I Reads You Juniors June 2018 - Update #46

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RIP - From BleedingCool:  Comic book agent, David Campiti, remembers recently deceased artist, Bong Dazo ("Deadpool").

From BleedingCool:  eBay To Sell Digital Comic Books from Today

From BleedingCool:  See Lucas Turnbloom’s Harry Potter-Styled San Diego Public Library Card

RIP - From THR:  Famed and volatile speculative fiction and television writer, Harlan Ellison, has died.  He also wrote several comics books and many of his stories were adapted for comic books.

From TheBeat:  Updates from Ed Brubaker on "Kill or Be Killed" and more.

From BleedingCool:  Brian Michael Bendis says that DC Comics will promote his creator-owned comics more than Marvel did.

From ComicBookBin:  New webcomic Johnny Bullet episode #166 in English.
From ComicBookBin:  New webcomic Johnny Bullet episode #166 in French.

From THR:  Tee Franklin's LGBTQ graphic novel, "Bingo Love" will return in a Vol. 2 and a new edition of Vol. 1.

From BleedingCool:  "The Trouble With Those 100 Page DC Comics From Walmart" by Rich Johnston.

From TheBeat:  Some retailers are outraged at the DC Comics-Wal-Mart exclusive deal that will see Wal-Mart exclusively carry four 100-page DC titles that will reprint stories, but also include original content.

From ComicBook:  Mike Colter, star of Marvel/Netflix's "Luke Cage," explains why Cage is not called "Power Man" in the series.

From Newsarama:  "Silk" is the latest character from the Spider-Man family that is being developed for film by Sony Pictures.

From Asahi:  "Golden Kamuy" creator, Satoru Noda, does his homework and research in depicting the Ainu ethnic group.  One of the lead characters, Asirpa, is Ainu.  "Golden Kamuy" is one of the best comic books being published today.

From BleedingCool:  Starting from the first of July, according to Bleeding Cool DC Comics and Walmart have done a deal to exclusively sell four one-hundred-page DC Comics anthology titles every month.  The comics will feature both old stories and brand-new content previously unavailable, including original Brian Micheal Bendis "Batman" and Tom King "Superman" 12-part serials.

From TCJ: Niki Smith talks about her erotic graphic novel, "Crossplay," which is set in the comics convention community.

From ComicCon:  2018 Bill Finger Awards for Excellence in Comic Book Writing have been announced.  Two influential women, Joye Murchison Kelly and Dorothy Roubicek Woolfolk, were honored.

From BleedingCool:  Fantagraphics Books 2018 solicitations.

From BleedingCool:  DC Comics rushing out to collections of Geoff Johns and Gary Frank's "Superman" comic books:  "Superman: Braniac" and "Superman: Secret Origins."

From Deadline:  Mark Miller, Olivier Coipel, and Netflix's Image Comics title, "The Magic Order," is selling like hotcakes.

From THR:  Tee Franklin ("Bingo Love") talks about her upcoming socially conscious horror comic book series, "Jook Joint" (Image Comics, October 2018).

From ComicBookBin:  New webcomic Johnny Bullet episode #165 in English.
From ComicBookBin:  New webcomic Johnny Bullet episode #165 in French.

From YahooNews:  Pittsburgh Post-Gazette has fired its editorial cartoonist, Rob Rogers, for being critical of President Trump.

From BleedingCool:  Stephan Frank talks about his wonderful vampire comic book series, "Silver," and launching a Kickstarter campaign to finish it.

From THR:  Marvel has announced the return of one of its "homo" and "freaking female" comic books.  "Iceman" (the home) and "The Unstoppable Wasp" (freaking female) are returning this fall.

From Polygon:  Batgirl will have a new direction, new comic book writer, and new costume.

From Crunchyroll:  "Tokyo Ghoul: re" manga ending soon.

From TheGuardian:  Mark Millar says "Netflix will take risks where a studio won't."

From Newsarama:  The Los Angeles Police Department is investigating claims that 95-year-old Stan Lee is the victim of elder abuse, related to Lee's business manager, Keya Morgan.

From Polygon:  A major DC Entertainment shake-up signals change for movies, TV, and comics

From BleedingCool:  Jim Lee and Dan DiDio got the "co" dropped from "co-publishers" and are now listed as "Publishers."

From Deadline:  Geoff Johns is leaving his job as Chief Creative Officer (CCO) of DC Entertainment (DC Comics).  Johns will move into a Warner Bros first-look producing deal where he will write movie vehicles to produce for Mad Ghost Productions.  Johns will also continue to work on existing films based on DC Comics properties.

