Marvel Comics from Diamond Distributors for November 21, 2018

MARVEL COMICS

AUG181090    AMAZING SPIDER-MAN RENEW YOUR VOWS TP VOL 04 ARE YOU OKAY AN    $15.99
SEP180966    ASTONISHING X-MEN #17    $3.99
SEP180967    ASTONISHING X-MEN #17 ROSS UNCANNY X-MEN VAR    $3.99
AUG189176    COSMIC GHOST RIDER #4 (OF 5) 2ND PTG BURNETT VAR    $3.99
SEP180941    DOCTOR STRANGE #8    $3.99
SEP180942    DOCTOR STRANGE #8 BRADSHAW UNCANNY X-MEN VAR    $3.99
SEP180903    IMMORTAL HULK #9    $3.99
SEP180904    IMMORTAL HULK #9 ART ADAMS UNCANNY X-MEN VAR    $3.99
AUG181082    IMMORTAL HULK TP VOL 01 OR IS HE BOTH    $15.99
SEP180873    INFINITY WARS GHOST PANTHER #1 (OF 2)    $3.99
SEP180874    INFINITY WARS GHOST PANTHER #1 (OF 2) KUBERT CONNECTING VAR    $3.99
SEP180867    INFINITY WARS SLEEPWALKER #3 (OF 4)    $3.99
SEP180819    MARVEL KNIGHTS 20TH #2 (OF 6)    $3.99
SEP180821    MARVEL KNIGHTS 20TH #2 (OF 6) ANDREWS CONNECTING VAR    $3.99
SEP180947    MOON GIRL AND DEVIL DINOSAUR #37    $3.99
SEP180978    MR AND MRS X #5    $3.99
AUG181091    PETER PARKER SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN TP VOL 04 COMING HOME    $19.99
AUG181007    PUNISHER #4    $3.99
AUG189268    SHURI #1 2ND PTG ROMERO VAR    $3.99
SEP180911    SHURI #2    $3.99
MAY180954    SILVER SURFER BY SLOTT AND ALLRED OMNIBUS HC    $75.00
SEP180884    SPIDER-FORCE #2 (OF 3) SG    $3.99
AUG189067    SPIDER-GEDDON #1 (OF 5) 2ND PTG MOLINA VAR    $3.99
SEP180880    SPIDER-GEDDON #4 (OF 5)    $3.99
SEP180881    SPIDER-GEDDON #4 (OF 5) IN HYUK LEE CONNECTING VAR    $3.99
SEP180922    SPIDER-MAN ENTER THE SPIDER-VERSE #1    $4.99
AUG180985    SPIDEY SCHOOLS OUT MPGN TP    $14.99
SEP180982    STAR WARS #57    $3.99
SEP180987    STAR WARS SOLO ADAPTATION #2 (OF 7)    $3.99
AUG180961    TONY STARK IRON MAN #6    $3.99
AUG180962    TONY STARK IRON MAN #6 JONG JU KIM MARVEL BATTLE LINES VAR    $3.99
SEP180806    UNCANNY X-MEN #2    $3.99
SEP180808    UNCANNY X-MEN #2 CHRISTOPHER ACTION FIGURE VAR    $3.99
AUG181081    VENOM BY DONNY CATES TP VOL 01 REX    $17.99
SEP180971    WEAPON H #10    $3.99
SEP180977    WEAPON X #26    $3.99
SEP180855    WEB OF VENOM CARNAGE BORN #1    $4.99
SEP180856    WEB OF VENOM CARNAGE BORN #1 BEDERMAN VAR    $4.99
SEP180895    WEST COAST AVENGERS #4    $3.99
SEP188220    WEST COAST AVENGERS #4 NAKAYAMA VAR    $3.99
SEP180896    WEST COAST AVENGERS #4 UNCANNY X-MEN VAR    $3.99
AUG189270    X-MEN BLACK JUGGERNAUT #1 2ND PTG CRYSTAL VAR    $4.99
AUG189271    X-MEN BLACK MYSTIQUE #1 2ND PTG FAILLA VAR    $4.99

Review: FANTASTIC FOUR #1 Fascimile Edition

FANTASTIC FOUR #1 FACSIMILE EDITION (2018)
MARVEL COMICS – @Marvel

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

WRITER: Stan Lee
PENCILS: Jack Kirby
INKS: George Klein (?); Sol Brodsky (?)
COLORS: Stan Goldberg
LETTERS: Artie Simek
EDITOR: Mark D. Beazley (collection editor)
COVER: Jack Kirby and George Klein with Stan Goldberg (?)
MISC. ART: John Buscema and Joe Sinnott; John Byrne and Terry Austin; John Byrne; Alex Ross; John Byrne with Gregory Wright; Scott Eaton with Richard Isanove; Eric Powell; Clayton Crain; Marcelo DiChiara; Ed McGuinness and Dexter Vines; Michael Wm Kaluta; Leinil Francis Yu; Arthur Adams with Justin Ponsor; Humberto Ramos with Edgar Delgado; Jack Kirby and George Klein with Dean White
48pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (October 2018)

Fantastic Four created by Jack Kirby and Stan Lee

Afterword by Dan Slott

“The Fantastic Four!”

The Fantastic Four #1 (cover dated: November 1961) is the comic book that basically started what we know of today as Marvel Comics and the “Marvel Universe” of superheroes, comic books, stories, and fictional mythologies.  This comic book only credits two of the creative team, Fantastic Four creators, Stan Lee and Jack Kirby.  Lee wrote a two-page plot that Kirby drew, via pencil art, as a 25-page comic book story.  Lee, credited as the scriptwriter, wrote the exposition and dialogue for the 25 pages.  You can experience this history in Marvel Comics' recent release, Fantastic Four #1 Facsimile Edition.

Because comic books then did not provide contributor credits as they do today, there is some question as to the rest of the creative team of this first issue of The Fantastic Four (also known as “FF”).  George Klein and possibly Sol Brodsky provided inks over Kirby's pencils.  Stan Goldberg was the colorist, and Artie Simek was this comic book's letterer.

The Fantastic Four #1 (“The Fantastic Four!) opens in the FF's original home, Central City.  The ordinary citizens are in an uproar, as above them, someone has fired a flare gun that has unleashed a huge smoke cloud.  Like a silent beacon, the smoke is emblazoned with the words, “THE FANTASTIC FOUR!”  What does it all mean, the citizens of Central City wonder?

The one who fired the gun is Reed Richards a.k.a. “Mister Fantastic,” a scientific genius, who can stretch his body to incredible lengths and into endless shapes.  He is calling Susan “Sue” Storm a.k.a. “the Invisible Girl,” who can make herself invisible.  The call also goes out to Johnny Storm a.k.a. “the Human Torch,” Sue's younger brother, who can ignite his body with flames, generate more flames, and use the flames to give him the power of flight.  The final cast member is Ben Grimm a.k.a. “the Thing,” whose flesh has been turned stone-like, giving him tremendous superhuman strength, durability, and endurance.  Richards is the leader of this mysterious group, The Fantastic Four.  On the day of Reed's signal call, the team must save the planet from a strange underworld menace, and the world will never be the same.

The Fantastic Four, of course, is now simply known as Fantastic Four, a fantastic name either way one says it.  It is definitely one of the five most important individual issues of a comic book ever published, and there are several reasons why.  The modern language of superhero comic books and to a large extent, the graphical storytelling language of modern comic books is based on Jack Kirby's comic book storytelling, beginning with his illustrations and storytelling in Fantastic Four #1.

