: Dave Stewart
LETTERS: Nate Piekos of Blambot
COVER:  David Mack
VARIANT COVER: Cameron Stewart
EDITOR: Scott Allie
32pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (July 2015)

“This is Limbo”

Fight Club 2 is the comic book sequel to the 1996 prose novel, Fight Club, written by author Chuck Palahniuk.  Published by Dark Horse Comics, Fight Club 2 is also written by Chuck Palahniuk, drawn by Cameron Stewart, colored by Dave Stewart, and lettered by Nate Piekos, with cover art provided by painter David Mack.

Fight Club 2 focuses on the unnamed protagonist of Fight Club, who now calls himself “Sebastian.”  A decade ago, he had an army of men ready to take down the modern world.  Now, an assortment of pills and medications have taken him down.  Sebastian is married to Marla Singer, his former co-revolutionary, and they have a son, “Junior.”  All is boring, but an old friend, Tyler Durden, is back, and he may be the reason that Junior has been kidnapped.

Once upon a time, Sebastian led a revolutionary project/movement called “Project Mayhem.”  As Fight Club 2 #3 opens, Sebastian engages the current generation of Project Mayhem, with the ample bruises provided by Marla that will allow him to walk among this new generation.  The search for Sebastian's son begins, while Tyler makes new and even darker plans.

At this point, I can't pretend to be surprised by how good a comic book Fight Club 2 is.  I am enjoying it as much, if not more, than the novel, which I first read sometime in the last decade or so.  Now, I am suspicious of Chuck Palahniuk.  Of course, he is an acclaimed and successful writer of prose (novels and short stories), but his first foray into comic books should not be as well executed as Fight Club 2 is.

Of course, he does have the advantage of having as a co-author, the accomplished comic book artist, Cameron Stewart.  The graphical storytelling in this comic book tells this story set in the world of Fight Club subtly and with a sense of mystery, in a way the slick and hyper 1999 Fight Club movie did not.

And yet, once again, cover artist, David Mack, leaves his mark on this comic book with another striking painting.  His work on this series encapsulates the narrative's secrets and lies, and fosters the idea that this story is older than we realize.

A

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux


The text is copyright © 2015 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

Review: STRANGE FRUIT #1

STRANGE FRUIT #1 (OF 4)
BOOM! Studios – @boomstudios

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

WRITERS: J.G. Jones and Mark Waid
ARTIST: J.G. Jones
LETTERS: Deron Bennett
COVER: J.G. Jones
24pp, Colors, $3.99 U.S. (July 2015)

Suggested for mature readers

Strange Fruit is a new four-issue comic book miniseries from comics creators, Mark Waid (Daredevil; Kingdom Come) and J.G. Jones (Wanted; Y: The Last Man).  According to publicity released by publisher BOOM! Studios, Strange Fruit is “a deeply personal passion project” and is a “provocative examination of the heroic myth confronting the themes of racism, cultural legacy, and human nature through a literary lens, drawing from Southern folklore and tradition.”

Strange Fruit #1 opens in Chatterlee, Mississippi, April 1927, during what would become known as the “Great Mississippi Flood of 1927.”  The Mississippi River is rising, threatening to break open the levees and destroy Chatterlee, after already washed away the “God-fearing” town of Seeley.  The race to shore up the levees is also threatening to break open the racial and social divisions of Chatterlee and the surrounding area.  Into this roiling situation, a mysterious Black man falls from the sky.

Strange Fruit was already a controversial comic book months before its release.  I  imagine that it will draw ire from people who were perturbed by Quentin Tarantino's 2012, Oscar-winning film, Django Unchained.  Fiction like Tarantino's film and Strange Fruit draw controversy because of their subject matter and because of the settings of their narratives.  Another reason such works are controversial is because African-American critics see them as cheap entertainment and violent melodramas that exploit the troubled and painful history of Black folks in America.

To be fair to J.G. Jones and Mark Waid, anything set in the racist, police state that was the Deep South in the 1920s (and 30s, and 40s and 50s and 60s...) is bound to court controversy.  Also, Waid was born in 1962 in Alabama, so he spent his childhood in the vicinity of the troubled times of the Civil Rights movement.  [I don't know when Jones was born.]  Actually, I give Jones and Waid credit for depicting how Whites treated Black locals during the Great Flood (to say nothing of other natural disasters).