From Vulture:  Many people are still shocked at the apparent recent suicide of celebrity chef and TV host, Anthony Bourdain.  Once upon a time, he wanted to draw comic books.

From TheBeat:  Longtime "MAD Magazines" cartoonist, Nick Meglin, has died at the age of 82, Saturday, June 2, 2018.

From SanFranChron:  A profile of 89-year-old writer, artist, cartoonist, and comic book creator, Jules Feiffer.

From AlbanyTimesUnion:  Shawn Pryor talks about the Kickstarter campaign for his comic book, "Lifted: Of Gods and Thieves."

From ANN:  The "Tokyo Ghoul: re" manga will reportedly make a big announcement on Thursday, June 14th, 2018.

From LATimes:  DC Comics relaunches its "Vertigo" imprint with a new name ("DC Vertigo") and seven new titles.

From BleedingCool:  The real Marvel Comics vs. DC Comics will happen when sales figures come out next week.

From BleedingCool:  Fabian Nicieza is writing a "World Cup" digital comic book for Marvel and ESPN.

From BleedingCool: DC Comics Advertises Metal Collection on AMC, SYFY, TBS, TNT, and TruTV

From SyFy:  Berger Books, an imprint of Dark Horse Comics, has announced a new science fiction title, "LaGuardia," written by Nnedi Okorafor and drawn by Tana Ford.

From ComicBook:  GameStop will apparently start selling comic books.

From AnimeNewsNetwork:  23 Shogakukan Manga Magazines Launch Anti-Piracy Campaign

From BleedingCool:  It's Alive is going to collect Doug Moench's "Aztez Ace" and has initiated a Kickstarter campaign to publish the project.

From GeekTyrant:  The "Batman Ninja" movie will be adapted as a manga for "Monthly Hero's Magazine."

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ComiXology Announcement:

From Newsarama:  COMIXOLOGY ORIGINALS Offers Print-On-Demand, Exclusive New Creator-Owned Titles for AMAZON PRIME

From WashPost:  ComiXology’s new move: A line of original, creator-owned comic books

From BleedingCool:  ComiXology introduces Amazon print-on-demand comics.

From BleedingCool: "ComiXology Originals" is opening June with a big announcement.

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From Otakukart:  Eden’s Zero Manga Reveals New Illustration.  New manga from the creator "Fairy Tail."

Albert Avilla Reviews: Teen Titans #13

Teen Titans # 13
DC Comics

Reviewed by Albert Avilla

Story: Scott Lobdell
Script: Fabian Nicieza
Art: Ale Garza

The Origin of Wonder Girl (Spoilers!)

Cassie Sandmark is a cat burglar who runs afoul of the law and is saved by a muscle-bound guy named Diesel. She falls in love with this bad boy who takes her on a joyride through the dark side. During this time Cassie is traveling around the world with her mother going from archaeological site to archaeological site.

They end up at a site in Cambodia where Diesel decides to steal some buried treasure. Diesel gets attacked by the living armor; Cassie saves Diesel by taking on the armor herself. Diesel is angry and wants the armor back; then, bam, the mountain falls on him. Wonder Girl is born. Back in the present, Cassie, Red Robin, and Superboy are flying to Cambodia to find some answers.

I am a Titans fan, so I am reading this issue, trying to keep up with what the gang is doing. The story is not impressing me very much; I am feeling disappointed by Scott Lobdell, who’s been handling his business of late. Then, bam, the mountain falls on me. I didn’t know this was one of those stories where the shocker comes at the end. The story is made worthwhile with the words “the mark of Trigon.” It’s on now; time for the big boys to get in the game. Mother-shut-my-mouth Trigon is in the works. I can’t wait to see The New 52 Raven. That’s how you leave them wanting more. Okay, give us a little more; the new, fine-ass Amanda Waller is sending one of her boys to bring the Titans in. Mouth watering foreshadowing is what this issue is about.

The art is good. Garza’s talent shines when Wonder Girl is taking the armor. The costume is visually appealing, and the armor is hardcore. When you see it, you know someone will receive more than their fair share of pain and misery. Red Robin is a bad boy in that flying apparatus.

I rate Teen Titans # 13 Buy Your Own Copy. #2 (of 5) Al-O-Meter Ranking

I Reads You Review: GAMBIT #1 (1999 series)

GAMBIT (1999) #1
MARVEL COMICS

WRITER: Fabian Nicieza
PENCILS: Steve Skroce
INKS: Rob Hunter
COLORS: Shannon Blanchard
LETTERS: Richard Starkings & Comicraft’s Emerson Miranda
COVERS: Steve Skroce and Rob Hunter with Liquid Graphics; Carlos Pacheco and Mezino with Richard Isanove; Adam Pollina; Brandon Peterson and Tim Townsend with Liquid Graphics; Tim Bradstreet; and Steve Skroce and Rob Hunter with DV
48pp, Color, $2.99 U.S.

