#IReadsYou Review: HUCK Volume 1

HUCK VOLUME 1

IMAGE COMICS

STORY: Mark Millar

ART: Rafael Albuquerque

COLORS: Dave McCaig

LETTERS: Nate Piekos of Blambot

EDITOR: Nicole Boose

COVER: Rafael Albuquerque

ISBN: 9781534300804; paperback; (July 26, 2016)

160pp, Color, $14.99 U.S. (May 2016)

Rated T / Teen

Huck created by Mark Millar and Rafael Albuquerque

Book One: All-American

Huck was a six issue comic book miniseries created by writer Mark Millar and artist Rafael Albuquerque.  Originally published from 2015 to 2016, Huck focused on a man who lives in a small town from where he anonymously travels the world doing good deeds and acts of kindness and mercy using his super powers.  The series was first collected as a trade paperback graphic novel in 2016.

Huck Volume 1 opens in rural Maine.  In a quiet seaside town, there are picket fences, farms, old-fashioned gas stations, and everyone knows everyone.  Life is a good, and it is made better by Huck, a 34-year-old young man of mysterious origins.  He humbly works at a gas station, but he has special gifts and physical abilities.  Each day, he uses his gifts, such as super-strength, to do a good deed.

His neighbors return his favors by keeping Huck's abilities a secret, but a newcomer to the town – in the form of Diane Davis – sees money in revealing Huck to the media.  Now, Huck is about to discover that his past had an eye on the future – a dark future of beings like him.

THE LOWDOWN:  Millarwold and Netflix provide me with PDF review copies of their publications and have been doing so for several years now.  I recently requested a copy of Huck Volume 1 in anticipation of Huck: Big Bad World #1, which is due in May 14, 2025.

When one considers writer Mark Millar's previous work on his creator owned series like Wanted, Kick-Ass, and Nemesis, it is not unreasonable to be shocked that Millar could write a comic book like Huck: All-American.  By turns sweet and sentimental, the first issue, Huck #1, almost seems like a fanciful retelling of the early years of Clark Kent.  However, it goes by way of Mayberry of former CBS sitcom, “The Andy Griffith Show,” more so than by way of Superman's Metropolis.  Millar tries to create the spirit of genuine Americana, and he pulls it off in a way that is different from the way two boys from Cleveland (writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster) did it.

I initially had mixed feelings about artist Rafael Albuquerque's work on Huck #1.  Albuquerque is both a distinctive stylist and storyteller, but almost a decade ago, I found his work in that first issue to be flat.  Now, I find Albuquerque's art to be a revelation.  Huck Volume 1 is a revelation.

Albuquerque's work in the entirety of Huck is glorious.  He really depicts and captures the spirit of Huck for which Millar is aiming.  Huck is not so much about good versus evil as it is about people who tirelessly do for others versus people who perpetually hurt and destroy others for their own personal gain.  Dave McCaig's colors convey Huck's spirit of human goodness.  The lettering by Nate Piekos is classic comics cool and gives the story a vintage 1980s sci-fi movie aesthetic.

Wow!  I love this first volume of Huck.  I would never go against the Moonstone family and the The Magic Order, but Huck is close to being my favorite Millarworld comic book.  I must have really been having a bad time in life back when Huck was originally published to have felt so “meh” about it.  [Actually, there was an awful lot of family melodrama back then.  It was other people's problems, and I was letting it constantly drag me down.]  Anyway, the first issue of the new series, Huck: Big Bad World, is about to drop.  I think I'm in a better mood to receive Huck this time.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of Mark Millar and Millarworld titles will want to read Huck Volume 1.

[This volume includes a section of Rafael Albuquerque's character designs, layouts, and inked art.]

A+

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

The HUCK VOLUME 1 trade paperback is available at Amazon.

https://www.mrmarkmillar.com/

https://x.com/mrmarkmillar

https://x.com/netflix

http://www.millarworld.tv/

The text is copyright © 2025 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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#IReadsYou Review: BATMAN: EARTH ONE Volume Two

BATMAN: EARTH ONE VOLUME TWO

DC COMICS

STORY: Geoff Johns

PENCILS: Gary Frank

INKS: Jonathan Sibal

COLORS: Brad Anderson

LETTERS: Rob Leigh

COVER: Gary Frank with Brad Anderson

ISBN: 978-1-4012-6251-8; paperback (June 21, 2016)

144pp, Color, $14.99 U.S., $17.99 CAN

Batman created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger

Batman: Earth One Volume 2 is 2015 hardcover original graphic novel (OGN) published by DC Comics.  It is written by Geoff Johns; drawn by Gary Frank (pencils) and Jonathan Sibal (inks); colored by Brad Anderson; and lettered by Rob Leigh.  Set in a reality that is different from the flagship Batman titles, Earth One Vol. 2 pits Batman against The Riddler for the first time.

