Marvel Comics from Diamond Distributors for May 14, 2014

MARVEL COMICS

FEB140841 AGE OF ULTRON COMPANION TP $29.99
MAR140660 ALL NEW GHOST RIDER #3 ANMN $3.99
MAR140702 ALL NEW ULTIMATES #2 $3.99
MAR140734 ALL NEW X-MEN #27 $3.99
MAR140786 AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #1.1 BY ROSS POSTER $8.99
FEB140856 AMAZING SPIDER-MAN TP PETER PARKER ONE AND ONLY $16.99
MAR140631 AVENGERS #29 SIN $4.99
MAR140690 AVENGERS UNDERCOVER #4 $2.99
MAR140706 CAPTAIN AMERICA #20 $3.99
MAR140709 CAPTAIN MARVEL #3 $3.99
MAR140663 DEADLY HANDS OF KUNG FU #1 ANMN $3.99
MAR140746 DEADPOOL #28 $3.99
FEB148410 DEADPOOL VS CARNAGE #1 2ND PTG FABRY VAR $3.99
MAR140788 DEADPOOL WEDDING BY KOBLISH POSTER $8.99
MAR140723 FANTASTIC FOUR #4 $3.99
FEB140861 HULK BY JEPH LOEB TP COMPLETE COLLECTION VOL 02 $34.99
MAR140718 IRON MAN #25 $3.99
FEB140840 IRON MAN PREM HC VOL 04 IRON METROPOLITAN $24.99
FEB148411 LOKI AGENT OF ASGARD #3 2ND PTG FRISON VAR ANMN $2.99
FEB148412 MAGNETO #2 2ND PTG SAMNEE VAR ANMN $3.99
FEB140854 MARVEL KNIGHTS X-MEN TP HAUNTED $16.99
MAR140727 MARVEL UNIVERSE AVENGERS ASSEMBLE #8 SYU $2.99
DEC130769 MMW DAREDEVIL HC VOL 08 $69.99
FEB148413 MOON KNIGHT #2 2ND PTG SHALVEY VAR ANMN $3.99
MAR140691 NEW AVENGERS #18 ANMN $3.99
MAR140667 NIGHTCRAWLER #2 ANMN $3.99
MAR140669 SECRET AVENGERS #3 ANMN $3.99
FEB140857 SHE-HULK BY SLOTT TP VOL 02 COMPLETE COLLECTION $34.99
FEB140850 TWELVE TP COMPLETE SERIES $29.99
MAR140750 UNITED STATES OF MURDER INC #1 (MR) $3.99
MAR140742 WOLVERINE #6 $3.99
MAR140733 X-FORCE #5 $3.99
MAR140787 X-MEN MARVEL 75TH ANNIV BY ROSS POSTER $8.99

Marvel Comics from Diamond Distributors for May 7, 2014

MARVEL COMICS

FEB140842 AGE OF ULTRON TP $34.99
FEB148306 ALL NEW GHOST RIDER #1 2ND PTG MOORE VAR ANMN $3.99
MAR140731 ALL NEW X-FACTOR #7 $3.99
MAR140638 AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #1.1 ANMN $3.99
DEC130761 ANNIHILATION OMNIBUS HC $125.00
MAR140716 BLACK WIDOW #6 $3.99
JAN140792 CASTLE UNHOLY STORM PREM HC $24.99
MAR140645 CYCLOPS #1 ANMN $3.99
FEB148307 DAREDEVIL #1 2ND PTG SAMNEE VAR ANMN $3.99
MAR140745 DEADPOOL VS CARNAGE #3 $3.99
FEB140821 FIRE GN HC (MR) $19.99
FEB140843 INDESTRUCTIBLE HULK TP VOL 02 GODS AND MONSTER $19.99
MAR140648 IRON FIST LIVING WEAPON #2 ANMN $3.99
FEB140831 IRON MAN FATAL FRONTIER HC $34.99
FEB148309 LOKI AGENT OF ASGARD #2 2ND PTG FRISON VAR ANMN $2.99
MAR140707 LOKI AGENT OF ASGARD #4 $2.99
MAR140664 MAGNETO #3 ANMN $3.99
MAR140697 MILES MORALES ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN #1 $3.99
MAR140676 MIRACLEMAN #5 $4.99
MAR140650 MOON KNIGHT #3 ANMN $3.99
MAR140717 NEW WARRIORS #4 $3.99
MAR140615 ORIGINAL SIN #1 $4.99
MAR140722 PUNISHER #5 $3.99
MAR140739 SAVAGE WOLVERINE #18 $3.99
MAR140728 SHE-HULK #4 $2.99
FEB148308 SILVER SURFER #1 2ND PTG ALLRED VAR ANMN $3.99
FEB140837 UNCANNY X-MEN PREM HC VOL 03 GOOD BAD AND INHUMAN $24.99
DEC130758 X-MEN ADAMANTIUM COLLECTION HC $200.00
FEB140834 X-MEN DAYS OF FUTURE PAST PROSE NOVEL HC $24.99
JAN140780 X-MEN NO MORE HUMANS OGN HC $24.99
FEB140852 X-MEN VS HULK TP $24.99