A well-known comic book artist once criticized members of his message board for using the term “boy scout” in a derogatory way.  He said that “decent people” knew that the Boy Scouts organization was a good thing.  I started to inform him (but didn't) about the story that during the Great Flood, some “decent people” in Mississippi had Boy Scouts point rifles at Black locals, who had been forced to fill sand bags to protect from a breach of the levee, in order to assure that they would keep working.

You see, many Black people had little or nothing, in the way of property, to lose during the Great Flood if a levee broke along the Mississippi River and washed away a town.  White land and property owners and businessman had everything to lose, and thus, treated Blacks like slaves who were expected to save business they probably weren't even allowed to patronize.  This also happened when fire threatened fields planted with crops, as was the case in early 20th century Louisiana when Whites used murder and violence to intimidate Black locals into fighting the fire.

Jones (who was born in my home state of Louisiana) and Waid are merely digging in the dirt of their birthplaces using myth and Southern folklore and tradition to examine their birthright.  That birthright is the human stain of the legacy of racism, slavery, a failed Reconstruction, Jim Crow, segregation, the police state, and extreme violence.

As for reading this series, I'm in.  Thank you, Mr. Jones and Mr. Waid.  I hope that Strange Fruit is the first of many such comic book series.  Maybe, comic book publishing companies, which are owned and operated by White people, will even have the vision to publish such material when it is created by African-Americans.  In my review of a future issue of Strange Fruit, I will praise J.G. Jones' utterly beautiful painted art to the high heavens.

A

www.boom-studios.com
#comicsforward

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux


The text is copyright © 2015 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

DC Comics from Diamond Distributors for October 21, 2015

DC COMICS

AUG150286     ASTRO CITY #28     $3.99
AUG150158     BATMAN AND ROBIN ETERNAL #3     $2.99
AUG150235     BATMAN ARKHAM KNIGHT GENESIS #3     $2.99
AUG150223     BIZARRO #5     $2.99
AUG150179     BLACK CANARY #5     $2.99
AUG150284     CLEAN ROOM #1 (MR)     $3.99
JUL150298     CONVERGENCE FLASHPOINT TP BOOK 01     $19.99
JUL150300     CONVERGENCE FLASHPOINT TP BOOK 02     $19.99
AUG150186     DOCTOR FATE #5     $2.99
AUG150224     DOOMED #5     $2.99
JUN150315     GET JIRO BLOOD AND SUSHI HC (MR)     $22.99
AUG150238     GOTHAM ACADEMY #11     $2.99
AUG150250     GREEN LANTERN THE LOST ARMY #5     $2.99
AUG150195     INJUSTICE GODS AMONG US YEAR FOUR #12     $2.99
AUG150166     JUSTICE LEAGUE #45     $3.99
JUL150313     JUSTICE LEAGUE A LEAGUE OF ONE TP     $19.99
AUG150198     MARTIAN MANHUNTER #5     $2.99
JUN150291     MULTIVERSITY DLX ED HC     $49.99
AUG150208     SECRET SIX #7     $2.99
JUL150316     SMALLVILLE SEASON 11 LANTERN TP     $16.99
AUG150219     SUPERMAN WONDER WOMAN #22     $3.99
JUL150244     TEEN TITANS #12     $2.99
JUL150302     TEEN TITANS EARTH ONE TP     $14.99
AUG150257     TEEN TITANS GO #12     $2.99
AUG150164     TITANS HUNT #1     $3.99
JUL150342     WOLF MOON TP (MR)     $14.99
AUG150213     WONDER WOMAN #45     $3.99

DC COMICS/DC COLLECTIBLES

APR150335     BATMAN THE ANIMATED SERIES BATMOBILE     $99.95
APR150342     DC COMICS BOMBSHELLS CATWOMAN STATUE     $124.95
JUN150351     DC COMICS SWAMP THING AF     $39.95
MAY150283     GOTHAM TV JAMES GORDON STATUE     $129.95