In 2009, DC Comics announced plans to publish new graphic novels that would retell or re-imagine the beginnings of Batman and Superman.  Each character would have his own ongoing series of original graphic novels depicting his earliest moments as a superhero and crime fighter.  Each graphic novel would be a stand-alone story set on a new Earth with an all-new continuity.  Superman: Earth One Volume One arrived in October 2010 and Batman: Earth One Volume One arrived in 2012, both released as hardcover original graphic novels.  To date (2024), there have been three releases each featuring Superman and Batman, and some releases featuring other DC Comics characters. [My review is based on the 2016 paperback edition of this graphic novel.]

Batman: Earth One Volume Two opens in the gritty, contemporary metropolis of Gotham City in the wake of the murder of Mayor Osward Cobblepot (as seen in Vol. 1).  The police and the public believe that Batman murdered the mayor, but the actual killer is Alfred Pennyworth.  The former Royal Marine and friend of Bruce Wayne's late father, Thomas Wayne, Alfred is now Bruce's head of security and partner in Bruce's war on crime and corruption as the costumed-wearing vigilante, The Batman.

Something else, however, is also troubling Gotham City.  It has been plunged into terror by an enigmatic anarchist, terrorist, and killer calling himself “The Riddler.”  He begins with a bang with the murder of five people who plunge to their deaths in an elevator.  Batman is determined to stop him, but he finds himself caught in the conflicting ideologies of Detective Jim Gordon of the Gotham City Police Department (GCPD) and of Alfred.  Gordon is also dealing with the troubles of his partner, Harvey Bullock.  Once flashy and overconfident, Bullock is now traumatized by the discovery he made in a serial killer's basement (as seen in Vol. 1).

If that weren't enough melodrama, Gotham Mayor Jessica Dent wants Bruce to help her discover the identities of the five VIP Gotham residents who have taken over the late Mayor Cobblepot's criminal empire.  However, her brother, District Attorney Harvey Dent, has hated Bruce since they were children, and he has his own secret agenda.  Meanwhile, there are reports of a bizarre creature, called “Killer Croc, prowling the sewers of the city, treating human and animal as meat for the beast.

THE LOWDOWN:  I was crazy about Batman: Earth One Volume One.  It is like a “Batman Family” story because Johns writes it as if it were an ensemble crime drama.  Batman is obviously the lead, but Vol. 1 seems to treat Bruce Wayne as one of several supporting characters in the story.  I rather like that.

In Batman: Earth One Volume Two, John makes Bruce Wayne the lead, with the Batman being only one part of a complicate life of purposes.  The story seems to be about Bruce Wayne working out who he is.  Is Bruce just the Batman, or is Bruce a civilian with a mission that is just as important as Batman's mission as a costumed vigilante?  It is an interesting take, one that is more interesting than anything to do with The Riddler angle of the story.

Speaking of the Riddler:  I have not yet read Batman: Earth One Volume Three, but I believe the first two volumes had a big influence on director Matt Reeves' 2022 Batman film, The Batman, especially Vol. 2.  Reading this graphic novel, over two years after first seeing The Batman, I find that Vol. 2 seems quite familiar.  It wasn't long into reading this that I was making connections to the 2022 Batman film, which also has The Riddler as a terrorist-like villain.

British comic book artist, Gary Frank, has displayed his muscular compositions and forceful graphical storytelling to readers for the better part of four decades – three decades in the U.S.  I don't think Geoff John's edgy, retooling of Batman, which owes a lot to Frank Miller's Batman: The Dark Knight Returns and to Alan Moore and Brian Bolland's Batman: The Killing Joke, would work quite as well without Frank's brawny storytelling and pencils.  Inker Jon Sibal captures that strength with a balance of sinewy precision and consistent and deft grace in his inking.

Colorist Brad Anderson makes the art both bright and dark – bright to reveal the emotional moments and dark to hide the danger.  Another strong contributor is Rob Leigh; his lettering is what gives the story a balance of sound and effect.