Marvel Comics from Diamond Distributors for March 12 2014

MARVEL COMICS

JAN140817 ALL NEW GHOST RIDER #1 POSTER $8.99
DEC138406 ALL NEW INVADERS #1 2ND PTG SINGH VAR ANMN $3.99
DEC138407 ALL NEW X-FACTOR #2 2ND PTG ANKA VAR ANMN $3.99
JAN140776 ALL NEW X-FACTOR #4 $3.99
DEC138408 ALL NEW X-MEN #22.NOW 2ND PTG IMMONEN VAR ANMN $3.99
JAN140715 ALL NEW X-MEN #24 ANMN $3.99
DEC130778 ALL NEW X-MEN TP VOL 02 HERE TO STAY $19.99
DEC138468 AMAZING X-MEN #2 2ND PTG MCGUINNESS VAR ANMN $3.99
DEC138469 AMAZING X-MEN #3 2ND PTG MCGUINNESS VAR ANMN $3.99
DEC130791 AVENGERS TP BOOK 02 ABSOLUTE VISION $39.99
JAN140692 AVENGERS UNDERCOVER #1 ANMN $2.99
DEC138409 AVENGERS WORLD #2 2ND PTG YOON VAR ANMN $3.99
DEC138410 BLACK WIDOW #2 2ND PTG NOTO VAR ANMN $3.99
DEC138470 BLACK WIDOW #3 2ND PTG NOTO VAR ANMN $3.99
JAN140768 BLACK WIDOW #4 $3.99
JAN140669 CAPTAIN MARVEL #1 ANMN $3.99
JAN140816 CAPTAIN MARVEL #1 BY LOPEZ POSTER $8.99
JAN140815 DAREDEVIL #1 75TH ANNIV BY ROSS POSTER $8.99
JAN140814 DAREDEVIL #1 BY SAMNEE POSTER $8.99
DEC130786 DAREDEVIL TP DARK NIGHTS $19.99
JAN140654 DEADPOOL #25.NOW ANMN $2.99
JAN140725 FANTASTIC FOUR #2 ANMN $3.99
DEC130781 FANTASTIC FOUR TP VOL 03 DOOMED $24.99
SEP130802 FF TP VOL 02 FAMILY FREAKOUT NOW $24.99
DEC138474 GUARDIANS OF GALAXY #11.NOW 2ND PTG PICHELLI VAR ANMN $3.99
DEC130741 HAWKEYE #17 $2.99
JAN140762 MARVEL UNIVERSE AVENGERS ASSEMBLE #6 SYU $2.99
DEC130766 MARVEL UNIVERSE AVENGERS ASSEMBLE DIGEST TP VOL 01 $9.99
DEC130763 MARVELS CAPTAIN AMERICA FIRST AVENGER SCREENPLAY TP $16.99
DEC130762 MARVELS CAPTAIN AMERICA TP WINTER SOLDIER PRELUDE $14.99
JAN140752 MIGHTY AVENGERS #8 $3.99
DEC138471 NIGHT OF LIVING DEADPOOL #2 2ND PTG SHAW VAR $3.99
JAN140758 REVOLUTIONARY WAR MOTORMOUTH #1 $3.99
JAN140679 SECRET AVENGERS #1 ANMN $3.99
DEC130732 SUPERIOR FOES OF SPIDER-MAN #9 $2.99
DEC138472 SUPERIOR SPIDER-MAN #25 2ND PTG RAMOS VAR $4.99
DEC138473 SUPERIOR SPIDER-MAN #26 2ND PTG STEGMAN VAR $3.99
JAN140720 SUPERIOR SPIDER-MAN #29 ANMN $3.99
DEC130773 THOR GOD OF THUNDER PREM HC VOL 03 ACCURSED $24.99
JAN140729 WOLVERINE #3 ANMN $3.99
DEC130775 WOLVERINE TP VOL 02 KILLABLE $19.99
JAN140731 X-FORCE #2 ANMN $3.99
JAN140773 X-MEN LEGACY #300 $4.99

I Reads You Review: THE ROCKETEER/THE SPIRIT: Pulp Friction #4

THE ROCKETEER/THE SPIRIT: PULP FRICTION #4
IDW PUBLISHING with DC Entertainment – @IDWPublishing and @DCComics

WRITER:  Mark Waid
ART: J Bone
COLORS: Rom Fajardo
LETTERS: Tom B. Long
EDITOR: Scott Dunbier
COVER: J Bone
SUBSCRIPTION VARIANT COVER: Chris Samnee with Jordie Bellaire
28pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (December 2013)

Two classic characters unite in the four-issue comic book miniseries, The Rocketeer/The Spirit: Pulp Friction.  The Rocketeer is a modern-day comic book character whose adventures are set in the era known as the “Golden Age” of comics.  The Spirit is a comic book character that actually appeared in that Golden Age.

Published by IDW Publishing (in association with DC Comics), The Rocketeer/The Spirit: Pulp Friction is written by Mark Waid and drawn by Paul Smith (#1), Loston Wallace (#2), and J Bone (#3 and #4).  Pulp Friction unites the two heroes, as they try to solve a peculiar murder case.

First appearing in the 1980s, The Rocketeer was created by artist and illustrator, Dave Stevens (who died in March of 2008).  Stunt pilot Cliff Secord discovers a mysterious jet pack, which he straps to his back.  Adding a helmet, Secord becomes “The Rocketeer,” and begins a series of adventures set mainly in and around Los Angeles and beginning in the year 1938.

The Spirit was created by legendary cartoonist Will Eisner (who died in January 2005) and first appeared on June 2, 1940 in a 16-page, Sunday newspaper supplement (or insert) called “the Spirit section.”  Once known as Detective Denny Colt (believed by some to be dead), The Spirit is a masked vigilante who fights crime in Central City.