Gambit is a Marvel Comics superhero character best known for his association with the X-Men. His civilian identity is Remy LeBeau. Gambit was created by writer Chris Claremont and artist Jim Lee and made a brief first appearance in Uncanny X-Men Annual #14 (1990), before making a fuller appearance in Uncanny X-Men #266 (August 1990).

A mutant, Gambit possesses the ability to mentally create, control and manipulate pure kinetic energy; this is best exemplified when he “biokinetically” charges objects (such as cards) and turns them into small explosives. In addition to playing cards, his other signatures are his Bō staff, Louisiana heritage, and thick Cajun accent.

Gambit received his first ongoing comic book series in 1999. Gambit #1, cover dated February 1999, was written by Fabian Nicieza and drawn by Steve Skroce (pencils). Entitled “The Man of Steal,” this first issue finds Gambit trying to pay off some kind of debt he owes to New Son. At this point, Gambit’s payment plan to New Son pits him against Elysian Enterprises, a military research firm headed by Anwar Anubar.

Anubar is seeking the treasures of Garbha-Hsein, an ancient Chinese warlord who legends say ruled for a thousand years. The legends also say that Garbha had an extraterrestrial vessel, which he took apart and buried in his 12 tombs. After Gambit successfully obtains one of the pieces, Anubar brings in The X-Cutioner, killer of bad mutants, to deal with Gambit. Also, we see into Gambit’s past and the X-Men (including Wolverine, Storm, Nightcrawler, Kitty Pryde, and Rogue) guest star.

With a cover date of February 1999, Gambit #1 probably arrived in comic book stores in December 1998 (or a little earlier). That was just about four months before the film, The Matrix, debuted in theatres. I imagine that not many people who picked up Gambit #1 when it was first released knew that series artist, Steve Skroce, had drawn the storyboards for The Matrix. Apparently, it was Skroce’s storyboards that helped executives at Warner Bros. understand the screenplay for The Matrix, written by directors Andy and Larry Wachowski and thus, approve its production.

Here, the art team of Skroce and inker Rob Hunter does not work. Skroce’s busy and crowded compositions turn into a murky mess under Hunter’s inks, and the clumsy coloring and color separations don’t help. This is not the polished post-Matrix Skroce that would emerge in a short run on Wolverine and at the Wachowski comic book company, Burlyman. As for the story, Fabian Nicieza wrote an action movie screenplay, with a wooden plot and a cast of wooden characters (plus a pointless origin sequence).

I remember reading this Gambit series for at least a year. [Gambit would get a second series in 2004 and another, which just launched as of this writing]. I was not a fan of Nicieza, at the time. Perhaps, I bought this comic book because of Skroce; for most of the 1990s, I only bought comics drawn by artists I liked. Whatever the reason, I wish I could get back the money I paid for these Gambit comic books.

C-

The New 52 Review: LEGION LOST #1

LEGION LOST #1
DC COMICS

WRITER: Fabian Nicieza
ARTIST: Pete Woods
COLORS: Brad Anderson
LETTERS: Travis Lanham
32pp, Color, $2.99

Run from Tomorrow Part One: Present Tense

Legion Lost was a 12-issue comic book limited series starring members of the Legion of Super-Heroes (LoSH). Published by DC Comics (of course), the series focused on a group of Legionnaires banished to the far side of the universe.

With the re-launch of the DC Comics’ superhero line, “The New 52,” Legion Lost returns as a new ongoing comic book series with a new cast: Chameleon Girl, Dawnstar, Gates, Tellus, Timber Wolf, Tyroc, and Wildfire. To stop a terrorist act, they travel from the 30th (or 31st) century back to the 21st Century, but the rules of time traveling are changing in a post-Flashpoint DC Universe.

As Legion Lost #1 opens, seven members of the Legion of Super-Heroes (LoSH) arrive via a Time Bubble in Red Lake Falls, Minnesota – 21st century Earth. Their mission is to stop Alastor, a shape-shifting terrorist from Rimbor, from infecting Earth with a deadly virus. However, adjusting to a new Earth proves to be difficult for some of the Legion Lost, making a dangerous mission all the more perilous.