I don't know if there is going to be more Batman: Earth One.  Truthfully, Earth One should have been the direction taken by the “Rebirth” launch of the flagship Batman in 2016.  But what do I know?  I'm not a comics publisher selling comic books in a stagnate market for American comic books.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of Batman comic books will want to read Batman: Earth One Volume Two.

A

★★★★ out of 4 stars

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

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The text is copyright © 2024 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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#IReadsYou: Review: GEEK-GIRL #1

GEEK-GIRL No. 1 (OF 4)
MARKOSIA ENTERPRISES, LTD. – @Markosia

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

STORY: Sam Johnson – @daSamJohnson
ART: Carlos Granda – @ComicFAN
COLORS: Nahp
LETTERS: Paul McLaren
COVER: Carlos Granda with Chunlin Zhao
VARIANT COVER ARTISTS: Matt Olson; John Royle
28pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (November 2016) - digital edition

Geek-Girl created by Sam Johnson

“Lightning Strikes”

Geek-Girl is a comic book character created by Sam Johnson (The Almighties; Cabra Cini: Voodoo Junkie Hitwoman).  It is the story a of college coed who inadvertently becomes a superhero.  The character is introduced in the 2016-17 digital comics miniseries, Geek-Girl, which is written by Sam Johnson; drawn by Carlos Granda; colored by Nahp; and lettered by Paul McLaren.

Geek-Girl #1 opens at night in the skies over Acorn Ridge, Maine.  Geek-Girl is flying around, talking on her phone to her BFF, Summer.  She may not look like a hero, with her booty-shorts and a crop top that can barely contain her ample bosoms, but Geek-Girl is a super-heroine.

Ruby Kaye was a ordinary student at Acorn Ridge College, but then, she hears fellow college student, Jeff, bragging about “super glasses” that give the wearer “super-powers.”  Ruby decides she has to try them on, and before you know it, she is a super-hero.  When she sees a costumed baddie brutally beat-up Maine's resident super-heroine, “Neon Girl,” Ruby finds herself suddenly thrust into being a real superhero, “Geek-Girl.”

Sam Johnson sent me a digital review copy of Geek-Girl #1 some time ago, and I was recently reminded of its existence because the latest Geek-Girl miniseries is set to debut as a digital comic book available through ComiXilogy.  I did peruse the PDF after I first downloaded it, and I was impressed by Carlos Granda, the artist on the series.

Granda's compositions are strong, and he is close to being ready to draw comic books for Marvel and DC Comics (if he has not already).  The lettering by Paul McLaren is professional level, and Nahp's coloring is a little to incandescent, but some of the color effects look good.

Sam Johnson's story is a bit odd.  Ruby Kaye wants to be just-another-girl and a superhero at the same time, but seems socially awkward.  The enjoyable part of the story is watching Ruby work around her conflicts and contradictions, and there is good dramatic potential in the fact that she is blissfully naive about the fact that she is over her head and out of her league.  In Geek-Girl #1, Johnson shows that he has the ability to deliver indie superhero comics that are not only good, but also have the possibility of getting better with each new episode.

7 out of 10

www.geekgirlcomics.com
https://www.comixology.com/

Geek-Girl #1's (2016) ComiXology page: https://www.comixology.com/Geek-Girl-1/digital-comic/434944?ref=c2VyaWVzL3ZpZXcvZGVza3RvcC9ncmlkTGlzdC9Jc3N1ZXM

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

The first GEEK-GIRL trade paperback, "GEEK-GIRL: LIGHTNING STRIKES!, is available at Amazon.

The text is copyright © 2018 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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Review: STRANGE FRUIT #4

STRANGE FRUIT No. 4 (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. (November 2016)

Suggested for mature readers

Published by BOOM! Studios, Strange Fruit was a four-issue comic book miniseries released in 2015 and 2016.  It was the creation of two acclaimed comic book creators.  The first is J.G. Jones, the co-creator of Wanted (with Mark Millar) and the cover artist for the Vertigo comic book series, Y: The Last Man.  The second is Mark Waid, a long-time comic book writer and editor.  Waid is known for the creation of the DC Comics miniseries, Kingdom Come (with artist Alex Ross) and for writing two acclaimed runs on Marvel Comics' Daredevil.

