Dynamite Entertainment from Diamond Distributors for March 27, 2019

DYNAMITE

OCT181168    CHARLIES ANGELS TP VOL 01    $19.99
JAN191241    PETER CANNON THUNDERBOLT #3 10 COPY WIJNGAARD VIRGIN INCV (N    $PI
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AUG181285    WILL EISNER SPIRIT CORPSE MAKERS RMRK ED HC    $75.00

Dynamite Entertainment from Diamond Distributors for March 13, 2019

DYNAMITE

SEP181127    GAME OF THRONES CLASH OF KINGS #16 CVR A MILLER (MR)    $3.99
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MAY181166    TERRY DODSON BETTIE PAGE STATUE    $189.99
AUG181284    WILL EISNER SPIRIT CORPSE MAKERS HC SGN    $39.99

Dynamite Entertainment from Diamond Distributors for March 6, 2019

DYNAMITE

JUN181154    JOHN WICK #2 (OF 5) PAK SGN ED    $49.99
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Dynamite Entertainment from Diamond Distributors for January 30, 2019

DYNAMITE

NOV181121    ELVIRA SHAPE OF ELVIRA #1 BLANK AUTHENTIX ED    $10.00
NOV181111    ELVIRA SHAPE OF ELVIRA #1 CVR A FRANCAVILLA    $3.99
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NOV181063    PETER CANNON THUNDERBOLT #1 CVR E WIJNGAARD    $3.99
DEC181251    RED SONJA 45TH ANNIV TRADING CARDS GOMEZ PROMO    $19.73
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JUL161486    WOMEN OF DYNAMITE RED SONJA PINT GLASS 2PC SET    $19.99

Dynamite Entertainment from Diamond Distributors for December 26, 2018

DYNAMITE

OCT181120    MARS ATTACKS #3 CVR A FRANCAVILLA    $3.99
OCT181121    MARS ATTACKS #3 CVR B COLEMAN    $3.99
OCT181122    MARS ATTACKS #3 CVR C MARRON    $3.99
OCT181123    MARS ATTACKS #3 CVR D HACK    $3.99
OCT181124    MARS ATTACKS #3 CVR E SCHWEIZER SUB VAR    $3.99

Dynamite Entertainment from Diamond Distributors for December 19, 2018

DYNAMITE

SEP181232    BOYS HC LTD ED VOL 02 GET SOME ROBERTSON SGN ED (MR)    $29.99
SEP181234    BOYS HC LTD ED VOL 04 WE GOTTA GO NOW ROBERTSON SGN ED (MR)    $29.99
SEP181239    BOYS TP VOL 01 NAME OF THE GAME ROBERTSON REMARKED ED (MR) (    $89.99
SEP181220    BOYS TP VOL 01 NAME OF THE GAME ROBERTSON SGN ED (MR)    $16.99
SEP181221    BOYS TP VOL 02 GET SOME ROBERTSON SGN ED (MR)    $19.99
SEP181222    BOYS TP VOL 03 GOOD FOR THE SOUL ROBERTSON SGN ED (MR)    $19.99
SEP181223    BOYS TP VOL 04 WE GOTTA GO NOW ROBERTSON SGN ED (MR)    $19.99
SEP181225    BOYS TP VOL 06 SELF-PRESERVATION SOCIETY ROBERTSON SGN ED (M    $19.99
SEP181226    BOYS TP VOL 07 THE INNOCENTS ROBERTSON SGN ED (MR)    $19.99
SEP181227    BOYS TP VOL 08 HIGHLAND LADDIE ROBERTSON SGN ED (MR)    $19.99
SEP181228    BOYS TP VOL 09 BIG RIDE ROBERTSON SGN ED (MR)    $24.99
SEP181229    BOYS TP VOL 10 BUTCHER BAKER ROBERTSON SGN ED (MR)    $19.99
SEP181230    BOYS TP VOL 11 OVER THE HILL ROBERTSON SGN ED (MR)    $19.99
SEP181231    BOYS TP VOL 12 BLOODY DOORS OFF ROBERTSON SGN ED (MR)    $19.99
OCT181073    JAMES BOND 007 #2 CVR A JOHNSON    $3.99
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OCT181110    KISS BLOOD STARDUST #3 CVR A SAYGER    $3.99
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OCT181112    KISS BLOOD STARDUST #3 CVR C SANAPO    $3.99
OCT181113    KISS BLOOD STARDUST #3 CVR D PHOTO SUB VAR    $3.99
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OCT181152    RED SONJA #24 CVR E COSPLAY SUB VAR    $3.99
AUG181283    WILL EISNER SPIRIT CORPSE MAKERS HC    $19.99