Marvel Comics from Diamond Distributors for October 21, 2015

MARVEL COMICS

AUG150669     1872 #4 SWA     $3.99
AUG150674     AGE OF APOCALYPSE #5 SWA     $3.99
AUG150712     AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #2     $3.99
AUG150724     ASTONISHING ANT-MAN #1     $3.99
AUG150902     BUCKY BARNES WINTER SOLDIER TP VOL 02     $17.99
AUG150887     CAPTAIN AMERICA AND MIGHTY AVENGERS TP LAST DAYS VOL 02     $15.99
JUL150777     DARTH VADER #11     $3.99
NOV140863     HAWKEYE BY MATT FRACTION AND DAVID AJA OMNIBUS HC     $99.99
AUG150650     INVINCIBLE IRON MAN #2     $3.99
JUN150832     JESSICA JONES TP VOL 02 ALIAS (MR)     $19.99
AUG150866     JOURNEY STAR WARS FASE #4     $3.99
AUG150782     KARNAK #1     $3.99
AUG150851     MARVEL UNIVERSE ULT SPIDER-MAN WEB WARRIORS #12     $2.99
AUG150912     MOON KNIGHT EPIC COLLECTION TP SHADOWS OF MOON     $39.99
AUG150662     SECRET WARS AGENTS OF ATLAS #1 SWA     $4.99
AUG150684     SHIELD #11     $3.99
AUG150914     STAR WARS LEGENDS EPIC COLLECTION TP VOL 02 EMPIRE     $39.99
AUG150831     UNCANNY INHUMANS #1     $4.99
AUG150673     WEIRDWORLD #5 SWA     $3.99
AUG150774     WHAT IF INFINITY GUARDIANS OF GALAXY #1     $3.99

IDW Publishing from Diamond Distributors for October 21, 2015

IDW PUBLISHING

AUG150320     BACK TO THE FUTURE #1 CVR A     $3.99
AUG150323     BACK TO THE FUTURE #1 CVR D ARTIST ED BLANK SKETCH     $3.99
AUG150321     BACK TO THE FUTURE #1 SUB A CVR B     $3.99
AUG150322     BACK TO THE FUTURE #1 SUB B CVR C     $3.99
AUG150441     DANGER GIRL RENEGADE #2     $3.99
AUG150412     DONALD DUCK #6     $3.99
AUG150333     FISTFUL OF BLOOD #1     $4.99
AUG150375     GODZILLA IN HELL #4     $3.99
JUN150406     JOE KUBERT RETURN OF TARZAN ARTIST ED HC     PI
AUG150403     MY LITTLE PONY FRIENDSHIP IS MAGIC #35     $3.99
AUG150404     MY LITTLE PONY FRIENDSHIP IS MAGIC #35 ARTIST ED BLANK SKETC     $3.99
AUG150350     STAR TREK ONGOING #50     $4.99
AUG150338     TMNT AMAZING ADVENTURES #3     $3.99
AUG150359     TRANSFORMERS #46     $3.99
AUG150369     TRANSFORMERS MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE TP VOL 08     $19.99

Dark Horse Comics from Diamond Distributors for October 21, 2015

DARK HORSE COMICS

AUG150009     BPRD HELL ON EARTH #136     $3.50
AUG150037     BTVS SEASON 10 #20 MAIN CVR     $3.99
JUN150010     CAPTAIN MIDNIGHT TP VOL 06 MARKED DEATH REIGN ARCHON     $14.99
AUG150042     DARK HORSE PRESENTS 2014 #15     $4.99
AUG150055     GROO FRIENDS AND FOES #10     $3.99
APR150079     HALO UNSC INFINITY 9 INCH REPLICA     $49.99
JUN150035     HE-MAN & MASTERS OF UNIVERSE HC MINICOMIC COLLECTION     $29.99
JUL150078     MIDNIGHT SOCIETY THE BLACK LAKE #4     $3.99
AUG150047     PAYBACKS #2     $3.99
JUL158434     PLANTS VS ZOMBIES HC BOX SET     PI
AUG150064     PLANTS VS ZOMBIES ONGOING #5 GROWN SWEET HOME     $2.99
AUG150056     POWER CUBED #2     $3.99
JUN150034     PROMETHEUS HC COMPLETE FIRE & STONE     $49.99
AUG150039     ROOK #1     $3.99
JUN150057     SAVAGE SWORD OF CONAN TP VOL 20     $19.99
AUG150026     STEAM MAN #1     $3.99
AUG150053     USAGI YOJIMBO #149     $3.50