However, what I like about Fantastic Four #1 is its unabashed craziness.  Stan Lee does not pretend to be writing science fiction.  This landmark comic book is full of crazy, ridiculous, stupid, hair-brained, wild, weird, wonderful, wacky, surreal, and strange stuff, and sadly, in the intervening years, comic books have tried to become too smart.  It is as if comic books have been trying to make sense of the “wrongness” and “incorrectness” of Fantastic Four in the intervening decades since its release.  Comic books don't need to be literature to be taken seriously.  Comic book writers, artists, colorists, letterers, editors, publishers, etc. create storytelling that cannot be created in other mediums, and it is perfectly fine for the stories to be scientifically and practically non-nonsensical.

Fantastic Four #1 is like a B-movie or monster movie, but only in the most superficial ways.  The imagination and inventiveness unique to comic books is unique to comic books because comic books are not like other mediums.  A couple of times in the text pieces for Fantastic Four #1 Facsimile Edition, the word “crude” is used.  On the surface, the illustrations in this sixty-seven year-old comic book story may appear to be crude, but the graphics and the graphical storytelling are beautiful, almost beyond words.

The combination of imagination, the uniqueness of the comics medium, and the innate weirdness of comic books flowed (and still flows) through what Jack Kirby and Stan Lee created so long ago.  The Fantastic Four #1 is not quaint, charming, or crude; it was a new dawn, and it is still visionary.  I have been reading The Fantastic Four #1 in reprint form, on and off, for over 30 years, and I never stop being excited while reading it.  I really enjoyed Fantastic Four #1 Facsimile Edition.

[This comic book features previously published text pieces by Stan Lee, Tom DeFalco, and Walter Mosley.]


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


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

Review: CAGE! #4

CAGE! No. 4
MARVEL COMICS – @Marvel

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

WRITER: Genndy Tartakovsky
PENCILS: Genndy Tartakovsky
INKS: Stephen DeStefano
COLORS: Scott Wills
LETTERS: VC's Clayton Cowles
COVER: Genndy Tartakovsky and Stephen DeStefano with Scott Wills
VARIANT COVER: Art Adams with Paul Mounts
28pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (March 2017)

Rated T+

Luck Cage created by Archie Goodwin and John Romita, Sr.

Luke Cage is a Marvel Comics superhero.  Also known as, “Power Man,” Cage was created by writer Archie Goodwin and artist John Romita, Sr., and first appeared in Luke Cage, Hero for Hire #1 (cover dated: June 1972).  Cage was imprisoned for a crime he did not commit, but he eventually gained superpowers in the form of durability, unbreakable skin, and superhuman strength.

As Power Man, Cage has been most associated with another superhero, his partner, Iron Fist (Daniel “Danny” Rand).  However, Cage has also been a solo act (as has Iron Fist).  As part Marvel Comics' latest publishing event/initiative, NOW!, we have the new four-issue comic book miniseries, Cage!  It is written by Genndy Tartakovsky; drawn by Tartakovsky (pencils) and Stephen DeStefano (inks); colored by Scott Wills; and lettered by Clayton Cowles.

Tartakovsky is the creator of the Cartoon Network animated classics, “Dexter's Laboratory” (also “Dexter's Lab”) and “Samurai Jack,” and the animated film franchise, Hotel Transylvania (Sony Pictures Animation).  Tartakovsky, who has occasionally produced comic books, returns to the medium with his distinctive take on Luke Cage-Power Man, giving this new comic book a 1970s pop culture and blaxploitation vibe.

Cage! opens in New York City, 1977.  Cage heads to Chinatown for a rendezvous with his lady, Misty Knight.  When she doesn't show, Cage starts looking for answers and discovers that heroes from all over NYC are disappearing.  After he is kidnapped, Cage meets the villain behind the kidnappings, Professor Soos.  Soos has concocted some crazy Island of Dr. Moreau plan to have the kidnapped heroes fight the abominable animal hybrids he has created.

Cage! #4 opens on a mysterious island of an unknown locale.  Deep beneath its beautiful and thick jungle is the lair of Prof. Soos.  Cage, forced to fight, is successful against Soos' man-animal monsters.  The other kidnapped heroes, like Dazzler and Brother Voodoo, are not.  Cage's victories, however, do not earn him freedom or even a cash prize!  His success only means that he now has to fight the ultimate opponent, one who is a shockingly skilled martial artist.

If Marvel Comics' continuity is important to you, dear reader, don't take Cage! seriously in terms of Marvel continuity.  It is a special, event miniseries, but Genny Tartakovsky has created a comic book that is a love letter to and good-natured spoof of Marvel Comics titles published during the mid to late 1970s.  You can tell by which superheroes make appearances and which costumes they wear.

I love Cage!, and I wish that it were an ongoing series.  I know, however, that what makes it special is that it is a short-term event.  Cage! recalls classic Luke Cage-Power Man and also the spirit of one the recurring characters on “Dexter's Laboratory,” “Action Hank.”  Hank is the stereotypical blaxploitation character as a heroic crime fighter and a television action hero.  Hank has characteristics that borrow from popular 1970s and 80s action heroes like Shaft and Rambo and iconic actors like Chuck Norris and Mr. T.  Genndy's Luke Cage reminds me of Action Hank, and that is a good thing.

In the end, Cage! is the kind of comic book that I would have loved to have read as a child.  It gives me that feeling of joy and wonder that keeps me reading through the comic books that can't quite give me that feeling of joy and wonder.

A

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.

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

Review: CHAMPIONS #1

CHAMPIONS No. 1
MARVEL COMICS – @Marvel

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

WRITER: Mark Waid
PENCILS: Humberto Ramos
INKS: Victor Olazaba
COLORS: Edgar Delgado
LETTERS: VC's Clayton Cowles
COVER: Humberto Ramos with Edgar Delgado
VARIANT COVERS: Alex Ross; Mark Brooks; John Tyler Christopher; Jay Fosgitt; Rahzzah; Art Adams with Jason Keith; Mike Hawthorne with Matt Milla; Skottie Young
40pp, Color, $4.99 U.S. (December 2016)

Rated T

Back in 1975, Marvel Comics introduced a new team of superheroes known as The Champions.  Marvel Comics' new publishing initiative, NOW!, offers a new version of that semi-classic.  Entitled Champions, it is created by writer Mark Waid and artist Humberto Ramos.  The comic book is written by Waid; drawn by Ramos (pencils) and Victor Olazaba (inks); colored by Edgar Delgado; and lettered by Clayton Cowles.

Champions #1 opens in the home of Kamala Khan a.k.a. Ms. Marvel.  The teen girl's life is in a state of flux.  Just five days ago, she quit the Avengers.  Now, she calls on two other former teen Avengers who quit the team before her, Spider-Man (Miles Morales) and Nova (Sam Alexander).  Kamala is going to try to convince her former teammates to start a new team, one that wants to “put the wold back together” whenever their superhero activities break it.  Can she convince them and maybe a few more young heroes to go along with that idea?

Sometime in the long-ago, I am sure that I read The Champions, either that or a comic book in which they appeared.  That is not important here because the new Champions are something different.  They want to fix the things that they break because they believe that the “grown up” or “older” superheroes are not concerned with damage control or the mess they leave behind, or are at least not as concerned as they should be.