After the corpse of Alderman Tommy Cunningham, a Central City politician, is found in Los Angeles, The Spirit travels to LA. to investigate, as it is physically impossible for Cunningham to have been in the city when he was.  Meanwhile, longtime Spirit nemesis, The Octopus, joins Hollywood “producer,” Benedict Trask, in a plot to use the new medium of television to launch a worldwide criminal enterprise

The Rocketeer/The Spirit: Pulp Friction #4 opens in Central City.  The Spirit finds himself imperiled by Cliff’s girlfriend and actress, Betty, who is under the thrall of the Octopus.  Trask, feeling assured of victory, prepares to “fire a bullet that will draw blood from the world.”  The Rocketeer and The Spirit have been at odds of late.  Can they come together in time to save the world?  They can with the help of a very special leader.

The Rocketeer/The Spirit: Pulp Friction #4 is the best issue of what has been an entertaining series and a welcomed union of two special comic book characters.  Comic books like Pulp Friction remind me of the fun I had reading comic books as a child, flipping pages as fast as I could read them.  Sometimes, I had to go back and reread a comic (several times) because my rapid reading was causing me to miss things.

In this final issue, writer Mark Waid brings everything together:  all the themes, conflicts, personality clashes, and subplots.  Waid cleverly constructs a scene that explains why The Spirit and The Rocketeer might clash that makes perfect sense in the context of the story that Waid is telling.  Also, the surprise way in which he turns a famous historical figure into a kind of action hero makes me glad that I read this series.  And there are many reasons to read this comic book.

Although he did not draw the opening chapters, J Bone made Pulp Friction his own.  His art has an old-timey quality that captures the… ahem… spirit of Will Eisner’s art in terms of mood, graphic design, and pacing, which is appropriate here.  The Central City side of this story arc should resemble classic Eisner, as the L.A. side of the story recalls classic Dave Stevens Rocketeer.  When it comes to comic books, this is the good stuff.

Once again:  more Mark Waid Rocketeer, please, Mr. Dunbier.

A+

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux


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

I Reads You Review: THE ROCKETEER/THE SPIRIT: Pulp Friction #3

THE ROCKETEER/THE SPIRIT: PULP FRICTION #3
IDW PUBLISHING with DC Entertainment – @IDWPublishing and @DCComics

WRITER:  Mark Waid
ART: J Bone
COLORS: Rom Fajardo
LETTERS: Tom B. Long
EDITOR: Scott Dunbier
COVER: J Bone
SUBSCRIPTION VARIANT COVER: Chris Samnee with Jordie Bellaire
28pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (November 2013)

First appearing in the 1980s, comic book character, The Rocketeer, was created by artist and illustrator, Dave Stevens (who died in March of 2008).  Stunt pilot Cliff Secord discovers a mysterious jet pack, which he straps to his back.  Adding a helmet, Secord becomes “The Rocketeer,” and begins a series of adventures set mainly in Los Angeles and beginning in the year 1938.

Golden Age comic book character, The Spirit, was created by legendary cartoonist Will Eisner (who died in January 2005).  The Spirit first appeared on June 2, 1940 in what readers called “The Spirit Section.”  This was a 16-page, Sunday newspaper supplement or insert that was carried in various newspapers from the 1940s and to the early 1950s.  Once known as Detective Denny Colt (believed by some to be dead), The Spirit is a masked vigilante who fights crime in Central City.

The Rocketeer/The Spirit: Pulp Friction is a comic book series that brings these characters together.  Published by IDW Publishing (in association with DC Comics), the series is written by Mark Waid and drawn by various artists.  Pulp Friction unites the two heroes, as they try to solve a peculiar murder case.

The corpse of Alderman Tommy Cunningham, Central City politician, is found in Los Angeles, although it is physically impossible for him to be in L.A.  Meanwhile, longtime Spirit nemesis, The Octopus, has joined Hollywood “producer,” Benedict Trask, in a plot to use the new medium of television to launch a worldwide criminal enterprise

As The Rocketeer/The Spirit: Pulp Friction #3 opens, The Rocketeer visits The Spirit’s home/base of operations at Wildwood Cemetery.  Meanwhile, Cliff’s girlfriend and actress, Betty, is also in Central City for meeting with Trask, who puts her up in a posh hotel.  Betty is about to discover, however, that Trask wants to make her a star in the new medium of television, but not in the way she expects.

At this point in my review cycle of The Rocketeer/The Spirit: Pulp Friction, I have run out of things to say about Mark Waid writing The Rocketeer.  That is especially when I consider how much I liked his earlier effort, The Rocketeer: Cargo of Doom.  Simply put, he’s good with the character.  [Dear Mr. Dunbier, More Mark Waid Rocketeer, please.]

J Bone, who seems to emanate from the Bruce Timm-Dawyn Cooke school of cartooning, makes a welcomed return to The Rocketeer.  As talented as J Bone is, neither his style nor his draftsmanship, approaches that of the late Dave Stevens or the late Will Eisner.  Yet, there are moments in this wonderful comic book in which Bone captures the spirit of both artists’ work on their signature characters.  From the Rocketeer’s mad chase through the canyons of Central City to Betty’s femme fatale, behind-the-curtain dance, Bone captures the graphical essence of what made Eisner and Stevens’ comics exceptional, iconoclastic works of the medium.

Tune in tomorrow… next issue

A

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux

The text is copyright © 2013 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog for syndication rights and fees.

Review: THE SHADOW: Year One #4

THE SHADOW: YEAR ONE #4
DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT – @dynamitecomics

WRITER: Matt Wagner
ARTIST: Wilfredo Torres
COLORS: Brennan Wagner
LETTERS: Simon Bowland
COVER: Matt Wagner (A), Alex Ross (B), Chris Samnee (C), Howard Chaykin (D)
The Shadow created by Walter B. Gibson
28pp, Color, $3.99 U.S.