Image Comics from Diamond Distributors for October 21, 2015

IMAGE COMICS

AUG150527     BEAUTY #3 CVR A HAUN (MR)     $3.50
AUG150528     BEAUTY #3 CVR B MITTEN (MR)     $3.50
AUG150529     BEAUTY #3 CVR C HAUN (MR)     $3.50
AUG150533     EMPTY ZONE #5 (MR)     $3.50
AUG150534     FADE OUT #10 (MR)     $3.50
AUG150523     INVINCIBLE #124     $2.99
AUG150537     ODDLY NORMAL TP VOL 02     $9.99
AUG150540     REYN #9     $2.99
AUG150543     SHUTTER #16 (MR)     $3.99
AUG150606     SUPERFIGHT CARD GAME CORE DECK     $35.00
JUN150585     TALES OF HONOR BRED TO KILL #3 CVR A SEJIC     $3.99
JUN150586     TALES OF HONOR BRED TO KILL #3 CVR B EKEDAL     $3.99
AUG150549     TITHE #6 CVR A EKEDAL     $3.99
AUG150550     TITHE #6 CVR B SEVY     $3.99
AUG150517     TOKYO GHOST #2 CVR A MURPHY & HOLLINGSWORTH (MR)     $3.99
AUG150518     TOKYO GHOST #2 CVR B MURPHY (MR)     $3.99
AUG150552     WOLF #4 (MR)     $3.50

IMAGE COMICS/MCFARLANE TOYS

AUG152558     ASSASSINS CREED IV HIDDEN BLADE GAUNTLET     PI
SEP150643     WALKING DEAD TV BUILD SET BMB SER 3     PI
SEP150648     WALKING DEAD TV BUILD SET BOILER ROOM     PI
SEP150639     WALKING DEAD TV BUILD SET DALES RV     PI
SEP150647     WALKING DEAD TV BUILD SET HOSPITAL DOORS     PI
SEP150641     WALKING DEAD TV BUILD SET PRISON CATWALK     PI
SEP150646     WALKING DEAD TV BUILD SET PRISON CELLS     PI
SEP150644     WALKING DEAD TV BUILD SET WALKER BARRIER     PI
SEP150640     WALKING DEAD TV BUILD SET WB ASSAULT VEH     PI
SEP150645     WALKING DEAD TV BUILD SET WOODBURY ARENA     PI