I am curious to see where this goes.  When Mark Waid is good, he is quite good, and he starts good here.  I am a sucker for most anything drawn by Humberto Ramos and have been for over two decades.  I should be upfront with that.  I am partial to giving this creative team a shot, and I am willing to recommend the first issue, at least.  But I'm coming back for more and will review this series again, probably soon.

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.

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

Marvel Comics from Diamond Distributors for June 7, 2017

MARVEL COMICS

APR171059    ALL NEW GUARDIANS OF GALAXY #3    $3.99
APR171011    AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #28    $3.99
APR171174    AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #29 BY ALEX ROSS POSTER    $8.99
MAR171165    AMAZING SPIDER-MAN EPIC COLLECTION TP KRAVENS LAST HUNT    $39.99
APR171175    AMAZING SPIDER-MAN RENEW YOUR VOWS #8 BY STEGMAN POSTER    $8.99
APR171176    ASTONISHING X-MEN #1 BY CHEUNG POSTER    $8.99
APR170997    AVENGERS #8    $3.99
APR171022    BLACK BOLT #2    $3.99
APR171056    BULLSEYE #5 (OF 5)    $3.99
MAR178615    CAPTAIN AMERICA STEVE ROGERS #16 2ND PTG ACUNA VAR    $3.99
APR171007    CHAMPIONS #9    $3.99
MAR171137    COLOR YOUR OWN SPIDER-MAN TP    $9.99
APR171029    DAREDEVIL #21    $3.99
DEC161093    DEADLY HANDS OF KUNG FU OMNIBUS HC 02 NOREM DM VAR ED (MR)    $125.00
DEC161092    DEADLY HANDS OF KUNG FU OMNIBUS HC VOL 02 DEKAL CVR (MR)    $125.00
MAR171061    DOCTOR STRANGE #20    $4.99
APR171027    HAWKEYE #7    $3.99
APR170988    ICEMAN #1    $3.99
MAR178616    IRON FIST #2 2ND PTG DEKAL VAR    $3.99
APR171037    IRON FIST #4    $3.99
APR171043    JESSICA JONES #9    $3.99
APR171044    JESSICA JONES #9 FLEECS VAR    $3.99
APR171097    MARVEL UNIVERSE ULT SPIDER-MAN VS SINISTER SIX #10    $2.99
MAR171172    NEW AVENGERS BY BENDIS COMPLETE COLLECTION TP VOL 05    $34.99
APR171069    NOVA #7    $3.99
MAR178617    OLD MAN LOGAN #21 2ND PTG SORRENTINO VAR    $3.99
MAR178618    OLD MAN LOGAN #22 2ND PTG SORRENTINO VAR    $3.99
APR171173    OLD MAN LOGAN #25 BY DEODATO JR POSTER    $8.99
APR170966    PETER PARKER SPECT SPIDER-MAN PARTY INVITE POSTCARDS (Net)    $5.00
APR171067    ROCKET #2    $3.99
MAR178619    ROYALS #1 2ND PTG MEYERS VAR    $3.99
APR170934    SECRET EMPIRE BRAVE NEW WORLD #1 (OF 5) SE    $3.99
APR171017    SPIDER-MAN #17    $3.99
DEC161085    SPIDER-MAN BY MICHELINIE AND LARSEN OMNIBUS HC    $100.00
APR171016    SPIDER-MAN DEADPOOL #18    $3.99
MAR171162    SPIDER-MAN DEADPOOL TP VOL 02 SIDE PIECES    $16.99
FEB170993    SPIDER-MAN HOMECOMING PRELUDE TP    $14.99
MAR171167    SPIDER-MAN TP AMAZING ORIGINS    $15.99
FEB179031    SPIDER-MEN II DEADPOOL POSTCARDS (BUNDLE OF 100) (Net)    $5.00
APR171101    STAR WARS DARTH VADER #1    $4.99
DEC161090    STAR WARS HC VOL 02 AJA CVR    $34.99
DEC161091    STAR WARS HC VOL 02 DODSON DM VAR ED    $34.99
APR171120    STAR WARS ROGUE ONE ADAPTATION #3 (OF 6)    $3.99
APR171053    UNSTOPPABLE WASP #6    $3.99
MAR178620    VENOM #5 2ND PTG SANDOVAL VAR    $3.99
MAR178621    WEAPON X #2 2ND PTG LAND VAR    $3.99
MAR178622    X-MEN BLUE #2 2ND PTG ART ADAMS VAR    $3.99
APR171080    X-MEN GOLD #5    $3.99
MAR170997    ZOMBIES ASSEMBLE #2 (OF 4)    $4.99

Marvel Comics from Diamond Distributors for May 3, 2017

MARVEL COMICS

MAR170937    ALL NEW GUARDIANS OF GALAXY #1    $3.99
FEB170977    ALL NEW WOLVERINE TP VOL 03 ENEMY OF STATE II    $17.99
FEB170996    AMAZING SPIDER-MAN EPIC COLLECTION TP GOBLINS LAST STAND    $34.99
MAR170984    BLACK BOLT #1    $3.99
MAR171055    BULLSEYE #4 (OF 5)    $3.99
FEB178228    CABLE #1 POSTCARDS (BUNDLE OF 100)    $5.00
MAR170999    CHAMPIONS #8    $3.99
FEB170982    CHAMPIONS TP VOL 01 CHANGE WORLD    $15.99
NOV160948    DAREDEVIL BY BRUBAKER AND LARK OMNIBUS HC VOL 02 NEW PTG    $75.00
MAR171177    DEADPOOL #30 BY HAWTHORNE POSTER    $8.99
MAR171178    DEFENDERS #1 BY MARQUEZ POSTER    $8.99
MAR171180    EDGE OF VENOMVERSE #1 BY MATTINA POSTER    $8.99
MAR171072    GUARDIANS OF GALAXY MISSION BREAKOUT #1    $4.99
MAR171066    GUARDIANS OF GALAXY MOTHER ENTROPY #1 (OF 5)    $3.99
MAR171063    HAWKEYE #6    $3.99
MAR171179    ICEMAN #1 BY WADA POSTER    $8.99
MAR171039    IRON FIST #3    $3.99
MAR170958    JEAN GREY #1    $3.99
MAR171176    JEAN GREY #1 BY YARDIN POSTER    $8.99
MAR171047    JESSICA JONES #8    $3.99
MAR171048    JESSICA JONES #8 CHECCHETTO VAR    $3.99
MAR171173    MARVEL GRAPHIC COMIC BOXES SECRET EMPIRE (BUNDLE OF 5)    $45.00
FEB178591    MARVEL INSIDER GUARDIANS OF GALAXY POSTCARDS (BUNDLE OF 100)    $5.00
MAR171105    MARVEL UNIVERSE AVENGERS ULTRON REVOLUTION #10    $2.99
FEB170978    MARVELS GUARDIANS GALAXY ART OF MOVIE SLIPCASE HC VOL 02    $50.00
NOV160950    MONSTERS HC VOL 01 MARVEL MONSTERBUS BY LEE LIEBER KIRBY    $100.00
FEB170999    NEW AVENGERS BY BENDIS COMPLETE COLLECTION TP VOL 04    $39.99
MAR171076    NOVA #6    $3.99
FEB178788    PETER PARKER EDGE OF VENOMVERSE POSTCARDS (BUNDLE OF 100) (N    $5.00
MAR170901    SECRET EMPIRE #1 (OF 9)    $4.99
MAR170905    SECRET EMPIRE #1 (OF 9) SORRENTINO HYDRA HEROES VAR    $4.99
MAR171174    SECRET EMPIRE #1 BY NAUCK PARTY VARIANT POSTER    $8.99
FEB178183    SECRET EMPIRE #1 LENTICULAR CHECKLISTS (BUNDLE OF 25) (Net)    $12.00
MAR171058    SLAPSTICK #6    $3.99
MAR171181    SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN #1 BY KUBERT POSTER    $8.99
FEB170852    SPIDER-GWEN #19    $3.99
MAR171021    SPIDER-MAN #16    $3.99
MAR171020    SPIDER-MAN 2099 #23    $3.99
MAR171023    SPIDER-MAN DEADPOOL #17    $3.99
MAR171121    STAR WARS POE DAMERON #14    $3.99
MAR171124    STAR WARS ROGUE ONE ADAPTATION #2 (OF 6)    $3.99
NOV160949    UNBEATABLE SQUIRREL GIRL HC VOL 02    $34.99
MAR171042    UNSTOPPABLE WASP #5    $3.99
MAR171175    VENOM #150 BY SANDOVAL POSTER    $8.99
FEB178957    X-MEN BLUE #1 ART ADAMS 2ND PTG VAR    $4.99
MAR171078    X-MEN GOLD #3    $3.99