Rated T+

After some years, I’m finally reading a comic book starring seminal old-time radio and pulp magazine vigilante and crime fighter, The Shadow, and I’ve had some mixed feelings about it.  Now, I truly satisfied… at least, for now.

Dynamite Entertainment has brought The Shadow back to comic books.  Dynamite’s latest release featuring the dark avenger who knows what fear lurks in hearts of men is The Shadow: Year One.

Depicting the beginnings of The Shadow’s campaign against crime, The Shadow: Year One is written by Matt Wagner and drawn by Wilfredo Torres.  The adventure begins in Cambodia, 1929 and moves to New York City on October 30, 1929.  That’s when wealthy, world traveler and adventurer, Lamont Cranston, becomes The Shadow and begins a war on evil in America.

As The Shadow: Year One #4 opens, Guiseppe “Joe” Massaretti, top crime boss in New York City, forms some kind of union with the mysterious Dr. Zorn.  Meanwhile, a young newspaper reporter finds that the closer he gets to Lamont Cranston, the farther away the hard-to-find millionaire seems to be.

After being saved from Carlo Luppino by The Shadow, insurance salesman, Claude Fellowes, learns the price he owes the dark avenger.  At the same time, Lupino is the one who needs saving, as he goes on the run.  Plus, in case she misunderstood, The Shadow informs Margo Lane what her relationship with Lamont Cranston will be.

I saw The Shadow: Year One #3 as an improvement over the first two issues of the miniseries because it emphasized confrontation and violence, rather than only talk and character development.  I understand that, early on, writer Matt Wagner was trying to establish the plot, setting, and characters for the series.  However, the series just did not seem like a story that deserved to run under the banner of The Shadow.  It seemed as if the story were waiting for something to really happen.

Now, with this fourth issue, The Shadow: Year One offers the kind of explosive episode that deserves to be called The Shadow.  The gamesmanship, the intrigue, the mystery and suspense; it’s on now, baby!  Oh, I mean… this is most excellent writing indeed.

I have had mixed feelings, to put it mildly, about the art by Wilfredo Torres, but he’s hitting his stride at the midway point in the series.  Now, Torres’ art has a graphic sensibility that recalls Golden Age comic book art.  It’s a visual aesthetic similar to Paul Smith’s art for The Golden Age, a 1990s DC Comics miniseries.  Smith adapted his style in way that would recall Golden Age comic book art.  Torres, in a similar fashion, is doing that with his art for this series, with increasingly good results.

A

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux

Review: THE SHADOW: Year One #3

THE SHADOW: YEAR ONE #3
DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT – @dynamitecomics

WRITER: Matt Wagner
ARTIST: Wilfredo Torres
COLORS: Brennan Wagner
LETTERS: Simon Bowland
COVERS: Matt Wagner (A), Alex Ross (B), Chris Samnee (C), Howard Chaykin (D)
The Shadow created by Walter B. Gibson
28pp, Color, $3.99 U.S.

Rated T+

Dynamite Entertainment returned The Shadow to comic books. The Shadow: Year One is Dynamite’s latest comic book series featuring the dark avenger who knows what fear lurks in the hearts of men.

This new miniseries imagines the beginnings of The Shadow’s campaign against crime and is written by Matt Wagner and drawn by Wilfredo Torres. The adventure begins in Cambodia, 1929 and moves to New York City on October 30, 1929. That’s when wealthy, world traveler and adventurer, Lamont Cranston, becomes The Shadow and begins a war on evil in America.

As The Shadow: Year One #3 opens, an insurance broker named Fellowes is summoned before crime boss, Carlo Luppino, AKA “the Dandy Don.” Luppino wants a new agent for his criminal enterprise, but The Shadow is also seeking agents. Meanwhile, after inviting herself into his home, Margo Lane confronts Lamont Cranston.

Because it emphasizes confrontation and violence (of course), The Shadow: Year One #3 is the best issue of the series since the first issue. In fact, this third issue is a big improvement over issue #2, which writer Matt Wagner used to establish what are likely to be the dominate plot lines of this miniseries. That was a dialogue-heavy issue, with an emphasis on establishing the personalities, conflicts, motivations, etc. of the cast – besides The Shadow. There is not a thing wrong with that; it simply came across as flat in its execution.

Issue #3, however, is about bad guys, the kind of fictional violent, remorseless killers that deserve to have the sword of justice brought down on them. Thank goodness that Matt Wagner finally, really unleashes The Shadow’s pistols. Honestly, I didn’t know that I was that crazy about cap-popping in comic books; after all, I haven’t read The Punisher in years. Wagner also has some fun with the Lamont Cranston/Margo Lane dynamic; it’s good to see them go at each other.

B+

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux

Review: THE SHADOW: Year One #2

THE SHADOW: YEAR ONE #2
DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT – @dynamitecomics

WRITER: Matt Wagner
ARTIST: Wilfredo Torres
COLORS: Brennan Wagner
LETTERS: Simon Bowland
COVERS: Matt Wagner (A), Alex Ross (B), Chris Samnee (C), Howard Chaykin (D)
The Shadow created by Walter B. Gibson
28pp, Color, $3.99 U.S.

The Shadow began as the mysterious narrator of the radio series, Detective Story Hour. Then, pulp writer Walter B. Gibson, under the pen name Maxwell Grant, fully developed the character into the one we know, the mysterious crime-fighting vigilante with psychic powers. The Shadow became a pop culture icon. The character is no stranger to comics, having debuted in a daily newspaper comic strip in 1940 and also starring in a comic book series that ran during the 1940s, entitled Shadow Comics.