Comics, Magazines and Books from Diamond Distributors for October 21, 2015

COMICS & GRAPHIC NOVELS

JUN151274     ADULT CONTEMPORARY GN (MR)     $26.95
AUG151260     ADVENTURE TIME FIONNA & CAKE CARD WARS #4     $3.99
AUG151261     ADVENTURE TIME FIONNA & CAKE CARD WARS #4 SUB TERRACE     $3.99
AUG151218     ADVENTURE TIME TP VOL 07     $14.99
JUL151578     AKUMA NO RIDDLE GN VOL 01 RIDDLE STORY OF DEVIL     $12.99
AUG151368     ALICE COOPER VS CHAOS #2 RARE CHIN VIRGIN ED     $50.00
AUG151369     ALIENS VAMPIRELLA #2 RARE HARDMAN VIRGIN ED     $50.00
AUG151607     ARAB OF THE FUTURE GRAPHIC MEMOIR SC     $26.00
JUL151452     ATTACK ON TITAN COLOSSAL ED TP VOL 02     $49.99
AUG151016     BABY BLUES COLLECTION TP NO YELLING     $18.99
JUN151451     BAD MACHINERY VOL 04 CASE OF THE LONELY ONE     $19.99
AUG151617     BEHIND STORY GN VOL 02     $11.99
AUG151068     BETTY & VERONICA #278 REG CONNECTING CVR A PARENT     $3.99
SEP151739     BIG HERO 6 MANGA GN VOL 02     $12.00
AUG151239     BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA #17     $3.99
AUG151726     BLACKLIST #4 REG LOBEL     $3.99
AUG151727     BLACKLIST #4 SUBSCRIPTION PHOTO     $3.99
JUL151277     BLADE DANCE OF ELEMENTALERS GN VOL 01     $12.95
SEP151273     BOBS BURGERS ONGOING #3 RARE AGUINALDO VIRGIN ED     $50.00
AUG151762     BOOK OF DEATH FALL OF X-O MANOWAR #1 CVR A NORD (ONE SHOT)     $3.99
AUG151763     BOOK OF DEATH FALL OF X-O MANOWAR #1 CVR B SEGOVIA (ONE SHOT     $3.99
APR151707     CAPTAIN STONE VOL 1 HC     $24.99
MAY150899     CAVEWOMAN SHORTS #1 CVR B MASSEY     PI
MAY150900     CAVEWOMAN SHORTS #1 CVR D ROOT     PI
JUL151577     CERTAIN SCIENTIFIC ACCELERATOR GN VOL 01     $12.99
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AUG151814     CLAYMORE COMPLETE BOX SET     $214.99
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SEP151021     CROSSED DEAD OR ALIVE #1 VIP TRIPLE SIGNED CVR (MR)     $19.99
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NOV141002     CROSSED PLUS 100 #2 CGC NUMBERED ED (MR)     $99.99
DEC141106     CROSSED PLUS 100 #3 CGC NUMBERED ED (MR)     $99.99
JAN151339     DAWN VAMPIRELLA #5     $3.99
AUG151730     DEATH SENTENCE LONDON #5 (MR)     $3.99
MAY151337     DF ARCHIE #1 DF EXC LEE CVR WAID SGN     PI
AUG151416     DF GRUMPY CAT #1 DF EXC BENNINGTON     $10.00
JUL151302     DF SECRET WARS #1 DF EXC LAND SGN     PI
SEP151312     DF SECRET WARS #1 DF EXC LTD RED ZECK SGN     PI
SEP151313     DF SECRET WARS #1 DF EXC LTD SILVER ZECK SGN     $69.99
JUL151301     DF SECRET WARS #1 DF EXC ZECK CVR SGN     PI
AUG151717     DOCTOR WHO 10TH YEAR TWO #2 REG RONALD     $3.99
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JUL151611     DOCTOR WHO 12TH #13 REG HUGHES     $3.99
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APR151712     DOCTOR WHO 9TH #4 REG SHEDD     $3.99
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JUN151499     DRONE FATAL ERROR #4     $3.50
SEP151179     EMBER #0 IN FASHION CVR (MR)     $9.99
AUG151237     ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK #11     $3.99
AUG151113     ETERNAL SOULFIRE #4 DIRECT MARKET CVR A     $3.99
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JUL150920     FM PRES BORNHOME #3 CVR A JOHNSON     $3.99
JUL150921     FM PRES BORNHOME #3 CVR B ROBERTSON     $3.99
AUG151858     GFT GRIMM TALES OF TERROR VOL 2 #1 A CVR ERIC J (MR)     $3.99
AUG151859     GFT GRIMM TALES OF TERROR VOL 2 #1 B CVR PREITANO (MR)     $3.99
AUG151860     GFT GRIMM TALES OF TERROR VOL 2 #1 C CVR REI (MR)     $3.99
AUG151871     GFT WONDERLAND #40 A CVR MYCHAELS (MR)     $3.99
AUG151872     GFT WONDERLAND #40 B CVR WIMBERLY (MR)     $3.99