Review: GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY #1

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY (2015) No. 1
MARVEL COMICS – @Marvel

[This review originally appeared on Patreon.]

WRITER: Brian Michael Bendis
ART: Valerio Schiti
COLORS: Richard Isanove
LETTERS: VC’s Cory Petit
COVER: Art Adams with Dave Stewart
VARIANT COVERS: Valerio Schiti with Richard Isanove; Jason Latour; Shawn Crystal with Chris Brunner; Mike and Laura Allred; John Tyler Christopher; Contagious Costuming and Judy Stephens
28pp, Color, $3.99 (December 2015)

Rated “T”

The Guardians of the Galaxy are a Marvel Comics superhero team.  Created by writer Arnold Drake and artist Gene Colan, the team first appeared in Marvel Super-Heroes #18 (cover dated: January 1969).  However, the best known version of the Guardians of the Galaxy first appeared in 2007.  Created by writers Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning, the team's initial roster included Star-Lord, Rocket Raccoon, Quasar, Adam Warlock, Gamora, Drax the Destroyer, and Groot.

Star-Lord, Rocket Raccoon, Gamora, Drax the Destroyer, and Groot would go on to be the stars of Marvel Studios' surprise 2014 hit film, Guardians of the Galaxy.  With the launch of the “All-New, All-Different Marvel,” there is a new Guardians of the Galaxy comic book.  The series is written by Brian Michael Bendis; drawn by Valerio Schiti; colored by Richard Isanove; and lettered by Cory Petit.

Guardians of the Galaxy #1 features the team of Kitty Pryde as Star-Lord, Drax, Rocket Raccoon, Groot, The Thing, and Venom.  A run-in with the Chitauri leaves the group with a mysterious item and no knowledge of how powerful or dangerous that object is.  Meanwhile, on Planet Spartax, Peter Quill, the original Star-Lord, finds his new life as King to be an utter bore.  He does not realize that excitement is bound to return in many ways...

I last read Guardians of the Galaxy during the story arc, “The Trial of Jean Grey,” a crossover event with All-New X-Men.  Then, I didn't find a reason to keep reading.  I am not sure that this first issue gives me a reason to keep reading this new series, now.  It is not as if this new Guardians of the Galaxy #1 is awful or anything; besides, I am a fan of writer Brian Michael Bendis.  New series artist Valerio Schiti delivers some pretty art and solid storytelling.

I guess it is just that I got this first issue because I am trying to read as many #1 issues in the “All-New, All-Different Marvel” as I can.  I don't plan on reading as many #2 issues, I can tell you that, dear reader.  This is not a bad comic book... I reiterate.  I think fans of the modern incarnation of the Guardians of the Galaxy will enjoy this comic book.  It is just that if money is tight for you, dear reader, this comic book is not worth $3.99 if you are not a fan.

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: ALL-NEW WOLVERINE #1

ALL-NEW WOLVERINE #1
MARVEL COMICS – @Marvel

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

WRITER: Tom Taylor
ART: David Lopez and David Navarrot
COLORS: Nathan Fairbairn
LETTERS: VC's Cory Petit
COVER: Bengal
VARIANT COVERS: David Lopez; Art Adams with Peter Steigerwald; David Marquez with Marte Gracia; Keron Grant (Hip Hop variant cover)
36pp, Color, $4.99 U.S. (January 2016)

Parental Advisory

Laura Kinney is a Marvel Comics character.  She is best known as X-23, a female clone of classic X-Men character, Wolverine.  X-23 was originally created by writer Craig Kyle for the Saturday morning animated television series, “X-Men: Evolution” (Season 2, Episode 11).  X-23 made her first appearance in Marvel Comics in the comic book, NYX #3 (cover dated: February 2004).

Like Wolverine, X-23 has a healing factor, superhuman strength, senses, speed, agility, and reflexes. She also has retractable, adamantium-coated bone claws in her hands (two per hand rather than the three per hand that Wolverine has) and also in her feet.

After Marvel's Secret Wars event miniseries, X-23 succeeded Logan/Wolverine as the star of the current ongoing Wolverine comic book series.  That new series is entitled All-New Wolverine and is written by Tom Taylor, drawn by David Lopez and David Navarrot, colored by Nathan Fairbairn, and lettered by Cory Petit.

All-New Wolverine #1 finds Laura and her boyfriend, the X-Men's Angel (the young, time-displaced Warren Worthington, III), in Paris trying to stop an assassination.  Their showdown with the assassins takes them to the Eiffel Tower.  Laura's opponents are formidable, but the identity of one of them shocks Laura, but does not necessarily surprise her.

The first issue of All-New Wolverine is fairly straight-forward:  stop the assassination.  Everything else is just set-up for future issues.   Still, All-New Wolverine #1 is an enjoyable read, an old-fashioned action-adventure, superhero fight comic.  Tom Taylor does not dazzle readers with character drama the way he did in the short-lived, but excellent Superior Iron Man.

The art by David Lopez and David Navarrot is fast-paced and kinetic; the graphical storytelling really sells the action, but also captures the intimacy of a flashback featuring Logan and Laura.  I did not plan on reading this series beyond the first issue, but I think that I will keep reading it for a bit.

B+

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: UNCANNY X-MEN #600

UNCANNY X-MEN No. 600
MARVEL COMICS – @Marvel

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

WRITER: Brian Micheal Bendis
PENCILS:  Sara Pichelli, Mahmud Asrar, Stuart Immonen, Kris Anka, Chris Bachalo, David Marquez, Frazer Irving
INKS: Wade von Grawbadger, Tim Townsend, Mark Irwin
COLORS: Marte Gracia, Jason Keith, Chis Bachalo, Frazer Irving
LETTERS: VC's Joe Caramagna
COVER: Chris Bachalo
VARIANT COVERS: Art Adams with Jason Keith; Kris Anka; John Tyler Christopher; Olivier Coipel with Marte Gracia; Adam Hughes; Rick Leonardi and Dan Green with Jason Keith; Ed McGuinness and Dexter Vines with Val Staples; Paul Smith with Paul Mounts; Leinel Yu with Jason Keith
60pp, Color, $5.99 U.S. (January 2016)

Rated T+

X-Men created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby

With the arrival of the “All-New, All-Different Marvel Universe,” X-Men comic books are entering a new era.  Apparently if all the incarnations of Uncanny X-Men are added together, the result is that 600 issues of comic books entitled Uncanny X-Men have been published.  It is that 600th issue that marks the end of something, if not an era, then, the end of Brian Michael Bendis' tenure as an X-Men writer.

