Tuesday, May 30, 2017

Review: CONSTANTINE: The Hellblazer #13

CONSTANTINE: THE HELLBLAZER No. 13
DC COMICS – @DCComics

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

WRITERS: Ming Doyle and James Tynion IV
ARTIST: Eryk Donovan
COLORS: Kelly Fitzpatrick
LETTERS: Tom Napolitano
COVER: Riley Rossmo
40pp, Color, $2.99 U.S. (August 2016)

Rated “T+” for “Older Teen”

John Constantine created by Alan Moore, Steve Bissette, and John Totleben and Jamie Delano & John Ridgway

“Worthless”

The original John Constantine comic book series, Hellblazer, ran for 300 issues.  Then, DC Comics folded Constantine into the mainstream DC Universe with The New 52, and started a new series, simply entitled Constantine.  Our favorite comic book occult detective, magus, con man and troubleshooter was not the same.

Last summer, DC Comics launched the publishing initiative/event known as “DCYou.”  One of the new series that came out of that was the third John Constantine comic book, Constantine: The Hellblazer, which was written by Ming Doyle and James Tynion IV, drawn by Riley Rossmo, colored by Ivan Plascensia, and lettered by Tom Napolitano.

Constantine: The Hellblazer was a good thing, as it found John getting back to his old self, albeit in a new city, New York City.  Now, with DC in the midst of a new initiative, entitled “Rebirth,” we will see John Constantine in his fourth comic book series, The Hellblazer.  I am kind of disappointed (and I was not impressed with The Hellblazer: Rebirth one-shot).  Constantine: The Hellblazer is still good, and stayed good even after series artist, Riley Rossmo, moved on, although he continued providing lovely cover art for this series

We say goodbye with Constantine: The Hellblazer #13 (“Worthless”).  The Donald Trump-esque demon, Lord Neron, and his partners, Papa Midnight and Blythe (a demoness), have Constantine in a bad position.  He cannot break his contract with them, or can he?  You can't keep a good/bad magus down.  This time, however, John will win one of his most hollow victories.

Ah!  What a delightful run.  I think that Constantine: The Hellblazer is an imaginative dark fantasy comic book, one of DC Comics' best recent efforts in this vein.  This series is a fresh take on a character, John Constantine, that occasionally needs an injection of lemony fresh.  The ending of this issue is chilling and heartbreaking.

Through no fault of its own, Constantine: The Hellblazer is connected to sour reboot, Constantine, The New 52 effort to bring Constantine back into the DC Universe proper.  I would not be surprised if Constantine: The Hellblazer ends up being the last sustained run of quality John Constantine comic books for a few years.  I hope I'm wrong, but I think I'm right...

A-

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"


The text is copyright © 2016 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for syndication rights and fees.

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I Reads You Juniors May 2017 - Update #35

Support Leroy on Patreon.

Welcome to the I Reads You blog.  It's May 2017.  This post and its updates will offer news and blurb reviews.

From BleedingCool:  Spawn creator Todd McFarlane crashes a DC Comics panel at Megacon to confront an old Spawn cohort.

From TheComicsReporter:  2017 Reuben Award and NCS Divisional winners have been announced.

From ComicBookBin:  Johnny Bullet Episode #119.

From ComicBookBin:  Johnny Bullet Episode #119 in French.

From ComicBastards:  A review of "Samaritan Veritas #1" (Image Comics).

From BleedingCool:  Jae Lee announces his new creator owned series, "Fey," at Phoenix Comic Con.

From BleedingCool:  Some news on the firing of X-Men editor Daniel Ketchum at Marvel Comics.

From BleedingCool:  Bryan Hitch will write and draw Justice League beginning with issue #32 after writing and drawing an extra-sized #25.

From BleedingCool:  DC Comics "Dark Nights: Metal" gets the front cover of upcoming "Diamond Previews."

From BleedingCool:  Rich Johnston offers the history of a book currently called "Monsters" by Barry Windsor-Smith.