Review: JUGHEAD: The Hunger #1

JUGHEAD: THE HUNGER No. 1
ARCHIE COMICS – @ArchieComics @ArchieHorror

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

STORY: Frank Tieri
PENCILS: Pat and Tim Kennedy
INKS: Bob Smith and Jim Amash
COLORS: Matt Herms
LETTERS: Jack Morelli
COVER: Francesco Francavilla
VARIANT COVER: Robert Hack; Michael Walsh
28pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (December 2017)

Rated Teen+ for Violence and Mature Content

“Run Like the Wolf” Part One

Over the past four years, Archie Comics has gone about modernizing its characters and comic books in terms of stories, characters, and plots, as well as in visuals and graphics.  This is a publishing initiative that can be called the “new look Archie.”

The first phase of the new Archie Comics was the  the “Archie Horror” line, in which Archie Comics characters were re-imagined in a darker world, filled with the supernatural – from forbidden magic to bloodthirsty creatures.  Writer Roberto Aquirre-Sacasa and artist Francesco Francavilla took Archie Comics to the dark side in Afterlife with Archie, placing Archie and his pals in the middle of a “zombie apocalypse.”

Earlier this year, Jughead Jones went to the dark and hungry side in Jughead: The Hunger, a one-shot comic book that revealed that classic pal of Archie Andrews, Jughead Jones, was descended from a line of werewolves.  He started killing, and Betty Cooper, one of Archie's girlfriends and a werewolf hunter, started hunting him.  Archie and Betty could not save Jughead, and he skipped town after killing Reggie Mantle.

Jughead: The Hunter is now an ongoing series.  It is written by Frank Tieri; drawn by Pat & Tim Kennedy (pencils) and Bob Smith and Jim Amash (inks); colored by Matt Herms; and lettered by Jack Morelli.

Jughead: The Hunger #1 opens three week earlier at Riverdale Hospital where Reggie Mantle is declared dead... or not.  Moving forward, Jughead has run away and joined the circus.  He has found some sense of peace, although the circus' animals avoid him.  Meanwhile, Betty and Archie continue to follow Jughead's trail, but someone new is about to join their little hunt.

I think the original Jughead: The Hunger was published at a time when I was too busy to track the coming and goings of one-shot comic books.  However, because I really love Afterlife with Archie and also the second “Archie Horror” title, The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, I was determined to get a copy of Jughead: The Hunger #1, and it is worth the effort and the decision to continue it as an ongoing series.

“Archie Horror” titles are steeped in the tradition of the best American horror comic books, from EC Comics and Warren Publications to DC Comics “Bronze and Copper Ages” titles and its Vertigo imprint.  Sometimes, it is in the tone of the narrative; other times “Archie Horror” comic books capture the spirit of classic horror comic books.  Jughead: The Hunger #1 has it all, and it is also an engaging supernatural teen soap opera, presenting scares and scary teens.

Of course, we are early in this series, but I see teen melodrama playing a big part in Jughead: The Hunger, probably as much as the monster side of the story.  Matt Herms' gorgeous colors capture and heighten all this story's moods – from the intensity of the emergency room to the loneliness of Jughead's secretive circus life.  Jack Morelli's clean lettering fits in like a perfect storyteller, knowing that it is all about the story.

I must say that I am surprised.  I did not expect Jughead: The Hunger #1 to grab me as the earlier “Archie Horror” comics had.  I ask myself, “Are these horror titles really as good as I think they are?”  Find out for yourself, dear readers.