In 2012, The Shadow returned to comic books via Dynamite Entertainment. Dynamite’s latest release featuring the dark avenger who knows about fear lurking in hearts is The Shadow: Year One, a new miniseries from writer Matt Wagner and artist Wilfredo Torres. The adventure begins in Cambodia, 1929 and moves to New York City on October 30, 1929. That’s when wealthy, world traveler and adventurer, Lamont Cranston, becomes The Shadow and begins a war on crime in America.

As The Shadow: Year One #2 opens, The Shadow rescues Margo Lane, a mobster’s sex toy (a.k.a. “piece of ass”) from that mobster’s goons, Vinnie and Sal. You see, Ms. Lane is or was Guiseppe “Joe” Massaretti’s lover, but he didn’t need her services anymore and wanted to get rid of her permanently. Surprisingly, Ms. Lane recognizes her rescuer. Meanwhile, a young reporter continues to track Cranston, as a mob war begins.

Writer Matt Wagner uses The Shadow: Year One #2 to establish what are likely to be the dominate plot lines of this miniseries. This is a dialogue-heavy issue, so the emphasis is on establishing the personalities, conflicts, motivations, etc. of the cast – besides The Shadow. Surprisingly, Wagner’s exposition (which appears in the caption boxes) is stiff and kinda dull. This is surprising because Wagner, a veteran writer/artist and comic book scribe, is usually in top form. So far, The Shadow: Year One has not been anywhere near his best work.

This issue, the art by Wilfredo Torres looks like a broken-down version of David Mazzuchelli’s art for Batman: Year One. The compositions are arthritic, and the figure drawing is awkward. Both Wagner and Torres are capable of better, and I’m sure or I hope they will deliver better in future issues.

B-

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux

IDW Publishing from Diamond Distributors for March 6 2013

IDW PUBLISHING

JAN130427 ADVENTURES OF AUGUSTA WIND #5 [DIG/P+] $3.99

AUG120459 ARCHIE BEST OF DAN DECARLO HC VOL 04 $24.99

NOV120379 DANGER GIRL GI JOE HC $24.99

JAN130424 DOCTOR WHO 3 TP VOL 01 HYPOTHETICAL GENTLEMAN $17.99

DEC128119 DOCTOR WHO PRISONERS OF TIME #1 2ND PTG $3.99

JAN130364 GI JOE A REAL AMERICAN HERO #188 [DIG/P+] $3.99

JAN130455 JINNRISE #3 [DIG/P+] $3.99

JAN130457 JOE PALOOKA #4 [DIG/P+] $3.99

AUG120457 KING AROO HC VOL 02 (RES) $39.99

NOV120356 KISS #8 [DIG/P+] $3.99

DEC120398 MY LITTLE PONY FRIENDSHIP IS MAGIC #4 [DIG/P+] $3.99

DEC120424 ROCKETEER CARGO OF DOOM HC [DIG/P+] $24.99

DEC120423 ROCKETEER CARGO OF DOOM HC DM ED $24.99

NOV120414 STEVE DITKO MONSTERS HC VOL 01 GORGO $34.99

DEC120445 TRANSFORMERS MORE THAN MEETS EYE #14 [DIG/P+] $3.99

JAN130408 TRANSFORMERS SPOTLIGHT BUMBLEBEE ONE SHOT #1 $3.99

DEC120479 TRUE BLOOD ONGOING #10 [DIG/P+] $3.99

JAN130454 WIZARDS TALE TP $19.99

Review: THE SHADOW Year One #1

THE SHADOW: YEAR ONE #1
DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT – @dynamitecomics

WRITER: Matt Wagner
ARTIST: Wilfredo Torres
COLORS: Brennan Wagner
LETTERS: Simon Bowland
COVER: Matt Wagner (A), Alex Ross (B), Chris Samnee (C), Howard Chaykin (D)
The Shadow created by Walter B. Gibson
28pp, Color, $3.99 U.S.

“Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men? The Shadow knows.”

He has influenced such characters as Batman, Green Arrow, the Green Hornet, and Alan Moore’s V from V for Vendetta, but The Shadow began as a sinister voice on the radio, the mysterious narrator of a radio series.

Then, pulp writer Walter B. Gibson fully developed the character into the one we know. The Shadow became the mysterious crime-fighting vigilante with psychic powers that appeared in novel-length stories published in pulp magazines. The Shadow became a pop culture icon. The character is no stranger to comics, having debuted in a daily newspaper comic strip in 1940 and having also starred in a comic book series entitled Shadow Comics that ran during the 1940s.

In 2012, Dynamite Entertainment returned The Shadow to comic books with a new regular series. Dynamite’s latest release is The Shadow: Year One, a new miniseries from writer Matt Wagner and artist Wilfredo Torres.

The Shadow: Year One #1 opens in Cambodia, 1929. Chanda, a young gang member, runs to his cousin for aid. It seems his boss, the fearsome warlord, Kai-Pang, has been killed by “a dark spirit… thirsting for vengeance.” Now, that spirit wants Chanda.

Later, on October 30, 1929, the wealthy, world traveler and adventurer, Lamont Cranston, arrives by ship in New York City. A young reporter’s interest is piqued by Cranston’s return to America. Meanwhile, Margo Lane, a kept woman, is having a disagreement with her keeper, New York-based criminal and hood, Guiseppe “Joe” Massaretti. Margo and Joe’s relationship is about to bring The Shadow out of the shadows.