------------------------
BLURB REVIEW:

Spawn #273 (Image Comics – May 2017) by Todd McFarlane and Szymon Kudranski with Fco Plascencia

I have not read a new issue of Spawn since Bill Clinton was president, but I have wanted to and just kept putting it off.  On a recent visit to a “local” comic book shop, I spied a single copy of Spawn #273 sitting on the shelf.  I swear that thing was calling to me.

I read Spawn for years, although I thought it was a mediocre comic book.  I kept reading it in hopes that it would get better, which it never did, although I always enjoyed the art of Greg Capullo, who drew Spawn during most of the time I read it.

I still find all of McFarlane's exposition in panels to be stiff and stilted, but the dialogue deserves at least a grade of “B.”  The story is about a mysterious vigilante called “The Soul Crusher” and also concerns Cyan Fitzgerald, the daughter of Spawn/Al Simmons ex-wife, Wanda, and her husband, Al's best friend, Terry Fitzgerald.  I have to say that those two story lines intrigue me enough to make me want to buy another issue.  [My regular shop generally does not carry McFarlane publications, which will hamper my efforts.]

So all this time later, I find that Spawn is actually a good read.  Who knew?  People who read it, I guess!

Posted:  Monday, May 22, 2017


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From CBR:  The "Batman and Justice League" manga will launch June 19th, 2017 in Japan's "Champion RED" magazine.


-------------------------
BLURB REVIEW:

Weapon X #1 (Marvel Comics – June 2017) by Greg Pak, Greg Land, and Jay Leisten with Frank D'Armata

Although this is only first issue, I can tentatively say that the latest incarnation of the “Weapon X” comic book is probably the second really good X-Men comic book to come out of Marvel's current X-Men franchise revival.  The series premise seems to be that original Wolverine, now known as “Old Man Logan,” will lead a team to investigate the clandestine military project, known as “Weapon X,” which was thought to be disbanded.

In the first issue, Wolverine... oops... Logan (can't help myself) gets sliced-and-diced pretty badly, but he does notice that the slicers are using bladed weapons similar to that of Lady Deathstrike.  Logan figures that if he can find Deathstrike, then he can find his assailants, but first he has to convince an old buddy to join him on this hunt.

So I'm really intrigued by Greg Pak's story, and I have finally figured out that I usually like what Pak writes.  Greg Land and inker Jay Leisten are a good comic book art team, and well, their storytelling makes me want to come back for more.

Posted:  Thursday, May 18, 2017
--------------------------------


From BleedingCoolR.I.P. - British comic book creator, Edmund Bagwell, has died at the age of 50.

From Bleeding Cool:  Geoff John reveals "Doomsday Clock," a miniseries pitting Superman vs. Dr. Manhattan of "Watchmen."

From icv2R.I.P. - The "Golden Age" horror artist, Jay Disbrow, died on May 2, 2017 at the age of 91.  He was a prolific artist drawing pre-Code horror comics.  Fantagraphics Books published his "The Flames of Gyro" in 1979.  And from 2000 to 2005, he published his Flash Gordon-like adventure strip, "Aroc of Zenith," on the Internet.

From BleedingCool:  Scott Snyder will leave All-Star Batman sometimes next year.


-------------------------------------
BLURB X-MEN REVIEWS:

X-MEN: GOLD #1 (Marvel Comics – June 2017) by Marc Guggenheim, Ardian Syaf, and Jay Leisten with Frank Martin

“Back to Basics” Part 1:  On the Interwebs, I have come across people saying that X-Men: Gold is writer Marc Guggenheim's return to the halcyon days of the X-Men when Chris Claremont wrote Uncanny X-Men.  Claremont wrote X-Men/Uncanny X-Men beginning with X-Men #94 in 1975 until the early 1991 when he quit the franchise.  Not all of those days were gold.  Quite frankly, after John Byrne left as co-plotter/penciller with Uncanny X-Men #143, Claremont long run, as basically the solo writer, was inconsistent.  There were some good stories, but also a surprising amount of mediocrity and redundancy, with only a few high points, high mostly because of artists like Paul Smith, Barry Windsor-Smith, and Alan Davis.