8.5 out of 10

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


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

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Review: A WALK THROUGH HELL #1

A WALK THROUGH HELL No. 1
AFTERSHOCK COMICS – @AfterShockComix

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

WRITER: Garth Ennis
ARTIST: Goran Sudžuka
COLORS: Ive Svorcina
LETTERS: Rob Steen
EDITOR: Mike Marts
COVER: Andy Clarke with Jose Villarrubia
VARIANT COVERS: Andy Clarke; Francesco Francavilla; Robert Hack; Hoyt Silva; Goran Sudžuka with Ive Svorcina; Ben Templesmith
32pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (May 2018)

Mature Readers

Created by Garth Ennis and Goran Sudžuka

“One”

A Walk Through Hell is a new comic book series from writer Garth Ennis and artist Goran Sudžuka.  The rest of the series' creative team includes colorist Ive Svorcina and letterer Rob Steen.  Publisher Aftershock Comics describes A Walk Through Hell as “a new kind of horror story for modern America.”

A Walk Through Hell #1 focuses on two Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents.  The older agent is Special Agent Shaw, who is nearing her 40th birthday and who is still haunted by her last investigation.  Special Agent McGregor is younger; a male, he is still idealistic about his career.

Shaw and McGregor are assisting two fellow agents, Special Agent Goss and Special Agent Hunzikker.  When the two agents fail to stay in contact, Shaw and McGregor head to a Long Beach warehouse that Goss and Hunzikker were investigating.  When they arrive, they find the local police acting strangely and a warehouse where something peculiar and maybe unbelievably dangerous awaits.

A Walk Through Hell #1 is not so much a chapter as it is a teaser trailer for a comic book.  Garth Ennis has been one of the best writers of violent action comic books over the last three decades, so he has been treated like a prince of the realm... of American comic books.  DC Comics even allowed Ennis to liberally use the racial slur “nigger,” in the comic books he wrote for them, even when DC had no African-American writing DC Comics titles.  Ennis' comics are consistently entertaining, in a bracing sort of way and are often quite imaginative and sometimes poignant.

A Walk Through Hell #1 is just too cute and coy for its own good.  It offers 20 pages at a cover price of $3.99, yet the information AfterShock released about A Walk Through Hell does more storytelling than this first issue does.  No unknown or novice comic book writer would be allowed to deliver a first issue like A Walk Through Hell #1, no matter how good he or she was.  This is star creator privilege run amok.  Yet I know that, overall, this might be a good comic book when we finally get an issue in which something more than story cock-teasing happens.

Goran Sudžuka offers some solid drawing, and I would say good storytelling, if the storytelling here was not vague.  Colorist Ive Svorcina delivers some solid, moody and noir-ish colors that recall the coloring on classic DC Comics/Vertigo titles.  Rob Steen's lettering does as much to create atmosphere as Ennis' writing does.

Maybe next time...

6 out of 10

[This comic book includes a preview of The Lost City Explorers #1 by Zack Kaplan and Alvaro Sarraseca.]

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


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

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

Review: BABYTEETH #1

BABYTEETH No. 1
AFTERSHOCK COMICS – @AfterShockComix

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

WRITER: Donny Cates
ARTIST: Garry Brown
COLORS: Mark Englert
LETTERS: Taylor Esposito
COVER: Garry Brown
VARIANT COVERS: Garry Brown; Dylan Burnett; Elias Chatzoudis; Juan Doe; Francesco Francavilla; Phil Hester; Nat Jones; Tobias Morrow; Brent Peeples; Shelby Robertson; Mike Rooth; Elizabeth Torque; Arturo Torres with Larry Watts
32pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (June 2017)

Mature Readers

Babyteeth created by Donny Cates and Garry Brown

“Mother of God”

Babyteeth is a new comic book series from writer Donny Cates and artist Garry Brown.  Their collaborators are Mark Englert on colors and Taylor Esposito on letters.  Published by AfterShock Comics, this series will focus on the young woman who gives birth to the Anti-Christ, a child that will eventually break down the barriers between the earthly and demonic planes.