In a publicity release, BOOM! Studios described Strange Fruit as “a deeply personal passion project.”  The release also said that the comic book was 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 is set in and around Chatterlee, Mississippi in April 1927.  At this time, the “Great Mississippi Flood of 1927” would occur.   As the story begins, the Mississippi River is rising, threatening to break open the levees and destroy Chatterlee, as it has already done to other “God-fearing” towns.  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.

As Strange Fruit #4 opens, some of the local White people have come to see the mysterious Black man as useful, although the local Black community has already greeted his arrival as a sign of divine intervention.  Nicknamed “Johnson,” by Sonny, the young “agitator,” the stranger begins to really show his super powers, and attempts to use a strange device to save the town and the people from the flood.  However, there are still some racist White people who want to kill Johnson and other Black people even as the rising water threatens their very own lives.

In my review of Strange Fruit #3, I mentioned one of my all-time favorite novels, Stephen King's masterpiece, 'Salem's Lot (1975).  One of the elements of the plot that I thoroughly enjoyed was how the people of Jerusalem's Lot (or 'Salem's Lot, for short) blithely carried on their petty conflicts while darkness slowly enveloped their town.  That is Strange Fruit #3 and #4 in a nutshell.  Even the behemoth threat that is the flooding Mississippi River cannot completely draw people away from their mistrust and racial strife.

This is truth in J.G. Jones and Mark Waid's storytelling.  They convey the brutal strength and ugly power of hate with honesty; even with salvation or death by drowning practically shoved in their faces, some of the White people still have to hate and oppress Black folks.  I have said this before and it bears repeating:  Strange Fruit is not a screed against racism; rather it is an amazingly human tale that is genuine in its portrayal of the nature of man.

J. G. Jones produced some of the most beautiful comic book art for Strange Fruit that I have ever seen.  His depiction of the human face and its myriad expressiveness is a sight to behold.  The grace of the human in clothing and costume shines through even when the characters are being less than graceful.

Strange Fruit was one of 2015's best comic books and is one of the best of 2016.  It never received any Eisner Award (for excellence in comic books) nominations.  Wow!

A+

www.boom-studios.com
#comicsforward

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.

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#IReadsYou Review: TWILIGHT ZONE: THE SHADOW #4

TWILIGHT ZONE THE SHADOW, VOL. 1 No. 4
DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT – @dynamitecomics

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

WRITER: David Avallone
ART: Dave Acosta
COLORS: Omi Remalante
LETTERS: Taylor Esposito
COVER: Francesco Francavilla
VARIANT COVER: Francesco Francavilla
32pp, Color, $3.99 U.S.

Rated T+

Chapter Four: “Shadowboxing”

“The Twilight Zone” was an American television series that was broadcast on the CBS television network for five seasons from 1959 to 1964.  Created by writer-producer Rod Serling, “The Twilight Zone” employed an anthology format, with each episode being unrelated to any other episode of the series.  The series told stories in multiple genres, from drama, psychological thriller, and suspense to horror, fantasy, and science fiction.  Episodes often had a moral and/or an ending that presented a macabre resolution or an unexpected twist.

The Shadow began life as a mysterious radio narrator.  He debuted on July 31, 1930 as the host of the radio program, “Detective Story Hour,” which was designed to promote Detective Story Magazine from Street and Smith Publications.  Street and Smith hired writer Walter B. Gibson to create a character concept that fit The Shadow's name and voice and to also write a story featuring him.  The Shadow would go on to be one of the most famous fictional characters of the twentieth century, starring in a long-running pulp magazine series, comic books, and newspaper comic strips, as well as in films, movie serials, and television series.

Dynamite Entertainment brings the classic TV series and the pulp avenger together in the comic book crossover event, The Twilight Zone: The Shadow (or Twilight Zone The Shadow).  This four-issue miniseries is written by David Avallone; drawn by Dave Acosta; colored by Omi Remalante; and lettered by Taylor Esposito.

The Twilight Zone: The Shadow opens in October 1938 in Yaphank, New York.  It is 'round midnight at “Camp Siegfried,” an American Nazi camp.  The Shadow, with the assistance of Margo Lane and his driver, Moe “Shrevvy” Shrevnizt, launch a raid on the camp where The Shadow unleashes his full fury against the camp's American Nazis.  The Shadow and Margo are arguing about the crime fighter's lack of mercy and restraint when an explosion and mysterious chemical weapons attack interrupts them.