Judging only by this first issue, Guggenheim seems to be summoning the average days of Claremont.  But hey, this is only the first issue; still, I don't hold out hope.  I think that it will be obvious by the third issue if X-Men: Gold will be exceptional or be what most recent X-Men comic books have been, average at best.

On the other hand...

X-MEN: BLUE #1 (Marvel Comics – June 2017) by Cullen Bunn, Jorge Molina and Matteo Buffagni with Matt Milla

Now, this is an X-Men comic book in the best sense of that description.  It has the original X-Men fighting an early X-Men adversary, and I am a total sucka for Juggernaut.  Writer Cullen Bunn gets it where Marc Guggenheim in X-Men: Gold doesn't get it – or at least not yet.  When you can't be imaginative, inventive, and original when it comes to writing the X-Men, be shocking and surprising.  And Bunn delivers shocks and surprises here that are sweet, and he made invent later.

This first issue is simply a joy to read and it has a snazzy cover by Art Adams (who delivers good comic book cover art about 9 out of 10 times).  I am not crazy about the art team of Molina & Buffagni, but I'll tolerate them if the upcoming issues deliver on the last page of the main story; deliver on the back-up story; and deliver on “More Things to Come in X-Men Blue.”

Posted:  Wednesday, May 10, 2017
-----------------------------------------


From ComicsBeat:  Heidi MacDonald on the recent DC Comics editorial alignment.

From BleedingCool:  Updates on the Ardian Syaf controversy regarding hidden messages he placed in his art for "X-Men: Gold #1."

From YahooMovies:  Robert Kirkman, creator of "The Walking Dead," apologizes for a death in issue #167 of the comic book.

From DCComics:  Read the press release: "DC Entertainment Expands Editorial Leadership Team."

From BleedingCool:  Take a look inside "Dark Days: The Forge," the prequel to DC Comics' event "Dark Nights: Metal."

From TheBristolBoard:  An online portfolio of unusual John Buscema art, unusual for the late artist who was known for his long association with Marvel's "Conan the Barbarian" and short stint as the first artist on the first "Wolverine" solo comic book series.

From Kickstarter:  Cartoonist Shaenon K. Garrity has a Kickstarter. (from "The Comics Reporter)

From BleedingCool:  Apparently, Marvel destroys Las Vegas in  "Secret Empire #2.

From BleedingCool:  This Jim Lee cover art for "Dark Nights: Metal" will be on a metallic cover.

From BleedingCool:  The "Love is Love" anthology added to list of 2017 Eisner Award nominees.

From YahooTV:  Marvel Comics, in a statement to ABC News, says that it hears fans' concerns about the Hydra-Captain America.

From TIME:  If you are wondering about Marvel Comics' "Black Panther and the Crew," here is an interview "Time Magazine" did with series writer, Ta-Nihisi Coastes.

From ComicCon:  The 2017 Eisner Award nominations have been announced.

From BleedingCool:  Writer Matthew Rosenberg wanted Eisner props for Khary Randolph for his "Black" covers.

From StarTribune:  Neil Gaiman says "American Gods" rooted in Wisconsin-Minnesota weirdness.

From BleedingCool:  Greg Capullo offers a pencil sketch of Wonder Woman from the upcoming "Dark Nights: Metal."

From GoFundMe:  Writer James Hudnall really needs your help. [Thanks to "The Comics Reporter" for the heads up.]

From PeterDavid:  Another comic book creator/writer is in distress, Peter David. [Thanks again to "The Comics Reporter."]

From YahooTV:  Did you like Starz's "American Gods" TV series' debut?  Here, is a recap from the site.