Babyteeth #1 (“Mother of God”) opens in a darkened exterior.  Using a smart phone, young Sadie Ritter records a story to tell her baby, which takes us back one year prior.  In Salt Lake City, Utah, 16-year-old Sadie is trying to hide her pregnancy from her classmates.  Her sister, the bad-ass Heather, knows about the bundle of joy and has to make some people back up off her little sister.  When Sadie's contractions start, some weird crap starts happening, too, including Sadie's belief that she may be dead!

All I can say is that I am intrigued by Babyteeth.  Writer/co-creator Donny Cates is hot as he comes off two Image Comics, God Country and Redneck.  I get the feeling that Babyteeth will be somewhat funny, maybe a black comedy or a satire or both.  It is hard to tell how dark or violent it will be, but there is something in Garry Brown's angular compositions and matter-of-fact storytelling that makes Babyteeth seem promising.  It is almost as if Brown's art and graphical storytelling is saying to us, “Oh, you are going to want to see the rest of this!”

And for now, I do want to see more of this.

[This comic book includes the following extras and back-matter:

There are four-pages of the behind-the-scenes process of producing Babyteeth #1, from script to art to coloring and lettering.

This is a six-page preview of upcoming AfterShock Comics title, Unholy Grail E1 by Cullen Bunn and Mirko Colak.]

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


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

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

Review: DREAMING EAGLES #6

DREAMING EAGLES No. 6 (OF 6)
AFTERSHOCK COMICS – @AfterShockComix

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

WRITER: Garth Ennis
ARTIST: Simon Coleby
COLORS: John Kalisz
LETTERS: Rob Steen
COVER: Francesco Francavilla
32pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (June 2016)

For mature readers

Dreaming Eagles created by Garth Ennis

Chapter 6: “A Stone of Hope”

Dreaming Eagles was a comic book miniseries created and written by Garth Ennis.  Published from late 2015 and into 2016, the series was drawn by Simon Coleby; colored by John Kalisz; lettered by Rob Steen, with Francesco Francavilla as the main cover artist.

Published in six issues, Dreaming Eagles tells the story of the first African-American fighter pilots to join the United States Army Air Force during World War II.  The narrative connects the pilots' stories with the 1960s Civil Rights movement through two characters, WWII veteran and USAAF pilot, Lt. Reggie Atkinson, and his son, Lee, a Civil Rights activist.  Lt. Atkinson recounts his experiences as a Black pilot in WWII, including his stint as a member of the “Red Tails,” to Lee.

As Dreaming Eagles #6 (“A Stone of Hope”) opens, Reggie moves the story to his last mission as a member of the Three Thirty-Second Fight Group (the Red Tails), as he and his fellow Black pilots escort U.S. Bombers on a raid into Berlin, Germany.  However, Lt. Atkinson and his friend and fellow pilot, “Fats,” return to the United States and find out that some people still don't consider Black people, even those who have defended the country, to be “Americans.”

Personal issues and sell-outs at the “local” comic book shops delayed me finishing Dreaming Eagles.  I ended up buying issues #3 and #6 on eBay.  Honestly, I did not want Dreaming Eagles to end, but the truth is that the story of the Black pilots and the Red Tails in WWII is a finite one.  As history, however, the story lives on simply because people dedicated to giving Black servicemen and servicewomen who served in WWII their due have been reviving such stories for the past few decades via various media, including books, TV and film documentaries, journalism, research, and fictional movies (such as George Lucas' Red Tails film).

I am not the only one who thinks that people who were born and who lived outside of the United States often see the truth about America's troubled race relations and race issues in a way that is clearer.  Sometimes, non-American see race in America in broader ways than citizens born and raised in the good old U.S. of A.

If Dreaming Eagles has an over-arching theme, it is that the struggle for Black people in America is an ongoing one and that progress isn't a process that ends.  One can't go just so far and then stop when the adversaries of equality and justice seem to make the struggle too hard to continue.  “Just so far” is not enough; the struggle means moving forward.  How far?  Will we know when we get there?  The answer to those questions is to fight as long as there is inequality and injustice.