For a time, I was a huge fan of The Shadow. I read Howard Chaykin’s four-issue miniseries, The Shadow (DC Comics), several times. Chaykin, who provides one of four covers for the first issue of The Shadow: Year One, created a very popular re-imagining (before that word was used) of The Shadow. Eventually collected as The Shadow: Blood and Judgment, Chaykin’s miniseries was also controversial.

Whereas Chaykin’s The Shadow was flashy, crazy, sexy, cool and maybe just a tad bit aggressive and in-your-face, The Shadow, as drawn by Wilfredo Torres, is quiet and smooth. Torres’ art is straight from the David Mazzuchelli school of comics-as-Film-Noir, but this is a low-budget Film-Noir, with straight-ahead camera work. It’s no frills, just meat-and-potatoes, as if the camera just stands still and shoots what is in front of it.

Matt Wagner’s script offers intriguing tidbits throughout, but he writes a first issue that is frustratingly and mostly set-up. This is barely a prologue. The way this story is presented seems to suggest that the actual story hasn’t really started. Will this series turn out to be good? I’ll put my money on Wagner to deliver quality, if not excellent, work. But for now, this first issue is so much cock-tease.

B+

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux

Comics, Magazines and Books from Diamond Distributors for February 20 2013

COMICS & GRAPHIC NOVELS

DEC120942 ADVENTURE TIME #13 [DIG] $3.99

DEC121243 BENJAMIN BEAR IN FUZZY THINKING TP $4.99

DEC121244 BENNY AND PENNY TOY BREAKER TP $4.99

DEC120818 BETTY & VERONICA #264 REG CVR [DIG/P+] $2.99

SEP121037 BIONIC WOMAN #8 $3.99

DEC121245 CHICK AND CHICKIE IN PLAY ALL DAY TP $4.99

OCT121109 CREEPY KOFY MOVIE TIME COMIC $3.99

DEC120854 CROSSED ANNUAL 2013 #1 (MR) $5.99

DEC120856 CROSSED ANNUAL 2013 #1 TORTURE CVR (MR) $5.99

DEC120855 CROSSED ANNUAL 2013 #1 WRAP CVR (MR) $5.99

NOV121293 DANCE I/T VAMPIRE BUND OMNIBUS VOL 02 $19.99

DEC121013 DEJAH THORIS & GREEN MEN OF MARS #1 (MR) $3.99

DEC121014 DEJAH THORIS & GREEN MEN OF MARS #1 EXC SUBSCRIPTION $3.99

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2012 Comic Book Bin Awards Announced

written by Leroy Douresseaux

I am also a writer and quasi-editor for the website, the Comic Book Bin. A few years ago, the Bin initiated the Binnies (or BINnies), the site’s very own comic book awards.

The guy behind Binnies is writer/editor, Zak Edwards, who announced the results of the 2012 Binnie Awards (the Third Annual Binnies) at the end of this past week:

http://www.comicbookbin.com/Welcome_to_the_2012_Binnie_Awards.html

Third Annual Binnie Awards Winners and runner-ups:

Best New Series: Saga
Runner-Up: Hawkeye

Best Mini-Series: Bedlam
Runner-Up: Before Watchmen: Minutemen

Best OGN: The Underwater Welder
Runner-Up: Wild Children

Best Anthology: Dark Horse Presents
Rocketeer Adventures 2

Best Ongoing Series: Batman
Runner-Up: Rachel Rising

Best Artist: Terry Moore
Runner-Up: Matt Kindt

Best Writer: Scott Snyder
Runner-Up: Jonathan Hickman

Best Comic Adaptation: The Avengers
Runner-Up: The Dark Knight Rises

Biggest Surprise/Best Moment: Death of Agent Coulson
Runner-Up: Marvel NOW!

Biggest Disappointment: DC Comics
Runner-Up: The Dark Knight Rises

Best Publisher: Image Comics
Runner-Up: Valiant


For your interest, dear reader, here, is how I voted:

Best Writer:
Chris Ware – Building Stories (Pantheon Books)

Best Artist:
Chris Ware – Building Stories

Best New Series (An ongoing series that debuted this year):
Bad Medicine by Nunzio DeFilippis and Christina Weir and Christopher Mitten (Oni Press)

Best Ongoing Series
Naruto by Masashi Kishimoto (VIZ Media)

Best Mini-Series (The series should have either started or ended this year):
The Rocketeer: Cargo of Doom by Mark Waid and Chris Samnee with Scott Dunbier as editor (IDW)

Best OGN (original graphic novel):
Batman: Earth One by Geoff Johns and Gary Frank (DC Comics)

Best Anthology (we sometimes collapse this and OGN together if we can't fill up the space)
The Judas Coin by Walter Simonson (DC Comics)

Best Moment/Biggest Surprise
Marvel Comics: The Untold Story (HarperCollins) – a history of Marvel Comics by Sean Howe

Biggest Disappointment:
The Dark Knight Rises (Warner Bros. Pictures)

Best Comic Adaptation:
The Avengers (Walt Disney Pictures/Marvel Studios)

Best Publisher
VIZ Media

I Reads You Review: THE ROCKETEER: Cargo of Doom #4

THE ROCKETEER: CARGO OF DOOM #4
IDW PUBLISHING – @IDWPublishing

WRITER: Mark Waid
ARTIST: Chris Samnee
COLORS: Jordie Bellaire
LETTERS: Shawn Lee
EDITOR: Scott Dunbier
COVERS: Chris Samnee with Jordie Bellaire – regular cover
Dave Stevens – Cover RI
28pp, Color, $3.99 U.S.