After one issue, Legion Lost seems as if it could offer an interesting spin on the team comic book. There is a lot of setup here, but writer Fabian Nicieza digs into the lynchpin of the central plotline – the threat of a pathogen, while offering nice character moments (such as Dawnstar’s troubles). I’ve never thought of Nicieza as a great comic book writer, but he’s good at writing fast-paced superhero comics.

The art by Pete Woods is all over the place, and sometimes it seems as if Woods believes he is supposed to churn out impressionistic drawings. Some of the visual storytelling is not clear and some of the character drawing is ugly. Brad Anderson’s coloring manages to save some of Woods’ worst moments, so Legion Lost may be worth a second or maybe even a third look.

B-


September 14th
BATMAN AND ROBIN #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/09/batman-and-robin-1.html
FRANKENSTEIN AGENT OF SHADE #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/09/frankenstein-agent-of-shade-1.html
GREEN LANTERN #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/09/green-lantern-1.html
RED LANTERNS #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/09/red-lanterns-1.html
SUPERBOY #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/09/superboy-1.html

Leroy Douresseaux on BATMAN: TIME AND THE BATMAN

BATMAN: TIME AND THE BATMAN

DC COMICS

WRITERS: Grant Morrison and Fabian Nicieza
ARTISTS: Tony S. Daniel, Cliff Richards, Andy Kubert, Frank Quitely, David Finch, Richard Friend, and Scott Kolins
COLORS: Ian Hannin, Alex Sinclair, Tony Aviña, Brand Anderson, and Peter Steigerwald
LETTERS: Jared K. Fletcher and Travis Lanham
COVER: David Finch and Scott Williams
EXTRAS ART: Mike Mignola, Kevin Nowlan, Dave Stewart, Shane Davis, Sandra Hope, Barbara Ciardo, Juan Doe, Dustin Nguyen, Guillem March, Tim Sale, Bill Sienkiewicz, and Philip Tan
ISBN: 978-1-4012-2989-4; hardcover
128pp, Color, $19.99 U.S., $22.99 CAN

DC Comics recently published a hardcover comic book collection entitled Batman: Time and the Batman. It collects Batman issues 700 to 703 with some extras, including variant covers and a peak inside the Batcave rendered with 3-D modeling.

There is also a gallery of Batman illustrations, a portfolio of sorts entitled “Creatures of the Night: A Batman Gallery.” I won’t say that this gallery is worth the cost of the book, but it is worth at least a quarter of this book’s cover price. There are two hot pieces from Dustin Nguyen and a striking piece by Guillem March, among others.

Batman: Time and the Batman is essentially a bridge story arc that connects Batman R.I.P., Final Crisis, and Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne to one another. In the opening chapter, “Time and the Batman,” the three Batmen: Bruce Wayne, Dick Grayson, and Damian Wayne fight the past, present, and future. Batman’s most dangerous adversary, the Joker, and a few others use the Maybe Machine, the invention of Professor Carter Nichols, to raise hell in Gotham City across decades.

Next, in a missing chapter of R.I.P., Batman faces Darkseid and trap that will have him doubting his own mind and perceptions and also lost in time. Finally, in “The Great Escape,” the new Batman and Robin face the Gateway Genius and Damian is confronted by how little he knows about his father. It is a sentimental and highly-enjoyable story from the underrated Fabian Nicieza and artist Cliff Richards.

I recently saw an article that began by describing Grant Morrison as a god to fans, and yes, I’m tired of hearing about fanboy gods. Still, there is reason to love some Grant Morrison because his current run on Batman has been so much fun to read. Let’s face it, pretty much every Batman comic book since Frank Miller’s Batman: The Dark Knight Returns has lived in the shadow of (ominous music) The Dark Knight Returns.

To me, at least, Grant Morrison’s Batman is more Dennis O’Neil than it is Frank Miller, but what defines Morrison’s Batman is what defines most of his work, imagination. From page to page, the reader never really knows what to expect and from panel to panel the reader never knows what will come out of the characters’ mouths. After 70 years, Batman can be forgiven for suffering from sameness. In Morrison’s hands, Batman is fresh and bouncy. I swear that when I read this I sometimes think that the whole Batman universe is brand new.

Now, this doesn’t always work that way. “R.I.P. – The Missing Chapter” is a rambling mess; it’s the kind of nonsensical, tie-in comic that is the poster child for why crossover events have been done to death. On the other hand, “Time and the Batman,” the opening story, is sparkly and energetic. The story dances across the pages, as Morrison takes us from one Batman to the next (including Batman Beyond).

Most of this book is good, and although the “missing” chapter of R.I.P. is a true blue misfire, Batman: Time and the Batman is a Grant Morrison Batman book to have.

B+