Monday, May 29, 2017

DC Comics from Diamond Distributors for May 31, 2017

DC COMICS

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Marvel Comics from Diamond Distributors for May 31, 2017

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IDW Publishing from Diamond Distributors for May 31, 2017

IDW PUBLISHING

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Dark Horse Comics from Diamond Distributors for May 31, 2017

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Image Comics from Diamond Distributors for May 31, 2017

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Comics, Magazines and Books from Diamond Distributors for May 31, 2017

COMICS & GRAPHIC NOVELS

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MAR172260    SPIRITS & CAT EARS GN VOL 02 (MR)    $13.00
MAR171475    STEVEN UNIVERSE ONGOING #4    $3.99
MAR171476    STEVEN UNIVERSE ONGOING #4 SUBSCRIPTION SYGH CVR    $3.99
MAR171971    STITCHED GN VOL 01 FIRST DAY    $9.99
MAR171972    STITCHED HC VOL 01 FIRST DAY    $14.99
MAR171973    SWEETIES GN VOL 01 CHERRY SKYE    $9.99
MAR171974    SWEETIES HC VOL 01 CHERRY SKYE    $14.99
MAR171555    TAROT WITCH OF THE BLACK ROSE #104 (MR)    $2.95
APR171357    UBER INVASION #6 (MR)    $3.99
APR171359    UBER INVASION #6 BLITZKREIG CVR (MR)    $3.99
APR171360    UBER INVASION #6 PROPAGANDA POSTER CVR (MR)    $3.99
APR171362    UBER INVASION #6 VIP PREMIUM CVR (MR)    $9.99
APR171361    UBER INVASION #6 WAR CRIMES CVR (MR)    $3.99
APR171358    UBER INVASION #6 WRAP CVR (MR)    $3.99
MAR171215    VAMPBLADE SEASON TWO #3 CVR A WINSTON YOUNG (MR)    $3.99
MAR171216    VAMPBLADE SEASON TWO #3 CVR B WINSTON YOUNG RISQUE (MR)    $3.99
MAR171217    VAMPBLADE SEASON TWO #3 CVR C MACCAGNI (MR)    $3.99
MAR171218    VAMPBLADE SEASON TWO #3 CVR D MACCAGNI RISQUE (MR)    $3.99
MAR171219    VAMPBLADE SEASON TWO #3 CVR E RODRIX (MR)    $3.99
MAR171220    VAMPBLADE SEASON TWO #3 CVR F RODRIX RISQUE (MR)    $3.99
MAR171703    VAMPIRELLA #3 CVR A TAN    $3.99
MAR171704    VAMPIRELLA #3 CVR B YARAR    $3.99
MAR171705    VAMPIRELLA #3 CVR C COSPLAY    $3.99
MAR171706    VAMPIRELLA #3 CVR D BROXTON EXC SUBSCRIPTION CVR    $3.99
DEC161950    WARHAMMER 40000 TP VOL 01 WILL OF IRON (MR)    $16.99
MAR171456    WWE #5 MAIN CVR    $3.99

MAGAZINES
FEB171836    2000 AD PACK APR 2017    $21.60
DEC161275    ARCHIES COLORING BOOK #1 (RES)    $9.99
FEB171715    HEAVY METAL #286 CVR A (MR)    $8.95
FEB171716    HEAVY METAL #286 CVR B (MR)    $8.95
FEB171717    HEAVY METAL #286 CVR C (MR)    $8.95
MAR172359    ILLUSTRATORS MAGAZINE #17    $24.99
APR172359    JUXTAPOZ #198 JUL 2017    $6.99
JAN172355    MEGAMI APR 2017    $20.00
JAN172356    NEWTYPE APR 2017    $20.00

BOOKS
APR172259    100 THINGS SPIDER-MAN FANS SHOULD KNOW DO BEFORE THEY DIE SC    $14.95
MAR172111    ART AND MAKING OF WONDER WOMAN HC    $39.95
APR172267    ART OF CARS 3 HC    $40.00
APR172257    BEST OF FRESH NATURAL GIRLS HC (MR)    $37.99
FEB172233    HORROR CINEMA TASCHEN REVISED EXPANDED HC    $19.99
MAR172015    ILLUSTRATED FAIRYTALE PRINCESS COLL GN    $15.99
MAR172329    PLANET OF APES ORIG TOPPS T/C HC    $24.95
MAR172357    STAR WARS ROGUE ONE YR NOVEL GUARDIANS OF WHILLS    $12.99
APR173264    WARHAMMER BLADESTORM PROSE NOVEL SC    $16.00