Uncanny X-Men #600 opens at the Jean Grey School for Higher Learning.  Storm has called all the X-Men currently residing at the school to a meeting.  It's an intervention for Dr. Henry McCoy, or you can call it “The Trial of Beast, and Hank sure ain't feeling the love.  Also, young Iceman has a serious talk with adult Iceman.  Plus, a summons from Washington...

I found the Iceman/Iceman conversation to be heartfelt, and the Jean Grey-Beast meeting felt like something big.  The rest of “The Trial of Beast” does not amount to very much.  After months of delay, all readers get is this tepid tale – simple as that.  Considering the high-quality work that Bendis did on Uncanny X-Men and All-New X-Men, Uncanny X-Men #600 is quite disappointing.

B-

“Winter Carnival” (bonus story)

Writer: Mary Jo Duffy
Pencils: George Perez
Inks: Alfredo Alcala
Letters: Janice Chiang

As a bonus, Uncanny X-Men No. 600 closes with a reprint of the black and white story, “Winter Carnival.”  This 18-page story originally appeared in Bizarre Adventures #27.  This was the X-Men-themed issue of Marvel Comics' black and white comics magazine series that was published from the mid-1970s (under a different title) to the early 1980s.

The story finds Robert L. “Bobby” Drake a.k.a. Iceman as a visiting college student at Dartmouth College (an Ivy League school in Hanover, New Hampshire).  The campus is covered in snow, which is appropriate as this is the time of year for the celebration known as “Winter Carnival.”  Bobby discovers that Iceman is needed when crime decides not to take the weekend off and join in the wintry fun.

I wish Mary Jo Duffy (also known as simply Jo Duffy) were still writing her character-centrist stories for either Marvel or DC Comics.  I don't think that she has written for either publisher in over a decade.  In this story, she allows Iceman to shine as a superhero, but she opens the interior Bobby Drake, depicting him as thoughtful and possessing of a personality and of a sparkling wit.

Many readers may not recognize the art in “Winter Carnival” as that of George Perez (I didn't.), as it has very little resemblance to the graphic style that would define Perez's career on works like New Teen Titans, Crisis on Infinite Earths, and Wonder Woman, to name a few.  However, readers will get a chance to see the talents of inker Alfredo Alcala, whose ink wash over Perez's pencils does not look as good on glossy paper as it would on some good old-fashioned newsprint 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.

Marvel Comics from Diamond Distributors for February 3, 2016

MARVEL COMICS

NOV150773    A-FORCE #2    $3.99
DEC150809    AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #7    $3.99
AUG150893    AVENGERS BY JONATHAN HICKMAN HC VOL 03    $34.99
AUG150899    CAPTAIN AMERICA 75TH ANNIV VIBRANIUM COLLECTION HC    $200.00
DEC150773    CAPTAIN AMERICA SAM WILSON #6    $3.99
DEC150764    CAPTAIN MARVEL #2    $3.99
NOV158130    CONTEST OF CHAMPIONS #3 IBANEZ 2ND PTG VAR    $3.99
DEC150844    CONTEST OF CHAMPIONS #5    $3.99
AUG150894    DAREDEVIL BY MARK WAID HC VOL 04    $34.99
NOV158131    DEADPOOL #3 MOORE 2ND PTG VAR    $3.99
DEC150741    DEADPOOL MERCS FOR MONEY #1    $3.99
DEC150823    DOCTOR STRANGE #5    $3.99
NOV150935    GIANT SIZE LITTLE MARVEL AVX HC    $24.99
NOV158132    GUARDIANS OF GALAXY #3 ART ADAMS 2ND PTG VAR    $3.99
DEC150785    GUARDIANS OF INFINITY #3    $4.99
DEC150792    HOWARD THE DUCK #4    $3.99
DEC150718    INVINCIBLE IRON MAN #6    $3.99
NOV150959    MARVEL UNIVERSE DEADPOOL AND WOLVERINE DIGEST TP    $9.99
DEC150779    NOVA #4    $3.99
DEC150870    OBI-WAN AND ANAKIN #2    $3.99
DEC150789    ROCKET RACCOON AND GROOT #2    $3.99
DEC150751    SCARLET WITCH #3    $3.99
NOV158185    SILK #2 CHEN 2ND PTG VAR    $3.99
NOV158133    SPIDER-GWEN #3 RODRIGUEZ 2ND PTG VAR    $3.99
DEC150723    SPIDER-MAN #1    $3.99
DEC150813    SPIDEY #3    $3.99
NOV158186    SQUADRON SUPREME #1 ALEX ROSS 2ND PTG VAR    $3.99
AUG150896    SUPERIOR FOES SPIDER-MAN OMNIBUS HC    $49.99
NOV158187    ULTIMATE END #5 BAGLEY 2ND PTG VAR    $4.99
NOV158134    ULTIMATES #2 ROCAFORT 2ND PTG VAR    $3.99
NOV150790    UNCANNY AVENGERS #5    $3.99
NOV150889    UNCANNY X-MEN #3    $3.99
AUG150895    UNCANNY X-MEN HC VOL 01    $34.99
DEC150754    VISION #4    $3.99

Marvel Comics from Diamond Distributors for October 14, 2015

MARVEL COMICS

JUL150745     A-FORCE #5 SWA     $3.99
MAY150810     BIG THUNDER MOUNTAIN RAILROAD HC     $24.99
AUG150797     CAPTAIN AMERICA SAM WILSON #1     $3.99
AUG150919     CAPTAIN AMERICA SAM WILSON #1 BY ACUNA POSTER     $8.99
AUG150682     CAPTAIN AMERICA WHITE #3     $3.99
AUG150855     CHEWBACCA #1     $3.99
AUG150670     CIVIL WAR #5 SWA     $3.99
AUG150920     CONTEST OF CHAMPIONS #1 BY MEDINA POSTER     $8.99
JUL150841     DAMAGE CONTROL TP COMPLETE COLLECTION     $34.99
AUG150688     DEADPOOL VS THANOS #3     $3.99
AUG150847     FIGMENT 2 #2     $3.99
AUG150760     GUARDIANS OF GALAXY #1     $3.99
AUG150921     GUARDIANS OF GALAXY BY ADAMS POSTER     $8.99
AUG150922     HOWLING COMMANDOS OF SHIELD #1 BY SCHOONOVER POSTER     $8.99
JUL150847     INFINITY WAR AFTERMATH TP     $39.99
AUG150863     JOURNEY STAR WARS FASE #3     $3.99
JUL150832     MAGNETO TP VOL 04 LAST DAYS     $15.99
JUL150844     MAN THING BY STEVE GERBER COMPLETE COLL TP VOL 01     $39.99
AUG150852     MARVEL UNIVERSE AVENGERS ASSEMBLE SEASON TWO #12     $2.99
AUG150664     MARVEL ZOMBIES #4 SWA     $3.99
APR150900     MMW DEFENDERS HC VOL 05     $75.00
AUG158153     MOCKINGBIRD SHIELD 50TH ANNIV #1 RENAUD 2ND PTG VAR     $4.99
AUG150660     MS MARVEL #19 SWA     $2.99
AUG150790     NEW AVENGERS #1     $3.99
AUG150923     NEW AVENGERS #1 BY SANDOVAL POSTER     $8.99
JUN150827     ROCKET RACCOON TP VOL 01 A CHASING TALE     $19.99
AUG150805     SPIDER-GWEN #1     $3.99
AUG150814     SPIDER-MAN 2099 #1     $3.99
AUG150924     SPIDER-MAN 2099 #1 BY MATTINA POSTER     $8.99
AUG150925     UNBEATABLE SQUIRREL GIRL #1 BY HENDERSON POSTER     $8.99
AUG150825     UNCANNY AVENGERS #1     $4.99
AUG150926     UNCANNY INHUMANS #1 BY MCNIVEN POSTER     $8.99
AUG150773     WHAT IF INFINITY X-MEN #1     $3.99
JUL150840     X-MEN AGE OF APOCALYPSE TP VOL 02 REIGN     $34.99