The Rocketeer: Cargo of Doom comes to an end. This four-issue miniseries is the first new story arc featuring Dave Stevens’ The Rocketeer, probably since 1995. The Rocketeer: Cargo of Doom is produced by the Eisner Award-winning team of writer Mark Waid and artist Chris Samnee (Daredevil).

For those who don’t know: The Rocketeer is a comic book character created by the late artist and illustrator, Dave Stevens. The Rocketeer is Cliff Secord, a stunt pilot who discovers a mysterious rocket backpack that allows him to fly. Donning the backpack and a metal helmet, Secord becomes the adventurer and masked crime-fighter, The Rocketeer. His adventures begin in 1938 and continue into the 1940s (for the time being). Most of his activities occur mainly in and around Los Angeles.

The Rocketeer: Cargo of Doom is set in 1940 and finds Cliff with troubles on his hands. The Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA) may take away his pilot’s license. Sally, the young niece of Cliff’s best pal, Peevy, is now working as a mechanic at Peevy’s. Sally has a mad crush on Cliff, and Cliff’s girlfriend, the bombshell actress Betty, is fuming about the crush and about Sally being around Cliff so much. If domestic drama weren’t enough, The Rocketeer falls into a conspiracy involving The Master, a mysterious figure, and an invasion of dinosaurs.

As The Rocketeer: Cargo of Doom #4 begins, The Rocketeer battles the dinosaurs that have escaped into Los Angeles and are terrorizing the citizens. Luckily, our hero has a ray gun that takes care of the problem, but how long will this miraculous weapon hold? Still fuming, Betty spurs Peevy into action to help Cliff. Meanwhile, Sally and CAA Inspector Earl Garland also plot to help Cliff, or is there more to their actions?

For some reason, I thought that The Rocketeer: Cargo of Doom was supposed to be a five-issue miniseries. Regardless, the wrap-up in this last issue seems rushed. The action that focused on The Rocketeer lacks the impact that a man with a rocket backpack fighting prehistoric monsters should have. That sequence is actually overly compressed when it should be open and run several pages. The Peevy/Betty bit is funny, while the Sally-Earl Garland segments offer intrigue, but may be a little too oblique at this point.

Still, The Rocketeer: Cargo of Doom was and still is fun to read. I wouldn’t mind seeing Waid-Samnee give The Rocketeer another whirl.

B+

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux

I Reads You Review: THE ROCKETEER: Cargo of Doom #3

THE ROCKETEER: CARGO OF DOOM #3
IDW PUBLISHING – @IDWPublishing

WRITER: Mark Waid
ARTIST: Chris Samnee
COLORS: Jordie Bellaire
LETTERS: Shawn Lee
EDITOR: Scott Dunbier
COVERS: Chris Samnee with Jordie Bellaire – regular cover
Dave Stevens – Cover RI
28pp, Color, $3.99 U.S.

Mark Waid, you had me at dinosaurs. This is just another reason why I’m glad that I’m still reading The Rocketeer: Cargo of Doom.

The Rocketeer is a comic book character created by the late artist and illustrator, Dave Stevens. The Rocketeer is Cliff Secord, a stunt pilot who discovers a mysterious jet pack that allows him to fly. Secord dons the pack and a metal helmet and becomes the adventurer and masked crime-fighter, The Rocketeer, whose adventures are set in 1938 and the following years, mainly in and around Los Angeles.

Rocketeer Adventures marked The Rocketeer’s return in 2011. Edited by Scott Dunbier and published by IDW Publishing, this anthology comic book featured Rocketeer short stories from some of the premiere creators in American comic books created in honor of Stevens. Now, the adventure continues in a new series, The Rocketeer: Cargo of Doom, from writer Mark Waid and artist Chris Samnee.

The Rocketeer: Cargo of Doom opens in 1940 and finds Cliff with troubles on his hands. The Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA) may take away his pilot’s license. Sally, the young niece of Cliff’s best pal, Peevy, is now working as a mechanic at Peevy’s. Sally has a mad crush on Cliff, and Cliff’s girlfriend, the bombshell actress Betty, is fuming about the crush and about Sally being around Cliff so much. Then, he falls into the clutches of The Master.

As The Rocketeer: Cargo of Doom #3 begins, The Master prepares to make Cliff a dino-treat. However, Cliff didn’t survive this long as The Rocketeer with being wily and using his wits. Now, can he save L.A. from becoming the valley of the dinosaurs?

As far as I’m concerned, Mark Waid is one of the few name comic book scribes who consistently writes comic books that are fun to read and also recall the free-spirited, eccentric weirdness of old comic book stories. He is a traditionalist who can take Marvel and DC Comics’ intellectual properties and brands and recall them to bygone glory. I think that makes Waid just right for The Rocketeer, which is set in a golden age, but is not a Golden Age comic book character.

Chris Samnee’s textured inking heightens the drama in the dinosaur/fire destruction scenes. Add Jordie Bellaire’s colors and the drama is heightened even more. Finally, I feel like I’m getting every penny of the $3.99 cover price

A

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux

I Reads You Review: THE ROCKETEER: CARGO OF DOOM #2

THE ROCKETEER: CARGO OF DOOM #2
IDW PUBLISHING

WRITER: Mark Waid
ARTIST: Chris Samnee
COLORS: Jordie Bellaire
LETTERS: Shawn Lee
EDITOR: Scott Dunbier
COVERS: Chris Samnee with Dave Stewart – regular cover
Dave Stevens – Cover RI
28pp, Color, $3.99 U.S.