Sunday, May 28, 2017

Review: FUTURE QUEST #2

FUTURE QUEST No. 2
DC COMICS – @DCComics

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

STORY: Jeff Parker – @JeffParker
ARTISTS: Evan “Doc” Shaner – @DocShaner (p. 1-13); Ron Randall (p. 20-27); Jonathan Case (p. 19-22)
COLORS: Jordie Bellaire – @whoajordie
LETTERS: ALW Studios' Dave Lanphear
COVER: Evan “Doc” Shaner
VARIANT COVERS: Jill Thompson
32pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (September 2016)

Rated “T” for “Teen”

Part Two: “Visitors from Beyond”

Future Quest is one of four comic books produced by DC Comics that re-imagine and re-interpret classic television series and characters created by American animation studio, Hanna-Barbera.  Future Quest brings the stars of Hanna-Barbera's action, sci-fi, and superhero TV series together.  That includes “Jonny Quest,” “Space Ghost,” “The Herculoids,” “Birdman,” “Frankenstein Jr.,” “The Galaxy Trio,” “The Impossibles,” and “Mightor.”

Future Quest is written by Jeff Parker; primarily drawn by Evan “Doc” Shaner; colored by Jordie Bellaire; and lettered by Dave Lanphear.  So far, the main focus of Future Quest is the cast of “Jonny Quest” (referred to as “Team Quest”):  Jonny Quest; his adopted brother, Hadji; his father, Dr. Benton Quest; family bodyguard, Race Bannon; and, of course, Jonny's dog, Bandit.

Future Quest #2 (“Visitors from Beyond”) opens with the cast of “The Herculoids” and “Space Ghost” fighting the Omnikron, some kind of reality-devouring entity.  Back on Earth, “Team Quest” and their new friend, Ty, find an “alien” visitor.  Now, they have to protect the visitor and themselves from the forces of longtime Quest nemesis, Dr. Zin.

I was initially cynical about DC's Hanna-Barbera comics, and I still am about the other three.  However, I am in total love with Future Quest.  Jeff Parker is doing some of the best storytelling ever done for Hanna-Barbera's sci-fi and superhero characters.  Hell, it might be the best.  When people talk about wanting more comic books that are fun to read, Parker's ears must burn because they are talking about his comics, especially Future Quest.

Parker's partner-in-crime (against mediocre comic books) is Evan “Doc” Shaner.  His drawing style is clean, recalling animation art and the cool and slick flair of John Romita, Sr.  Shaner's Future Quest compositions are wide open, and that perfectly captures the youthful enthusiasm and sense of adventure that permeates classic “Johnny Quest.”  It is telling that Ron Randall and Jonathan Case, the artists who draw the second half of Future Quest #2 and who are fine artists themselves, take their graphical cues from Shaner.  “Doc” is the boss.

In my review of Future Quest #1, I wondered if future issues of Future Quest could be as good – long term – as I thought the first issue was.  Future Quest #2 is as good.  I can't imagine this series falling apart form here, but then, the Cleveland Cavaliers are the 2015-16 NBA Champions and not the Golden State Warriors.

A

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"


The text is copyright © 2016 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

-------------------

Friday, May 26, 2017

Book Review: Sara and V.I. Burn it Up in "FALLOUT"

FALLOUT
HARPCOLLINS/William Morrow – @HarperCollins; @WmMorrowBks

AUTHOR: Sara Paretsky – @SaraParesky
ISBN: 978-0-06-243584-2; hardcover (April 18, 2017)
448pp, B&W, $27.99 U.S., $34.99 CAN

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

Fallout is the new novel from bestselling author Sara Paretsky.  It is also the most recent novel in her long-running “V.I. Warshawski” series of novels featuring Chicago-based private investigator, Victoria Iphigenia “V.I.” Warshawski.  The series began in 1982 with the novel, Indemnity Only.  In Fallout, V.I., also known as “Vic,” travels to Kansas on the trail of a vanished film student and a faded Hollywood star and finds herself also investigating a decades-old conspiracy.