Marvel Comics from Diamond Distributors for March 11, 2015

MARVEL COMICS

DEC140976     ALL NEW ULTIMATES TP VOL 02 NO GODS NO MASTERS     $17.99
NOV140843     ALL NEW X-MEN #37     $3.99
JAN150779     AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #16     $3.99
JAN150912     AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #16.1 BY ADAMS POSTER     $8.99
JAN150791     AMAZING SPIDER-MAN SPECIAL #1     $4.99
JAN150838     ANT-MAN #3     $3.99
DEC140949     AVENGERS QUICKSILVER TP     $34.99
JAN150803     CAPTAIN MARVEL #13     $3.99
JAN150872     DEADPOOL #43     $3.99
DEC140987     DEADPOOL TP VOL 07 AXIS     $17.99
JAN150849     FANTASTIC FOUR #644     $3.99
DEC140981     GEORGE ROMEROS EMPIRE OF DEAD TP ACT TWO     $19.99
DEC140819     GUARDIANS TEAM-UP #2     $3.99
JAN150769     HOWARD THE DUCK #1     $3.99
JAN150913     HOWARD THE DUCK BY QUINONES POSTER     $8.99
JAN150777     MILES MORALES ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN #11     $3.99
JAN150859     MS MARVEL #13     $2.99
JAN150812     NEW AVENGERS #31 TRO     $3.99
JAN150800     NOVA ANNUAL #1     $4.99
DEC140992     SECRET WARS BY ROSS OVERSIZED VINYL POSTER     $49.99
DEC140910     SILVER SURFER #10     $3.99
JAN150785     SPIDER-GWEN #2     $3.99
JAN150778     SPIDER-MAN 2099 #10     $3.99
JAN150863     SPIDER-MAN AND X-MEN #4     $3.99
DEC148400     STAR WARS #2 2ND PTG CASSADAY VAR     $3.99
JAN150742     STAR WARS #3     $3.99
JAN150830     SUPERIOR IRON MAN #6     $3.99
DEC148356     THOR #2 DAUTERMAN 3RD PTG VAR     $3.99
JAN150825     THOR #6     $3.99
JAN150867     WOLVERINES #10     $3.99

Marvel Comics from Diamond Distributors for March 4, 2015

MARVEL COMICS

JAN150761     ALL NEW HAWKEYE #1     $3.99
JAN150802     ANGELA ASGARDS ASSASSIN #4     $3.99
JAN150815     AVENGERS #42 TRO     $3.99
DEC140957     AVENGERS TP VOL 05 ADAPT OR DIE     $19.99
JAN150818     AVENGERS WORLD #18 TRO     $3.99
DEC140980     DEATH OF WOLVERINE TP WEAPON X PROGRAM     $19.99
DEC140815     GUARDIANS TEAM-UP #1     $3.99
DEC140975     HAWKEYE VS DEADPOOL TP     $16.99
JAN150845     HULK #12     $3.99
JAN150844     IRON FIST LIVING WEAPON #10     $3.99
JAN150837     MARVELS ANT-MAN PRELUDE #2     $2.99
DEC140951     MARVELS AVENGERS TP AGE OF ULTRON PRELUDE     $16.99
JAN150856     MIRACLEMAN #16 (MR)     $5.99
APR140749     MMW CAPTAIN AMERICA HC VOL 01 NEW PTG     $49.99
APR140750     MMW DAREDEVIL HC VOL 01 NEW PTG     $49.99
JAN150835     OPERATION SIN #3     $3.99
JAN150727     PRINCESS LEIA #1     $3.99
JAN150861     RETURN OF LIVING DEADPOOL #2     $3.99
JAN150798     ROCKET RACCOON #9     $3.99
JAN150787     SPIDER-WOMAN #5     $3.99
DEC140982     SUPER VILLAINS UNITE TP COMPLETE SUPER VILLAIN TEAM UP     $34.99
JAN150866     WOLVERINES #9     $3.99
JAN150876     X-MEN #25     $3.99

Marvel Comics from Diamond Distributors for February 11, 2015

MARVEL COMICS

DEC140873     ALL NEW CAPTAIN AMERICA FEAR HIM #2     $3.99
DEC140915     ALL NEW GHOST RIDER #11     $3.99
OCT140887     ALL NEW X-MEN #36     $3.99
DEC140845     AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #14 SV     $3.99
DEC140993     AVENGERS RAGE OF ULTRON BY OPENA POSTER     $8.99
NOV140874     AVENGERS WORLD TP VOL 03 NEXT WORLD     $19.99
DEC140864     BUCKY BARNES WINTER SOLDIER #5     $3.99
DEC140909     CAPTAIN MARVEL #12     $3.99
DEC140926     CYCLOPS #10     $3.99
DEC140792     DARTH VADER #1     $4.99
NOV140887     DEATHLOK TP RAGE AGAINST MACHINE     $34.99
NOV140886     DEXTER TP     $19.99
DEC140902     GUARDIANS 3000 #5     $3.99
DEC140823     GUARDIANS OF GALAXY #24 BV     $3.99
DEC140994     GUARDIANS TEAM-UP BY ADAMS POSTER     $8.99
NOV140883     INDESTRUCTIBLE HULK TP VOL 04 HUMANITY BOMB     $19.99
NOV140895     INHUMANS 50TH ANNIVERSARY POSTER     $8.99
DEC140813     MARVEL UNIVERSE AVENGERS ASSEMBLE SEASON TWO #4     $2.99
APR140748     MMW MIGHTY THOR HC VOL 01 NEW PTG     $49.99
SEP140920     MMW SUB MARINER HC VOL 06     $75.00
DEC140935     NIGHTCRAWLER #11     $3.99
NOV140893     OZ TP EMERALD CITY OF OZ     $19.99
NOV140861     ROCKET RACCOON PREM HC VOL 01 CHASING TALE     $24.99
DEC140995     SPIDER-GWEN BY RODRIGUEZ POSTER     $8.99
DEC140851     SPIDER-WOMAN #4 SV     $3.99
DEC140862     THANOS VS HULK #3     $3.99
DEC140894     THOR #5     $3.99
DEC140841     WOLVERINES #6     $3.99
DEC140927     X-FORCE #15     $3.99
DEC140938     X-MEN #24     $3.99