Kent Allard (a.k.a The Shadow) awakens in the body of his alter-ego, Lamont Cranston.  Allard does not know that his journey in The Twilight Zone is just beginning.  After seeing the world through Cranston's eyes, another jolt puts him the body of actor Preston Springs, the radio voice of The Shadow.  Then, Allard becomes a writer named Arthur who is tasked with creating The Shadow.

The Twilight Zone: The Shadow #4 (“Shadowboxing”) finds Kent Allard as The Shadow again, but back at Camp Siegfried in Yaphank, New York – as a prisoner.  Camp leader, Kreisleiter Wilhelm Penzler, announces that he plans on executing The Shadow at dawn.  Now, the only thing standing between Allard saving himself and his compatriots is a young American Nazi, Peter Dallenbach.  Through this young man, does The Twilight Zone have another lesson for Kent Allard, The Shadow?

In my review of The Twilight Zone: The Shadow #1, I wrote that this series had potential.  I thought that the first issue wasn't good, or bad, or even mediocre.  It was a still-developing dream, more so than it was a story, but that was in keeping with The Twilight Zone and it's dream-like aura.

Well, writer David Avallone delivers on that potential.  I did wonder if someone could really do something with a plot that brought together two fictional universes that are so different.  However, Avallone does what was obvious.  He uses The Twilight Zone to do what it does best – punish hubris, violence, arrogance, hate, etc.  Avallone has Kent Allard face himself and learn something without having to fundamentally change The Shadow, because in the end, he still is going to bust some caps in some Nazi (and criminal) ass.

Artist Dave Acosta delivers solid graphical storytelling throughout the four issues.  Acosta captures the character nuances of Avallone's script, and he is quite good at depicting the subtle shifts in emotion and attitude that convey much of the story.  This is most evident in the exchange between The Shadow and young Peter Dallenbach, in which Acosta sells the idea of the wayward youth's possible conversion from Nazi dupe to someone who is at least willing to think about what he is doing.

Honestly, I would like to see other properties crossover with The Twilight Zone.  Who knows?  The team of David Avallone and Dave Acosta might have another tale of The Shadow and The Twilight Zone in them.

B+

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.

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#IReadsYou Review: MIDNIGHT OF THE SOUL #1

MIDNIGHT OF THE SOUL No. 1
IMAGE COMICS – @ImageComics

WRITER/ARTIST: Howard Chaykin
COLORS: Jesus Aburtov
LETTERS: Ken Bruzenak
COVER: Howard Chaykin with Jesus Aburtov
28pp, Color, $3.50 U.S. (June 2016)

Rated “M / Mature”

Midnight of the Soul is a new comic book miniseries from Howard Chaykin.  The series is set in 1950 and is written and drawn by Chaykin; colored by Jesus Aburtov; and lettered by Ken Bruzenak.

Midnight of the Soul #1 opens in New York City, 1950.  Joel Breakstone is a former G.I. who served in World War II and was one of the liberators of the infamous internment camp at Auschwitz.  Joel is also a pile of seriously damaged good, formerly addicted to morphine and currently addicted to alcohol.  He recalls his wartime experiences as he struggles to be a writer of alternate-universe science fiction.  With his life cratering, Joel is ready for change.

As a youngster, I was a fan of Chaykin's seminal and influential 1980s science fiction comic book series, American Flagg!!  I also fell hard for Chaykin's other 1980s work, especially The Shadow, a four-issue reboot of the classic pulp magazine hero for DC Comics.  To a lesser extent, I also enjoyed Blackhawk, his re-imagining of the Golden Age, adventure comic, Blackhawks (also for DC Comics).  I also read and re-read Chaykin's noir-infused, black and white, porno-mystery comic, Black Kiss.

After those classics, I found other Howard Chaykin comic books to enjoy, but none brought me the sheer joy I got from his 1980s comics.  I have not gotten around to reading his recent output, especially the work published by Image Comics.  I only read one issue of his murder mystery comic book series, Satellite Sam (created with writer Matt Fraction).  I read the entirety of Blade, which stars Marvel's vampire-killin' Black dude, which Chaykin drew, but did not write.

This is the long way of saying that I never stopped being interested in Howard Chaykin and still read his comics when I can find them.  So I am curious about Midnight of the Soul.  Chaykin buries the reader in the morass that is Joel Breakstone, and, in my case, I am ready to take a journey into or to wherever he is going.