As Fallout begins, V.I. is approached by a young friend, Bernadine Fouchard, and Bernadine's cousin, Angela Creedy, to find a missing relative, a young Black man named August Veriden.  August is a film student and budding filmmaker, and although no one knows where he is, the police want to talk to him because he is a person of interest (lead suspect) in a break-in at his job.  It does not take long for V.I. to learn that others are looking for August and are willing to tear apart a workplace or home to find him.

V.I. discovers that August left Chicago in the company of Emerald Ferring, an actress best known for starring in a few African-American cult films in the 1960s.  V.I. follows the duo to Kansas, but by the time she gets to Lawrence, Kansas (home of the University of Kansas Jayhawks), she learns that the military is also interested in Veriden and Ferring whereabouts.  Their arrival in Kansas and subsequent disappearance seems tied to events in 1983, a year when anti-nuclear protests brought Ferring back to her Kansas home.  Something bad happened back then and it is starting to happen again.  This missing persons case may be V.I. toughest case, and as the bodies pile up, she discovers that even she isn't safe.

I read a few V.I. Warshawski novels back in the 1990s, maybe even in the late 1980s.  I don't know what got me started.  Was it the movie, V.I. Warshawski, starring husky-voiced Kathleen Turner in the title role?  Was it because I heard, while listening to a radio show (National Public Radio?), that a then-new V.I. novel was one of then President Bill Clinton's favorite books?

Well, I liked the two (or three) that I read, but school and work slowed my novel reading to, at best, one or two novels per year.  I never forgot V.I. and always wanted to return to the series.  When William Morrow's marketing offered a review copy of Fallout to bloggers, I jumped at it.  I am not at all disappointed; V.I. is as lovely a character as I remembered.

Fallout starts out as a standard P.I. (private investigator) novel, more or less.  The goal for the investigator, in this case, V.I., is to find someone and eventually another someone.  By the time, V.I. has made it from one end of Kansas to the other, Fallout starts to feel like a conspiracy thriller, and as the readers go deeper into the narrative, they can be forgiven for thinking that Fallout might be a little bit military thriller.

Ultimately, Fallout represents the best of a V.I. Warshawski novel – the mystery/suspense/crime novel that is more than a little bit different.  Sara Paretsky offers an irresistible narrative flow that makes it hard to stop reading.  Paretsky and her character, V.I Warshawski, are legends because they both deliver ferocious crime novels like Fallout.

A

www.saraparetsky.com

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a "I Reads You"


The text is copyright © 2017 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

--------------------------

Wednesday, May 24, 2017

Review: ALL-STAR BATMAN #6

ALL STAR BATMAN No. 6
DC COMICS – @DCComics

STORY: Scott Snyder
ART: Jock; Francesco Francavilla
COLORS: Matt Hollingsworth; Francesco Francavilla
LETTERS: Steve Wands
COVER: Jock
VARIANT COVER: Jock; Francesco Francavilla
40pp, Color, $4.99 U.S. (March 2017)

Rated “T” for Teen

Batman created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger

“Ends of the Earth” Part 1 and “The Cursed Wheel” Part 5

When I first saw the straight-to-video animated film, Batman & Mr. Freeze: SubZero, I realized what a great character long-time Batman nemesis, Mr. Freeze, could be.  To put it simply, the late actor Michael Ansara killed it delivering a great voice performance as Freeze in SubZero.  I think Boyd Kirkland and Randy Rogel created pathos for Freeze in SubZero that the character has rarely (if ever) had.  Since seeing that film, I have chosen to hear Michael Ansara's voice whenever I read comic books in which Mr. Freeze appears.

So I was happy to learn that Mr. Freeze is the bad guy in the second story arc of the new star-creator-driven Batman comic book series, All-Star Batman.  This new story features series writer Scott Snyder, and is drawn by Jock; colored by Matt Hollingsworth; and lettered Steve Wands.