I Reads You Review: MS. MARVEL #1

MS.MARVEL (2014) #1
MARVEL COMICS – @Marvel

WRITER: G. Willow Wilson
ART: Adrian Alphona
COLORS: Ian Herring
LETTERS: VC's Joe Caramagna
COVER: Sara Pichelli with Justin Ponsor
VARIANT COVERS: Arthur Adams; Peter Steigerwald; Jamie McKelvie
28pp, Color, $2.99 U.S. (January 2015 – Seventh printing)

Rated T+

“Meta-Morphosis” Part One of Five

The original Ms. Marvel, a Marvel Comics female superhero character, was created by writer Gerry Conway and artist John Buscema.  First appearing in Ms. Marvel #1 (cover dated: January 1977), she was meant to be the female counterpart of Marvel's Captain Marvel (who first appeared in 1967), not to be confused with Fawcett and later DC Comics' Shazam-Captain Marvel.

There is a new Ms. Marvel, and she is Kamala Khan.  Created by Sana Amanat, G. Willow Wilson, and Adrian Alphona, Kamala is the fourth character to take the name Ms. Marvel.  Kamala, who first appeared in Captain Marvel #17 (cover dated: November 2013), is a 16 year-old Pakistani-American from Jersey City, New Jersey.  She idolizes Carol Danvers, the original Ms. Marvel who is now the new Captain Marvel.  Kamala was given her own Ms. Marvel series, which premiered in February 2014, and she became Marvel Comics' first Muslim character to star in her own comic book.

I remember the debut of the new Ms. Marvel comic book series, but I ignored it.  Then, I read The Amazing Spider-Man #7 (2014), in which the new Ms. Marvel appeared, and I suddenly became interested in her.  Luckily, my comic book shop had reprints of the first issue of Kamala's Ms. Marvel comic book series, written by G. Willow Wilson, drawn by Adrian Alphona, colored by Ian Herring, and lettered by Joe Caramagna.

Ms. Marvel #1 (“Meta Morphosis”) opens in Jersey City at a Circle Q, where Kamala is holding court with her friend, Nakia, and an employee, Bruno.  This gathering, in a small way, encapsulates the problems that Kamala is having with her parents, her culture, and her religion.  Wouldn't it be cool if she could eat bacon?  If only she could be like her beloved Avengers:  Captain America, Iron Man, and especially Captain Marvel.  Eventually, she will get what she wants, but not the way she wants it.

It was not until after I picked up a copy of Ms. Marvel #1 – Seventh Printing that I discovered that Ms. Marvel was a buzzed-about new comic book.  Some are calling it the best comic book of 2014, as I learned via an email from Diamond Distributors and also from an article at website, Comic Book Resources.  I don't know if I would call it the best comic book of the year, but if I made a list, it would definitely be in my “Top 10.”

I think of Ms. Marvel as a “girl's comic book,” but I do not mean that in a derogatory way.  I am not one of those fans who think that every superhero comic book from either Marvel or DC Comics must be alike.  They don't have to all be rehashes and revamps of the same templates and editorial mindsets that old white guys established beginning in the early 1960s, i.e. the Silver Age.  I don't mind something completely different.

This new Ms. Marvel is something different; it is something else.  It presents a girl's point of view; it is about a young woman struggling to come into her own.  Ms. Marvel is not aimed at me; it is not written to appease my fanboy demands.

And that doesn't matter.  I like Ms. Marvel anyway.  It's so good.  It is so different, yet some of the things with which Kamala Khan struggles are universal, so I recognized the dilemmas she faces.  When I ignored what I expected from the typical superhero comic book, I found myself embracing Ms. Marvel.  I want more of it, and I want to share this with my niece when she is older.

I guess I should not be surprised.  Ms. Marvel writer, G. Willow Wilson's late Vertigo series, Air, was decidedly unusual, but alluring and intriguing.  I had recently stopped giving letter grades to first issues, but I will make an exception for the first issue of Ms. Marvel.

A+

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux


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

I Reads You Review: HELLBOY: Seed of Destruction #1

HELLBOY: SEED OF DESTRUCTION #1 (OF 4)
DARK HORSE COMICS – @DarkHorseComics

STORY/ART: Mike Mignola
SCRIPT:  John Byrne
COLORS: Mark Chiarello
COVER: Mike Mignola
32pp, Color, $2.50 U.S. $3.40 CAN (March 1994)

Hellboy is a superhero and horror comic book character created by writer-artist Mike Mignola.  The character first appeared in San Diego Comic-Con Comics #2 (cover date: August 1993).  My how time has passed, because it is now the 20th anniversary of the first Hellboy comic book series, Hellboy: Seed of Destruction.  This four-issue miniseries is plotted and drawn by Mignola and scripted by John Byrne (who would script all four issues of Seed of Destruction).

Hellboy: Seed of Destruction #1 opens on December 23, 1944 in East Bromwich, England.  The story is first narrated by 1st Sgt. George Whitman.  He is part of a special Ranger unit waiting out what is supposed to be a paranormal event related to the Nazi’s “Project Ragna Rok.”  Besides the military, World War II-era American superhero, the Torch of Liberty, is present.  Probably the three most important people in attendance are Professor Malcolm Frost, Lady Cynthia Eden-Jones (England’s top medium), and Trevor Bruttenholm (pronounced “Broom”).

Meanwhile, far to the north, on a tiny island just off the Scottish coast, a special group of Nazis are invoking and conjuring.  The result is Hellboy.  Fifty years later, Bruttenholm senses impending Doom, and Hellboy ain’t a boy anymore.

I have not read Hellboy: Seed of Destruction #1 since I read it in trade paperback form ages ago.  When I was reminded that this was a Hellboy anniversary, I decided to dig up my copy (which is surprisingly signed by John Byrne).  It is still a blast.  Hellboy: Seed of Destruction may not ever make any “greatest comic books of all time” lists, but it should.  This was and remains an exceptional and unique comic book.  I feel positively giddy about it.

Mignola’s moody gothic art would have made H.P. Lovecraft shiver with ecstasy.  This is Lovecraft’s fiction brought to life in way that honors the original and simultaneously takes it new places.  Mark Chiarello’s coloring does wonders creating horror comics art that is, simply put, pretty.  The coloring on the cover is garish, but in a kitschy beautiful way.  John Byrne’s script makes everything clear, informing the reader without spoiling the mystery or the sense of mystery.

Wow!  I had forgotten how good Hellboy: Seed of Destruction is.

[This comic book contains a back-up comic, “Who Are Monkeyman and O’Brien?” written and drawn by Art Adams, lettered by L. Lois Buhalis, and colored by Matt Hollingsworth.]

A+

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux


The text is copyright © 2014 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog for syndication rights and fees.

"The Sakai Project" Celebrates Character, Benefits Creator

DARK HORSE ANNOUNCES THE SAKAI PROJECT

Artists Celebrate Thirty Years of Usagi Yojimbo

The most amazing artists in the world have come together to celebrate thirty years of Stan Sakai’s marvelous samurai rabbit saga, Usagi Yojimbo, in a new oversized hardcover benefit book: The Sakai Project: Artists Celebrate Thirty Years of “Usagi Yojimbo”.