After four decades of producing comic books and graphical storytelling, Chaykin still has it.  He has mastered the medium, creating a unique graphical language with its own captivating rhythm.  Graphic design, page layout, and composition create panels that are individually striking and collectively intriguing.  I don't know if Midnight of the Soul will ultimately be an ambitious misfire or a standout, but the creator is exceptional.  That makes reading this comic book worth the time.

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.

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#IReadsYou Review: TWILIGHT ZONE THE SHADOW #1

TWILIGHT ZONE THE SHADOW, VOL. 1 No. 1
DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT – @dynamitecomics

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

WRITER: David Avallone
ART: Dave Acosta
COLORS: Omi Remalante
LETTERS: Taylor Esposito
COVER: Francesco Francavilla
VARIANT COVER: Francesco Francavilla
32pp, Color, $3.99 U.S.

Rated T+

Chapter One: “Shadow of a Doubt”

“The Twilight Zone” was an American television series that was broadcast on the CBS television network for five seasons from 1959 to 1964.  Created by writer-producer Rod Serling, “The Twilight Zone” employed an anthology format, with each episode being unrelated to any other episode of the series.  The series told stories in multiple genres, from drama, psychological thriller, and suspense to horror, fantasy, and science fiction.  Episodes often had a moral and/or an ending that presented a macabre resolution or an unexpected twist.

The Shadow is a fictional character that began life as a mysterious radio narrator.  He debuted on July 31, 1930 and was the host of the radio program, “Detective Story Hour,” which was designed to promote Detective Story Magazine from Street and Smith Publications.  Listeners of that program began asking newsstand agents for copies of “The Shadow's detective magazine,” assuming one existed, which it did not.

Street and Smith hired writer Walter B. Gibson to create a character concept that fit The Shadow's name and voice and to also write a story featuring him.  The first issue of The Shadow Magazine went on sale on April 1, 1931.  The Shadow would go on to be one of the most famous fictional characters of the twentieth century, starring in a long-running pulp magazine series, comic books, and newspaper comic strips, as well as in films, movie serials, and television series.

For the past decade, Dynamite Entertainment has had the license to produced comic books featuring The Shadow.  There have not been many comic books based on “The Twilight Zone,” but Dynamite apparently now has the license for that.  The result is a new comic book, crossover miniseries, The Twilight Zone: The Shadow (or Twilight Zone The Shadow).  It is written by David Avallone; drawn by Dave Acosta; colored by Omi Remalante; and lettered by Taylor Esposito.

The Twilight Zone: The Shadow #1 (“Shadow of a Doubt”) opens in October 1938 in Yaphank, New York.  It is 'round midnight at “Camp Siegfried,” and The Shadow is there to bust a cap in some American Nazi ass.  In the aftermath, however, Lamont Cranston finds himself in a situation in which what he believes to be is not.  Everything seems familiar, but this is the Twilight Zone.

Honestly, The Twilight Zone: The Shadow has potential.  It isn't good, or bad, or even mediocre.  It is like a still developing dream, more so than it is a story, but that's the Twilight Zone for you when it comes to dream-like.  Artist Dave Acosta is good at storytelling here, although his compositions are not refined.  From a skills point of view, Acosta is in that (ahem) twilight zone between self-published, POD comics, wannabe professional artist and a small press anthology cartoonist.  But I guess Dynamite finds his page-rate convenient.

Writer David Avallone has a good kernel of a story, but the 20 pages this first issue offers are not enough to really get a feel for what he is doing.  Like I said earlier, there is potential here.  The Twilight Zone: The Shadow could end up being something nice.

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.

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#IReadsYou Art Book Review: :Yoshitaka AMANO: Illustrations"

YOSHITAKA AMANO: ILLUSTRATIONS
VIZ MEDIA– @VIZMedia

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

ARTIST: Yoshitaka Amano
TRANSLATION/ENGLISH ADAPTATION: Tetsuichiro Miyaki
DESIGNER: Fawn Lau
EDITOR: Leyla Aker
COVER: Yoshitaka Amano with Fawn Lau
ISBN: 978-1-4215-8957-2; paperback, (August 2016)
132pp, Color, $19.99 U.S., $22.99 CAN, £12.99 UK

Born in 1952 in Shizuoka Prefecture,Yoshitaka Amano is a Japanese artist, character designer, and illustrator.  He is a scenic designer for live theater and film and a costume designer.  Amano first came into prominence in 1967 as a 15-year-old working for Tatsunoko Production, first working on the anime adaptation of Speed Racer.  He later became the creator of such iconic and influential characters as Gatchaman (Battle of the Planets) and Honeybee Hutch, to name a few.