The progress of the Black pilots in Dreaming Eagles epitomizes that.  Keep soaring, past the boundaries set by those who attempt to hold you back.  Thank you, Mr. Ennis and Mr. Coleby, for reminding us, not just of the WWII Black pilots' stories, but also that “just so far” isn't really far at all.

A+

[This comic book includes a four-page preview of the comic book , “Captain Kid,” by Mark Waid, Tom Peyer, and Wilfredo Torres.  There is also a two-page Q&A between Mike Marts and Ray Fawkes.]

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.

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

Dark Horse Comics from Diamond Distributors for September 6, 2017

DARK HORSE COMICS

MAY170033    BLACK BEETLE KARA BOCEK HC (C: 0-1-2)    $12.99
MAR170125    GAME OF THRONES CHARACTER MAGNET SET 3 (C: 1-0-0)    $8.99
OCT160026    GWENT HC ART OF WITCHER CARD GAME (C: 0-1-2)    $39.99
JUL170134    PREDATOR HUNTERS #5 MAIN    $3.99
JUL170135    PREDATOR HUNTERS #5 VAR VELASCO CVR    $3.99
FEB170077    SLAYER REPENTLESS HC    $19.99
MAY170057    STAR TREK ORIGINAL SERIES ADULT COLORING BOOK TP VOL 02    $14.99
JUL170178    USAGI YOJIMBO #161    $3.99

Review: JOSIE AND THE PUSSYCATS #1

JOSIE AND THE PUSSYCATS VOL. 2 No. 1 (2016)
ARCHIE COMICS – @ArchieComics

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

STORY: Marguerite Bennett and Cameron Deordio
ART: Audrey Mok
COLORS: Andre Szymanowicz
LETTERS: Jack Morelli
COVER: Audrey Mok
VARIANT COVERS: Derek Charm, Colleen Coover, Veronica Fish, Francesco Francavilla, Robert Hack, Gisele Legace, Alitha Martinez, Marguerite Sauvage,
32pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (November 2016)

Josie and the Pussycats began as a 1963 teen-humor comic book entitled She's Josie (cover date:  February 1963).  Published by Archie Comics, it was created by Dan DeCarlo and focused on the fanciful life and times of a teenager, the sweet and level-headed redhead, Josie.  The title was renamed Josie with issue #17 (cover dated:  December 1965).

It became Josie and the Pussycats with issue #45 (cover date:  December 1969), in which Josie and her friend, Melody, formed a band called the Pussycats.  The two friends added bassist Valerie Smith, the new girl in school and one of the first major African-American comic book characters.  The trio donned leopard print band uniforms that came with long tails and cat-ear headbands.  Hanna-Barbera adapted this new-look Josie into the Saturday morning animated television series, “Josie and the Pussycats,” which ran for two seasons.

The comic book ran until Josie and the Pussycats #106 (cover date:  October 1982), but the characters made appearances in other Archie Comics after that and was even the subject of an American manga makeover about a decade ago.  Josie and the Pussycats are remade, redesigned, and re-imagined again, this time as part of Archie Comics new-look line of comic books.  This new Josie and the Pussycats is written by Marguerite Bennett and Cameron Deordio; drawn by Audrey Mok; colored by Andre Szymanowicz, and lettered by Jack Morelli.

Josie and the Pussycats #1 opens in the bar, “Win Some Booze Some,” in Riverdale.  The owner, Pepper, has allowed her pal, Josie, to try out her folksy vocals, but customers are not interested, and even Josie's frenemy, Alexandra, stops by to rub it in.  Josie would so like to perform at the charity benefit concert for the Riverdale Animal Shelter, but it is for bands only.  Despondent, Josie does not realize how close she is to having a band, but will she know how work it when she gets one?

I have to keep it real.  I only have a passing interest in the new-look Archie Comics, and that interest is not strong enough to make me read even the review PDFs I get from Archie Comics.  However, I have been in love with Josie and the Pussycats since I was a tyke, so I gave this new look a look.