In a world where there is a jet pack/rocket backpack that a man can use to fly, why can’t there also be a lost island where dinosaurs still live? This is the world of The Rocketeer.

The Rocketeer is a comic book character created by the late artist and illustrator, Dave Stevens (who died in March of 2008). Cliff Secord is a stunt pilot who discovers a mysterious jet pack that allows him to fly. Secord dons the pack and a metal helmet and becomes the adventurer and masked crime-fighter, The Rocketeer, whose adventures are set mainly in Los Angeles and begin in 1938.

The Rocketeer returned to comic books in 2011 with Rocketeer Adventures. Edited by Scott Dunbier and published by IDW Publishing, this anthology comic book was a tribute to Dave Stevens. The series featured Rocketeer short stories from some of the premiere creators in American comic books. Now, the adventure continues in a new series, The Rocketeer: Cargo of Doom, from writer Mark Waid and artist Chris Samnee.

The Rocketeer: Cargo of Doom opens in 1940 and finds Cliff with troubles on his hands. The Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA) may take away his pilot’s license. Sally, the young niece of Cliff’s best pal, Peevy, is now working as a mechanic at Peevy’s. Sally has a mad crush on Cliff, and Cliff’s girlfriend, the bombshell actress Betty, is fuming about the crush and about Sally being around Cliff so much.

As The Rocketeer: Cargo of Doom #2 begins, the mysterious Trask and The Master continue the plot they are hatching out of the docks at the Port of Los Angeles. Cliff learns that he has a new case worker from the CAA, a brawny black man named Earl Garland, who can hit back (unlike the last guy). The Master also makes a move on capturing The Rocketeer and reveals what he has stowed away in his ship’s cargo hold.

In my review of the first issue of Cargo of Doom, I admitted that I was not crazy about the comic book’s cover price ($3.99). I wrote that I might eventually balk at paying $20 to read the entire series. I haven’t balked yet.

This is a good series. Mark Waid offers characters that are more character types than fully-developed characters, but they work for Cargo of Doom. Samnee’s art is still tight and still eye-catching, especially with that killer figure drawing. How could I stop reading this? The Rocketeer: Cargo of Doom is the kind of rousing, fantasy adventure that got me started reading comics.

A-

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux

I Reads You Review: THE ROCKETEER: CARGO OF DOOM #1

"Back in the sky high saddle, again..."

THE ROCKETEER: CARGO OF DOOM #1

IDW PUBLISHING

WRITER: Mark Waid
ARTIST: Chris Samnee
COLORS: Jordie Bellaire
LETTERS: Shawn Lee
EDITOR: Scott Dunbier
COVERS: Chris Samnee with Dave Stewart – Cover A
Dave Stevens with Laura Martin – Cover B and Jetpack Comics Cover
Chris Samnee with Jordie Bellaire – Cover RIA
Chris Samnee – Cover RIB
28pp, Color, $3.99 U.S.

The Rocketeer is a comic book character created by artist and illustrator, Dave Stevens (who died in March of 2008). The Rocketeer is Cliff Secord, a stunt pilot who discovers a mysterious jet pack that allows him to fly, and his adventures are set mainly in Los Angeles in and after the year 1938.

The Rocketeer returned to comic books in 2011 in Rocketeer Adventures. Edited by Scott Dunbier and published by IDW Publishing, this anthology comic book was a tribute to Stevens and featured Rocketeer short stories from some of the premiere creators in American comic books. Now, the adventure continues in the new series, The Rocketeer: Cargo of Doom, from writer Mark Waid and artist Chris Samnee.

The Rocketeer: Cargo of Doom #1 opens in 1940. Cliff dons his Rocketeer garb and gear to rescue two people from a struggling airplane. One of those people is Sally, the young niece of Peevy, Cliff’s best pal and the one mechanic who can tinker with the Rocketeer’s jetpack. Sally has a mad crush on Cliff, and Cliff’s actress/bombshell girlfriend, Betty, is fuming about the crush and Sally. Meanwhile, something wicked has just docked at the port in Los Angeles, and the sinister mastermind targets The Rocketeer.

As much as I liked both Rocketeer Adventures series (or at least parts of Vol. 2), I wanted IDW to publish an actual Rocketeer story arc. I was excited to discover The Rocketeer: Cargo of Doom while reading the list of comic books shipping this week (8/22/). I was immediately determined to get my hands on this comic book, and having just read it, I am not disappointed.

When Mark Waid is on, the comic books he writes are fun to read. In Cargo of Doom, he uses dialogue to form the characters for readers, and crackling dialogue is always preferable to a psycho-babble when it comes to developing comic book characters. This is why I think someone like Waid is more of a natural at creating comic book than other writers who seem to have some kind of quasi-literary credibility. Under Waid’s care, Peevy hasn’t been this spicy since Dave Steven’s original comics. As for the characters’ actions, Waid also makes that clear and straightforward, from the lecherous government agent to the mercurial Guptmann.

I had been planning on reading some comic books drawn by Chris Samnee, but I was reluctant to try some of his Marvel Comics work if that meant figuring out whatever is going on in the Marvel Universe. Samnee’s art bears similarities to the work of Darwyn Cooke, David Mazzuchelli (Batman: Year One era), and Bruce Timm, while remaining uniquely his own style. Samnee’s figure drawing is killer, and there is a bit of classicism in the way he poses characters, as if he were drawing human bodies for academic critics.

I must admit that I am not crazy about Cargo of Doom’s cover price, and I may ultimately balk at paying $20 to read the entire series. Still, The Rocketeer: Cargo of Doom #1 is one of the year’s best debuts.

A-