In the 1980s, Amano soared to fame for his work on covers and interior illustrations for books, the most famous example of such work being his cover and illustrations for author Hideyuki Kikuchi's book series, Vampire Hunter D.  In 1987, Amano began his association with the Final Fantasy video game by designing characters and visual concepts.  Some American readers may know Amano for working with author Neil Gaiman on the award-winning illustrated book, The Sandman: The Dream Hunters.

Now, VIZ Media celebrates the remarkable career of this famed artist with a new art book, Yoshitaka Amano: Illustrations.  This 8.5” x 11” softcover volume (which has an illustrated dust jacket) is an overview and survey of Amano's career.  This book includes several color illustrations from Amano's work on Final Fantasy covering a period of just over two decades.  Fans of Vampire Hunter D will delight over the eight pages of paintings, illustrations, and studies from the famed vampire media franchise.  There are also several pages of Amano's illustrations and art for other book series.

Yoshitaka Amano: Illustrations also includes the transcript of a conversation between Amano and graphic artist Akira Uno, who once worked with Amano as an art director.  There is a 10-page section featuring Amano's sketches of men and women, and also several pages of anime character designs, fine art, and other work.

I have to say that Yoshitaka Amano: Illustrations is a beautifully designed book, but it would have to be because of its subject matter.  Amano's work is so beautiful, colorful, imaginative, and just damn gorgeous; how could a book about him afford to be unpretty?  So the people who put Yoshitaka Amano: Illustrations created a colorful and color-infused book that is befitting of an incredible artist, illustrator, and designer.

I must say that I am disappointed that there are no examples of Amano's early work on Speed Racer, nor are their any examples of Amano's work with Neil Gaiman on The Sandman.  The truth is that even this beautiful volume cannot capture the enormity of a talent like Yoshitaka Amano, nor the expanse of his output.  So, yeah, Yoshitaka Amano: Illustrations is a vivid teaser of a survey and overview that will encourage you the reader to go out and look for more.  I do want more.  Once again, VIZ Media has published a fantastic, high-quality art book.

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.

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#IReadsYou Review: COUSIN JOSEPH: A Graphic Novel

COUSIN JOSEPH: A Graphic Novel
W.W. NORTON & COMPANY/Liveright – @wwnorton and @LiverightPub

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

CARTOONIST:  Jules Feiffer
ISBN: 978-1-63149-065-1; hardcover (August 3, 2016)
128pp, Color, $27.95 U.S., $35.95 CAN

Born in 1929, Jules Feiffer is an American syndicated cartoonist, author, playwright, screenwriter, and comics creator.  He may be best known for his long-running comic strip, entitled Feiffer, which ran for 42 years in the venerable New York City weekly, The Village Voice.

Two years ago, Liveright, an imprint of W.W. Norton & Company, published Kill My Mother: A Graphic Novel, a brand-new, Film-Noir inspired graphic novel by Feiffer.  Kill My Mother opens in Bay City, California in the year 1933.  The story revolves around a woman named Elsie Hannigan and her estranged teenage daughter, Annie, who hates her mother.  Elsie is a widower, following the murder of her husband, Sam Hannigan, a policeman.  Elsie's life is hectic and complicated.  Her boss is her late husband's former partner, Neil Hammond, a hard-drinking, has-been private detective who takes shady jobs.  Hammond ends up murdered, the beginning of a mystery spread over a decade.

Feiffer's new comic book is entitled Cousin Joseph: A Graphic Novel, the follow-up to Kill My Mother.  Cousin Joseph is set in Bay City in 1931, two years before Kill My Mother opens, and it reveals why and how Sam Hannigan was killed.  Detective Sam Hannigan is a bare-knuckled, tough, no-nonsense cop who does not hesitate to use his fists to resolve a case or a dispute.  Sam is also a bag-man for a mysterious Hollywood power broker that he knows only as “Cousin Joseph.”  Sam delivers payoffs to other Hollywood types for Cousin Joseph, and if they don't comply with Cousin Joseph's demands, Sam also delivers brutal beatings.