AUG151873     GFT WONDERLAND #40 C CVR MEGURO (MR)     $3.99
AUG151254     GIANT DAYS #7     $3.99
AUG151620     GIVE TO THE HEART GN VOL 05     $11.99
JUL150932     GOLD DIGGER HALLOWEEN SPECIAL 2015     $3.99
AUG151366     GRUMPY CAT #1 RARE UY ART & PHOTO VIRGIN ED     $50.00
AUG151246     HACKTIVIST VOL 2 #4     $3.99
JUN151453     HELHEIM TP VOL 02 BRIDES OF HELHEIM     $19.99
AUG151470     HIP HOP FAMILY TREE #3     $3.99
AUG151636     INVADER ZIM #4     $3.99
JUL151203     JON SABLE FREELANCE OMNIBUS TP VOL 02     $39.95
JUN151580     KILL LA KILL GN VOL 01     $12.99
SEP151178     LADY DEATH (ONGOING) #25 SAN DIEGO VIP CVR (MR)     $19.99
SEP151175     LADY DEATH APOCALYPSE #2 CENTURY HINDSIGHT CVR (MR)     $39.99
SEP151176     LADY DEATH APOCALYPSE #6 ART NOUVEAU CVR (MR)     $9.99
SEP151177     LADY DEATH PREMIERE NEW YORK COMIC CON CVR (MR)     $5.99
SEP151180     LADY DEATH SHI #0 PREVIEW COLL BOX SET (MR)     $139.99
AUG151591     LDK GN VOL 01     $10.99
AUG151345     LOOKING FOR GROUP #7     $4.99
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JUL151585     MAGIKA SWORDSMAN & SUMMONER GN VOL 02 (MR)     $12.99
AUG151083     MEGA MAN #54 REG CVR A SPAZ     $3.99
AUG151191     MEMETIC TP     $14.99
JUL150861     MEN OF MYSTERY #98     $29.95
SEP151075     MERCURY HEAT #1 SAN DIEGO COMICON CVR (MR)     $9.99
AUG151280     MESSENGER LEGEND JOAN OF ARC GN HC     $21.99
AUG151011     MISADVENTURES OF SALEM HYDE HC VOL 05 FROZEN FIASCO     $14.95
AUG151010     MISADVENTURES OF SALEM HYDE SC VOL 05 FROZEN FIASCO     $6.95
AUG151531     MISTRY PI #4     $2.99
AUG151799     NINJA SLAYER GN VOL 01 MACHINE OF VENGEANCE (MR)     $12.95
JUL151587     NURSE HITOMIS MONSTER INFIRMARY GN VOL 03 (MR)     $12.99
AUG150942     NUTMEG #5     $3.99
AUG151497     OMAHA BEACH ON D-DAY JUNE 6 1944 HC     $24.99
JUL151588     PANDORA IN THE CRIMSON SHELL GHOST URN GN VOL 02 (MR)     $12.99
JUN151103     PEANUTS TP VOL 06     $13.99
AUG150963     PRINCELESS RAVEN PIRATE PRINCESS #4 MAIN CVR     $3.99
AUG151779     RAI #11 CVR A INTERLOCKING CRAIN     $3.99
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AUG151781     RAI #11 CVR C SOOK     $3.99
AUG151370     RED SONJA CONAN #3 RARE BENES VIRGIN ED     $50.00
AUG151732     RIVERS OF LONDON #4 (MR)     $3.99
MAY151448     SERPIERI COLLECTION HC VOL 01 (MR)     $22.50
MAY151449     SERPIERI COLLECTION HC VOL 02 (MR)     $22.50
AUG151678     SEVEN PERCENT #2     $3.50
APR151021     SHIELD (DARK CIRCLE) #1 REG CVR     $3.99
AUG151185     SIMPSONS COMICS #224     $2.99
JUL151104     SLEEPY HOLLOW TP VOL 01     $14.99
AUG151001     SNOOPY CONTACT TP     $9.99
JUL150980     SONIC THE HEDGEHOG #277 REG CVR     $3.99
AUG151509     SUNFLOWER #1     $3.99
AUG151621     SWEET BLOOD GN VOL 03     $11.99
AUG151371     SWORDS OF SORROW #6 RARE LUPPACHINO VIRGIN ED     $50.00
JUL151186     TAROT WITCH OF THE BLACK ROSE #94 HALLOWEEN PHOTO CVR (MR)     $19.99
AUG150965     TRANCERS #1 MAIN CVR (MR)     $3.99
JUN151350     TRIBES OF KAI GN     $24.95
JUL151597     TWISTED DARK GN VOL 04     $14.99
SEP151048     UBER #25 BRICKHOUSE CVR (MR)     $9.99
AUG151363     VOLTRON FROM THE ASHES #2     $3.99
AUG150997     WALTER DEAN MYERS MONSTER GN     $9.99
AUG150998     WALTER DEAN MYERS MONSTER GN HC     $17.99
JUL151276     WALTZ IN THE CLINIC GN     $12.95
JUN151568     WE LOVE YOU CHARLIE BROWN TP 1957-1959 (TITAN ED)     $6.99
AUG158724     WELCOME BACK #1 (2ND PTG)     $3.99
JUL151082     WILDS END TP VOL 01 FIRST LIGHT     $19.99
AUG151364     WILL EISNER SPIRIT #4 CVR A POWELL     $3.99
JUL150975     WORLD OF ARCHIE COMICS DOUBLE DIGEST #53     $5.99