All-Star Batman #6 opens with Batman trudging through snow in Alaska, 300 miles north of the Arctic Circle.  There is where he will find Mr. Freeze, hold up with a small army of living dead and about to hatch a plan to unfreeze Armageddon on humanity.

There is a sense of desperation in this new story, “Ends of the Earth.”  Personally, professionally, and socially – in the grand scheme of things, personal drive and desire drive conflict for the players in this new Batman thriller.  Each side believes that his choices are, if not the ultimate good, then, the best outcome for everyone.

This is the apocalypse writ intimately on old grudges and broken promises, and Jock's art is perfect for this stylish, world-ending, character study.  After the shiny, thrilling opening arc, Scott Snyder brings everything down to a simmer that still manages to threaten the world.  Meanwhile, “The Cursed Wheel” continues with a new artist, Francesco Francavilla, who delivers a creepy opening chapter.

A-

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"


The text is copyright © 2017 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for syndication rights and fees.


-------------------------------


Monday, May 22, 2017

DC Comics from Diamond Distributors for May 24, 2017

DC COMICS

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Marvel Comics from Diamond Distributors for May 24, 2017

MARVEL COMICS

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IDW Publishing from Diamond Distributors for May 24, 2017

IDW PUBLISHING

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Dark Horse Comics from Diamond Distributors for May 24, 2017

DARK HORSE COMICS

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Image Comics from Diamond Distributors from May 24, 2017

IMAGE COMICS

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MAR170849    VIOLENT LOVE TP VOL 01 STAY DANGEROUS (MR)    $9.99

Comics, Magazines and Books from Diamond Distributors for May 24, 2017

COMICS & GRAPHIC NOVELS

MAR172188    A&A ADV OF ARCHER & ARMSTRONG TP VOL 03 ANDROMEDA ESTRANGED    $14.99
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FEB171977    ALIEN COVENANT OFFICIAL NOVELIZATION MMPB    $7.99
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MAR172346    INCREDIBUILDS ROGUE ONE AT-ACT DLX MODEL W BOOK    $19.99
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MAR172270    YOUR NAME HC LIGHT NOVEL    $20.00
MAR172265    YOUTH ROMANTIC COMEDY WRONG EXPECTED NOVEL VOL 02 (RES)    $14.00

Saturday, May 20, 2017

Review: The Adventures of NIKKI HARRIS the Cybermation Witch #9

THE ADVENTURES OF NIKKI HARRIS THE CYBERMATION WITCH  No. 9
CANDLE LIGHT PRESS/Warning Comics – @candlelightpres

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

CARTOONIST: Carter Allen – @attila71
32pp, Color, $3.00 U.S. (2016 – 2nd)

“Ice”

When we last saw her, Nikki Harris (cybermation witch and sci-fi heroine) found herself targeted by the pesky and determined assassin, Farrah Heit.  She cooled off that hot-ho and saved the galaxy by keeping an important peace summit on the planet, Infantino (props to one of the three greatest Batman artists of all time), on track.

The Adventures of Nikki Harris the Cybermation Witch #9 (“Ice”) takes us to the edge of our solar system to the planet (planetoid), Pluto.  The people of Pluto are up in arms against the government, and the frustration is boiling over, enough to scare the administration in Pluto City, the capitol of the planet.  Now, Governor Plequeq calls Nikki Harris for help, but the threat is bigger and older than our crazy-sexy-cool heroine realizes.

The Adventures of Nikki Harris the Cybermation Witch comic book never fails to entertain, and it gets better with each issue.  There is more to Nikki, and her universe seems solid, but still able to be fresh.