Bay City is also roiling with labor unrest.  Hardy Knox, owner of the cannery, Knox Works, is facing a strike by his employees who are members of a union led by Billy Doyle.  Billy and Sam go way back, but Sam may have to call out his union-busting team, The Red Squad.  Sam knows that he is on a mission, but it may be the wrong mission – one that will make him enemies – some close to home and some quite deadly.

The first time I tried to read Kill My Mother, I stopped after a few pages.  I avoided the galley/review copy that the publisher Liveright has sent to me.  I finally forced myself to read Kill My Mother and ended up loving it.  I had no such problems with Cousin Joseph, for which I also received a galley, as I dove right into book.

Cousin Joseph is a quintessential American graphic novel and comic book, something rare.  Jules Feiffer not only tackles the complexities of the American dream, he also illustrates how Americans see it differently.  He even delves into the notion which some American have that the American dream is not for everyone who lives in America.  Only certain people can have the best of America, these people believe.  Everyone else:  the second class citizens, those with the wrong skin color, those who worship differently; is of an undesirable ethnic origin.  Those people have to know their place, and it ain't anywhere near the top.  For some, America is about dreams of a place at the top of society and joy of finally reaching that pinnacle.  For others, there is struggle and prejudice, and that is the way it should be, almost as if it were part of a natural order in a certain kind of America.

Years ago, I heard an old white lady tell someone that she loved movies like A Few Good Men (1992) because they reflected the best of us (America).  I like Cousin Joseph because it skins the American myth raw.  This comic book is about the story Americans tell themselves and the whole world, but Americans have no plan to make that myth the real thing.

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.

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Review: THE STORY OF MY TITS

THE STORY OF MY TITS
TOP SHELF PRODUCTIONS – @topshelfcomix

CARTOONIST: Jennifer Hayden
EDITORS: Chris Staros and Leigh Walton
ISBN: 978-1-60309-054-4; softcover with French flaps (September 2015)
352pp, B&W, $29.95 U.S.

Mature readers (16+)

The Story of My Tits is a 2015 black and white, original graphic novel from Jennifer Hayden, an author, children's book illustrator, and comix creator.  Published by Top Shelf Productions, The Story of My Tits chronicles Hayden's life from her years as a girl with a flat chest to her battle with breast cancer in her forties.

Born in the early 1960s, Jennifer is an ordinary girl, but over time, she comes to discover that unlike other ordinary girls, her breasts are taking their own sweet time to develop.  Eventually, Jennifer's tits do appear as she discovers boys, sex, and break-ups with boys.

However, the innocence of youth quickly gives way to the chaos of adulthood.  There is college, a long-term relationship with Jim, the young man who later becomes her husband.  There is her mother's brush with breast cancer that eventually leads to a mastectomy, and while her mother suffers a health crisis, her father has a mistress.  Jennifer experiences the ups-and-downs of two families after she marries Jim, but the biggest downer is her own diagnosis of breast cancer.  It comes during the summer of 2004 when she is 43.  It is then that Jennifer has to chart her own difficult course of surgery, recovery, and renewal.

Any description of The Story of My Tits cannot come close to truly describing this monster of a comic book.  I understand why it would be sold as a graphic novel about cancer, because breast cancer is a dark shadow that looms over this story.  It is hard to find people who have not had a brush with cancer in their lives.

My paternal grandfather died of it.  In 2014, a friend who was long misdiagnosed died of pancreatic cancer.  I took my mother to a doctor's appointment a few years ago, not knowing that a biopsy was planned.  When I was told that the doctor was concerned about the possibility of breast cancer, I finally understood what people mean when they say that they feel as if the walls are closing in on them.  It was as if I were in a large room that instantly shrunk to closet-size around me.

The Story of My Tits is a story about life, love, and loss.  It is an epic biography about family and friends, about having jobs and having a career, about saying goodbye to cherished loved ones almost at the same time welcoming new life into the world.  Because Jennifer tells us so much about her life, we buy into her story.  And when we buy into the story, we buy the cancer, too.  Jennifer's confusion about her health and her fear of death become a real thing with which we the readers must grapple.

The Story of My Tits is triumphant and heartbreaking.  It is glorious in its joy and candid in its sadness.  Most of all, it is a fantastic read.  I did not know that tits could be so alluring and attractive, and it would have nothing to do with sex.  Seriously, Jennifer Hayden has offered a story for our times that is timeless in its breath and scope.

A+

www.jenniferhayden.com
goddesscomix.blogspot.com

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux


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

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