“It has been an absolute pleasure publishing Stan’s work over the years, and recently collaborating with him directly on 47 Ronin,” said Dark Horse’s president and founder, Mike Richardson. “With the thirtieth anniversary of his most beloved creation, Usagi, and in a time of need for Stan and his family, we are honored to publish this tribute to Stan and his work. We are donating all of the proceeds to Stan and his wife, Sharon. We hope you will join us in honoring one of the comics industry’s shining lights.”

The participating artists bring their own interpretations and their own styles to the subject, making this book a one-of-a-kind treasure.

The Sakai Project is produced in association with the Comic Art Professional Society (CAPS). All proceeds from this book will go to Stan and Sharon Sakai.

ADAM HUGHES | ALAIN MAURICET | ALEX MALEEV | ALLISON SOHN | ANDY GRENEN | ARTHUR ADAMS | BATTON LASH | BILL MORRISON | BRIAN CHING & MICHAEL ATIYEH | BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS | CARLOS D’ANDA & GABE ELTAEB | CHRIS SCALF | DAN PANOSIAN | DAVE GIBBONS | DAVID MACK | DOUG WHEATLEY | EDGAR DELGADO | ERIC POWELL | GABRIEL HARDMAN | GEOF DARROW | HOWARD CHAYKIN | JAN DUURSEMA | JEFF SMITH | JOYCE CHIN | MARK CRILLEY | MATT GROENING | MATT WAGNER | MICHAEL ALLRED | MICHAEL AVON OEMING | MICHAEL GOLDEN | MIKE KUNKEL | MIKE MIGNOLA | OSCAR MARTIN | PAUL GULACY | PAUL RENAUD | PHIL YEH | RICHARD CORBEN | SCOTT SHAW | SERGIO ARAGONÉS | STEPHANIE GLADDEN | TIM SALE | TOM MANDRAKE | TOM RICHMOND | WALTER SIMONSON | WILLIAM STOUT | & MORE!

Industry professionals, Dark Horse encourages your participation! The deadline for art submissions is February 20, 2014. For technical specifications and other information, e-mail Dark Horse at sakaiproject@darkhorse.com.

The Sakai Project will be released on July 23. Pre-order with your local comics retailer.

About Dark Horse
Founded in 1986 by Mike Richardson, Dark Horse Comics has proven to be a solid example of how integrity and innovation can help broaden a unique storytelling medium and establish a small, homegrown company as an industry giant. The company is known for the progressive and creator-friendly atmosphere it provides for writers and artists. In addition to publishing comics from top talent, such as Frank Miller, Mike Mignola, Neil Gaiman, Brian Wood, Gerard Way, Felicia Day, and Guillermo del Toro, and comics legends, such as Will Eisner, Neal Adams, and Jim Steranko, Dark Horse has developed its own successful properties, such as The Mask, Ghost, Timecop, and SpyBoy. Its successful line of comics and products based on popular properties includes Star Wars, Mass Effect, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Aliens, Conan, EVE Online, Halo, Serenity, Game of Thrones, and Domo. Today Dark Horse Comics is the largest independent comic book publisher in the US and is recognized as one of the world’s leading publishers of both creator-owned content and licensed comics material.

Marvel Comics from Diamond Distributors for August 14 2013

MARVEL COMICS

MAY130736 ALPHA TP BIG TIME $16.99
JUN130663 ASTONISHING X-MEN #65 $3.99
JUN130596 AVENGERS ARENA #13 $2.99
MAY130721 AVENGERS ASSEMBLE TP SCIENCE BROS NOW $16.99
JUN130656 DEADPOOL #14 $2.99
MAY138362 DEXTER #1 2ND PTG DEL MUNDO VAR $3.99
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I Reads You Review: ROCKETEER ADVENTURES VOL. 2 #1

"More tears than rockets"
ROCKETEER ADVENTURES VOL. 2 #1
IDW PUBLISHING

WRITERS: Marc Guggenheim, Peter David, Stan Sakai
ARTISTS: Sandy Plunkett, Bill Sienkiewicz, Stan Sakai
COLORS: Jeromy Cox, Bill Sienkiewicz, Dave Stewart
LETTERS: Robbie Robbins, Bill Sienkiewicz, Stan Sakai
PIN-UP: Arthur Adams with John Rauch
EDITOR: Scott Dunbier
COVER: Darwyn Cooke (alternate cover by Dave Stevens)
28pp, Color, $3.50 U.S.

First appearing in 1982, The Rocketeer is a superhero created by the late writer/illustrator Dave Stevens and inspired by the Saturday matinee movie heroes of the 1930s and 1940s. Set mainly in Los Angeles in and after the year 1938, the series follows Cliff Secord, a stunt pilot who discovers a mysterious jet pack that allows him to fly, leading to the birth of The Rocketeer.

After a long absence from comics, The Rocketeer returned last year in Rocketeer Adventures. This four-issue miniseries was an anthology comic book edited by Scott Dunbier and published by IDW Publishing. Rocketeer Adventures features Rocketeer short stories (about 7 to 8 pages in length) from some of the premiere creators in American comic books. Now, the fun is back in Rocketeer Adventures Vol. 2.

Rocketeer Adventures Vol. 2 #1 opens with “The Good Guys,” story by Marc Guggenheim and art by Sandy Plunkett. While the wounded Rocketeer slumbers in a bed on the second floor of a farmhouse, the locals discuss his fate: turn him over to the law or not. But a child shall lead them. Peter David gives the Rocketeer a Looney Tunes spin in “The Ducketeer,” with art by Bill Sienkiewicz, who executes a graphic riff on Chuck Jones and Maurice Noble. Stan Sakai takes the Rocketeer to a small-ville and the Rocketeer takes a kid up, up, and away in “A Dream of Flying.”

Rocketeer Adventures Vol. 2 starts off nostalgic and quaint with this first issue. The stories are sweet and sentimental, with in-jokes for comic book and cartoon fans. These pop culture references and riffs will make even the most jaded pop culture buff smile.

Marc Guggenheim’s tale (“The Good Guys”) treads on familiar territory. Are there enough good people to fight evil and what is the nature of vigilantism are two real-world questions with which this story grapples. Guggenheim’s story is timely in light of a FOX News affiliate in Orlando, Florida referring to Neo-Nazi group, the National Socialist Movement, as a civil rights group, something the FOX News website later repeated.

This story is also a welcomed return of seldom-seen comic book artist, Sandy Plunkett, whose style is ideal for this old-timey, rural pastoral story. Like Rocketeer creator, Dave Stevens, Plunkett is apparently also influenced by the American book and magazine illustrators of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

That aside, these new Rocketeer comic books are rapidly becoming showcases for artists that don’t regularly produce comic book art. These stories are also too sentimental, and, as much as I enjoy a dose of “Disneyana” with my comics, The Rocketeer’s origin comes out of adventure movie serials. This character needs to bust out in a miniseries – one complete with cliffhanger endings at the end of each issue. New Rocketeer comics should not be treated as if they are part of a eulogy to Stevens. All this pretty art and quaintness makes Rocketeer Adventures seem like a funerary item.

I appreciate the new Rocketeer comics, but they can be more than what they are. I must admit, of course, that I think the Art Adams pin-up is awesome.

B+

Marvel Comics from Diamond Distributors for February 8 2012

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