MAGAZINES
JUL151559     2000 AD PACK SEP 2015     $26.75
JUL151936     CINEMA RETRO #33 (MR)     $11.99
AUG152037     COMIC SHOP NEWS #1479     PI
AUG152863     DELIRIUM MAGAZINE #7     $10.00
JUN151785     HOBBY JAPAN SEP 2015     $18.00
AUG152031     ILLUSTRATORS MAGAZINE #11     $24.99
AUG152061     LOCUS #657     $7.50
MAY151859     MEGAMI AUG 2015     $18.00
AUG151735     MONSTER HIGH MAGAZINE #16     $4.99
MAY151860     NEWTYPE AUG 2015     $18.00
JUL151926     SCREAM MAGAZINE #32 (MR)     $8.99
AUG152059     WALKING DEAD MAGAZINE #14 NEWSSTAND ED (MR)     $9.99
AUG152060     WALKING DEAD MAGAZINE #14 PX ED (MR)     $9.99

BOOKS
AUG151982     BACK TO THE FUTURE ULTIMATE VISUAL HISTORY HC     $50.00
AUG151916     BEFORE EVER AFTER LOST LECTURES DISNEY ANIMATION STUDIO HC     $40.00
AUG151913     DC SUPER HERO SUPER BABY STARTER LIBRARY     $39.99
JUL151868     DOC SAVAGE DOUBLE NOVEL VOL 84 MEN VANISHED & DEATH HOUSES     $14.95
MAY151779     DOCTOR WHO OFFICAL ANNUAL 2016 HC     $12.99
AUG151931     EXPLORERS GUILD HC NOVEL     $29.99
APR151901     HEAVENS HELL SC     $24.95
JUL151859     JAPANESE ANIMATION HC FROM PAINTED SCROLLS TO POKEMON     $19.98
AUG152010     ORDINARY PEOPLE CHANGE THE WORLD GIFT SET     $50.00
AUG152897     WARHAMMER 40K HONOUR GUARD SC     $14.00
AUG152900     WARHAMMER 40K STORMCALLER SC     $14.00
SEP151650     WORLD OF PROFESSOR LAYTON SC     $39.99
AUG151295     YOU ARE A KITTEN PICK-A-PLOT SC VOL 03 (MR)     $19.95

Nisekoi: Bouquet

I read Nisekoi: False Love, Vol. 11

I posted a review at the ComicBookBin.  Follow me on Twitter and Tumblr or at Grumble.  Support me on Patreon.

Review: SUPERMAN #41

SUPERMAN #41
DC COMICS – @DCComics

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

WRITER: Gene Luen Yang
PENCILS: John Romita, Jr.
INKS: Klaus Janson
COLORS: Dean White
LETTERS: Rob Leigh
COVER: John Romita, Jr. and Klaus Janson with Alex Sinclair
VARIANT COVER: Karl Kerschl (Joker 75th anniversary cover)
32pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (August 2015)

Rated “T” for “Teen”

Superman created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster

“Before Truth” Part 1

DC Comics' new-look slash new-direction, “DCYou,” not only means the launch of new comic book series, but it also means a change for ongoing titles.  One of those titles taking on a new direction is Superman, featuring the debut of acclaimed graphic novelist, Gene Luen Yang, as the series' new regular writer.  The art team of Superman remains the same as it has been for the last year:  John Romita, Jr. (pencils) and Klaus Janson (inks), with colorist Dean White and letterer Rob Leigh.

Superman #41 (“Before Truth” Part 1) opens with a tease of what is to come for Superman.  The story returns to the “present” with Clark Kent still dealing with the changes in his Superman powers and abilities.  Something else that is new in Kent's life is unknown figures who sends mysterious text messages that offer tips about the kind of illegal activities that Superman fights.

One tip guides Kent and Jimmy Olsen, who now knows that Clark is Superman, to the underground factory of a black market, hi-teach weapons dealer.  It is indeed a hot and accurate tip, but what are the real motives of this “unknown source?”  And how does it affect Superman's future?