It isn't bad.  Actually, this first issue is average, at best.  Honestly, my Josie is drawn by Dan DeCarlo and the other Archie Comics artists who mimicked DeCarlo's style for four decades of Josie comics.  New-look Josie artist, Audrey Mok, draws beautiful covers, but her interior art for Josie and the Pussycats #1 but does not rise to the level of her cover art for issue #1.  The story is OK, and I might come back for the second issue and maybe a third issue if the second issue entices me.

But this ain't my Josie.  This really isn't Josie, but to be fair, I won't grade this series, yet.

[This issue reprints the Josie and the Pussycats story, “Pussy Footing,” which was written by Dick Malmgren; drawn by Dan DeCarlo (pencils) and Rudy Lapick (inks); and lettered by Bill Yoshida.]

Now, these are my girls.  I think “Pussy Footing” was one of two Josie chapters in Josie and the Pussycats #45.  I love it.  Now, I need to get to eBay.

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.

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

Review: TWILIGHT ZONE: THE SHADOW #4

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

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

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

Rated T+

Chapter Four: “Shadowboxing”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

B+

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


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

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

Review: ALL-STAR BATMAN #6

ALL STAR BATMAN No. 6
DC COMICS – @DCComics

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

Rated “T” for Teen

Batman created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger

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

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

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

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

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

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

A-

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


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

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DC Comics from Diamond Distributors for April 19, 2017

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#IReadsYou Review: TWILIGHT ZONE THE SHADOW #1

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

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

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

Rated T+

Chapter One: “Shadow of a Doubt”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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

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

Review: JAMES BOND Volume 1 #1

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

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

WRITER: Warren Ellis
ART: Jason Masters
COLORS: Guy Major
LETTERS: Simon Bowland
COVER: Dom Reardon
VARIANT COVER ARTISTS: Francesco Francavilla; Steven Mooney; Dan Panosian; Gabriel Hardman with Jordan Boyd; Glenn Fabry; Jock; Gabriel Hardman; Joe Jusko; Aaron Campbell; Timothy Lim; Dennis Calero; Robert Hack; Ben Oliver; Jason Masters
32pp, Color, $3.99 U.S.

Rated T+

“Vargr”

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

After Fleming's death, a number of authors continued to produce James Bond novels, including the recently released Trigger Warning from author Anthony Horowitz.  Over the past 50+ years, Bond has made sporadic appearances in comic books.  The latest James Bond comic book appears courtesy of Dynamite Entertainment.

James Bond, Volume 1 is written by Warren Ellis, drawn by Jason Masters, colored by Guy Major, and lettered by Simon Bowland.  The first story arc is entitled is entitled “Vargr.”  According to Ellis, this James Bond comic book series will feature a James Bond that skews closer to the character that appeared in Ian Fleming's writing than in the film series.

James Bond, Volume 1, #1 opens in Helsinki, Finland.  There, James Bond-007 is settling a matter concerning 008.  Back in London at MI6 headquarters, M (Bond's immediate superior) informs Bond that he must take on a larger workload.  That will take him to Berlin and into danger.

When actor Daniel Craig was cast as James Bond around a decade ago, it was announced that the James Bond film series would return to the idea that 007 was a blunt instrument used by the British Secret Service.  That was evident in most of Craig's first outing as Bond, 2006's Casino Royale, although the film ultimately returned to the action movie theatrics that have defined the series for most of its existence.

In 22 pages, writer Warren Ellis makes it clear that the James Bond of “Vargr” is not only a blunt instrument, but also is a man who can be both suave and ordinary-like, as necessary.  This Bond is also classic and cool, like Sean Connery operating with a jazzy soundtrack in the background.  There is, however, also a touch of the edginess found in Richard Stark's Parker.

Jason Masters' art and graphical storytelling deglazes any cinematic sheen from both the subject and the story.  With Guy Major's colors, Masters' art does not seek to make this a matter-of-fact Bond, but rather it emphasizes the story and genre as much as it does the famous character.

I highly recommend this to fans of James Bond and to those who have been waiting for a James Bond comic book.  I must also note that not only is Moneypenny a Black character (as she is in the current films), but so is M.  I'll be waiting in Berlin...

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux


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

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