Nikki Harris #9 offers some of creator Carter Allen's best exposition, as he deftly sets up the scenario for this story.  I like how Allen begins to drop hints and teases about the history of the world of Nikki Harris.  I like that, and I think there is so much more to reveal.  However, Nikki Harris is on her farewell tour, as the comic book will be ending in the near future.  #CybermationLivesMatter

A

http://candlelightpress.tumblr.com/
www.nikkithewitch.com
www.warningcomics.com

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"


The text is copyright © 2016 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

---------------------------

Friday, May 19, 2017

Review: JAMES BOND Volume 1 #7

JAMES BOND, VOL. 1 No. 7
DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT – @dynamitecomics

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

WRITER: Warren Ellis
ART: Jason Masters
COLORS: Guy Major
LETTERS: Simon Bowland
COVER: Dom Reardon
32pp, Color, $3.99 U.S.

Rated T+

“Eidolon”

The fictional British Secret Service agent, “James Bond,” was created by Ian Fleming, a British writer and novelist.  Fleming introduced James Bond in the 1953 novel, Casino Royale, and featured the character in 12 novels and two short-story collections.  Of course, most people know Bond because of EON Productions' long-running James Bond-007 film series, which began with the 1962 film, Dr. No.

Over the past 50+ years, Bond has made sporadic appearances in comic books, and the latest comes courtesy of Dynamite Entertainment.  James Bond, Volume 1 is written by Warren Ellis, drawn by Jason Masters, colored by Guy Major, and lettered by Simon Bowland.  The second story, entitled “Eidolon,” recently began.

James Bond, Volume 1, #7 begins with a man named Mr. Hawkwood doing a little killing because someone exposed “Eidolon.”  On the 007 side of things, James Bond arrives in Los Angeles.  His mission is to extract fellow MI6, Cadence Birdwhistle, from the Turkish Consulate.  Her cover has been blown, but it may be too late to fix this.

Apparently, the new story arc of Dynamite's James Bond, “Eidolon,” will introduce SPECTRE into this current iteration of James Bond comics.  Normally, I'd be super-excited about this, but this James Bond comic book is already fantastic after the previous story arc, the stunning “Vargr.”  The arrival (or return or debut) of SPECTRE is merely sprinkles on a ab-fab cake that is already layered with a nice, thick coating of delicious icing.

Still, upon first taste, those are some damn fine sprinkles.  James Bond, Volume 1, #7 is a compact, mean little bastard of a read.  Ellis' Bond is a blunt instrument, a skilled killer who will pop a cap in enemy ass with supernatural accuracy.

Ellis is a “name” comics creator, so he's the focus for many readers' attentions.  However, artist Jason Masters is pushing his way to the front.  I think the tenacity and the gripping nature of this story is the creation of the graphic storyteller, the visual artist and storyteller, which is Masters.  He is the guy that makes James Bond, Volume 1 explode, both within the narrative and also off the page... all over your face.  And girl, I don't mind wiping “Eidolon” stuff off my face.

Yeah, I'm still crazy about Dynamite's new James Bond comic book.  It should be outselling most of what DC Comics and Marvel are publishing.

A

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"


The text is copyright © 2016 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog for reprint and syndication rights and fees.


------------------------


Monday, May 15, 2017

DC Comics from Diamond Distributors for May 17, 2017

DC COMICS

MAR170266    AQUAMAN #23    $2.99
MAR170267    AQUAMAN #23 VAR ED    $2.99
FEB170328    ASTRO CITY #44    $3.99
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NOV160376    DC BLUELINE WONDER WOMAN AF BY JIM LEE    $40.00
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NOV169208    FLASH #22 (THE BUTTON)    $2.99
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FEB170337    FREE COUNTRY A TALE OF THE CHILDRENS CRUSADE TP (RES) (MR)    $19.99
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Marvel Comics from Diamond Distributors for May 17, 2017

MARVEL COMICS

NOV160952    AMAZING SPIDER-MAN OMNIBUS HC VOL 03 DM VAR KANE ED    $100.00
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IDW Publishing from Diamond Distributors for May 17, 2017

IDW PUBLISHING

MAR170584    ANIMAL NOIR #4 (OF 4)    $3.99
MAR170585    ANIMAL NOIR #4 (OF 4) SUBSCRIPTION VAR    $3.99
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