Although I am aware of Gene Luen Yang's work, I have never read any of it.  I was curious about how he would approach Superman, but I expected only a minor change in tone.  Boy, was I wrong.  Everything about Superman #41 seems fresh and, in some instances, new.  This is a Superman that looks forward, with hope and possibility and ready for whatever comes with change.  I think that Superman has always been about tomorrow, about hope, and about the new.  The character grows moribund when the status quo takes hold for years at a time.

In fact, I think that Yang is a better Superman writer for John Romita, Jr.  Previous Superman writer, Geoff Johns, played to Romita's ability to summon the spirit of Jack Kirby in creating king-sized brawls between super-powered beings.  Yang plays to Romita's strengths as a storyteller who is both inventive and imaginative, also to his ability to change mood, tone, and atmosphere within a single chapter.  So this new direction for Superman is about both Gene Luen Yang and John Romita, Jr.

A

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux


The text is copyright © 2015 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

Tiger & Bunny: Boss Ouroboros

I read Tiger & Bunny, Vol. 7

I posted a review at the ComicBookBin.  Follow me on Twitter and Tumblr or at Grumble.  Support me on Patreon.

Review: FARLAINE THE GOBLIN, Trade Paperback Volume 1

FARLAINE THE GOBLIN, VOL. 1
STUDIO FARLAINE – @TreeGoblin

CARTOONIST: Anonymous
MISC. ART: Jean-Francois Beaulieu; Darrenn E. Canton; Jason May; Jyrki Vainio
ISBN:  978-0-9890058-3-8; paperback (August 2014)
136pp, B&W with some color; $13.00 U.S.

Farlaine the Goblin is a series of graphic novels written and drawn by Anonymous, a cartoonist also credited as “J.”  I think his name is Jean-Francois Beaulieu (which seems obvious to me, at least).  Studio Farlaine recently published Farlaine the Goblin, Book 4, which is available in comic book shops via Diamond Distributors.

J. sent me a review copy of Farlaine the Goblin, Trade Paperback, Volume 1.  This paperback (landscape dimensions 11.8” x 7.75”) reprints Farlaine the Goblin: Book 1 (The Tinklands); Book 2 (The Saltlands); and Book 3 (The Racelands).  It also includes bonus material, such as development art and early Farlaine comics, and a prequel adventure, “The Tinderlands.”

The series focuses on Farlaine the Goblin.  He is a tree goblin and a shaman from the forest of Fin-Din.  He has spent many years wandering the many Oddlands of Wug in search of a forest that he can call his own.  His companion is Ehrenwort, a tree he carries in a sack on his back; Farlaine also talks to Ehrenwort, whom he describes as his “Verdan.”

As Book 1: The Tinklands begins, Farlaine only has 10 lands left in which he can search for his own forest.  When he encounters a group of aggressive rotund robots, the Tinks, Farlaine finds himself on the run.  In Book 2: The Saltlands, Farlaine meets people made of salt and discovers that they are so desperate for shelter that they have tricked someone into seemingly permanent indentured servitude.  In Book 3: The Racelands, Farlaine may have found his forest, but he will have to race for it.

Apparently, Anonymous is self-publishing his Farlaine the Goblin series because he could not find a publisher to take on the series.  That is surprising considering all the publishers that claim to want to publish graphic novels for young readers.

Farlaine the Goblin is an imaginative series that mixes fantasy with situation comedy.  It is appropriate for young readers, but does not condescend to young readers, nor does it seek to be safe.  The stories are active and action-oriented without being explicitly or aggressively violent.  Don't be put off, you grown folks; Farlaine the Goblin will captivate both teen and adult readers.

Anonymous is a talented cartoonist who is quite skilled at producing black and white comics, and his color art has a quality similar to children's picture books.  His stories present obstacles and dilemmas that are honest and genuine with sensible and imaginative resolutions.  I expect this series to improve in terms of story and art with each volume, as the cartoonist seems like the kind of artist who is always growing, just like Farlaine grows trees.

facebook.com/FarlianeTheGoblin

A-

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux


The text is copyright © 2015 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

World Trigger: Repel Thy Neighbor!

I read World Trigger, Vol. 6

I posted a review at the ComicBookBin.  Follow me on Twitter and Tumblr or at Grumble.  Support me on Patreon.