Image Comics from Diamond Distributors for June 26 2013

Digital Comics: Digital new releases available from your local comic book shop are marked below. [DIG] = Digital version available. [DIG/P+] = Print-Plus digital/print combo pack available. For more information, go to www.digitalcomicsreader.com.

IMAGE COMICS

APR130530 BOUNCE #2 (MR) [DIG] $2.99

MAR138377 BOUNCE #2 CVR B PICHELLI (MR) $2.99

APR130447 CHANGE TP (MR) $14.99

APR130532 CLONE #8 [DIG] $2.99

APR130536 ELEPHANTMEN #49 (MR) [DIG] $3.99

APR130421 FATALE #15 (MR) [DIG] $3.50

APR130422 FATALE TP VOL 03 (MR) [DIG] $14.99

APR130537 FIVE GHOSTS HAUNTING OF FABIAN GRAY #4 [DIG] $2.99

APR130450 HACK SLASH TP VOL 13 FINAL [DIG] $18.99

APR130437 HOAX HUNTERS CASE FILES #1 [DIG] $2.99

APR130544 JUPITERS LEGACY #2 CVR A QUITELY (MR) [DIG] $2.99

APR130545 JUPITERS LEGACY #2 CVR B HITCH (MR) $2.99

APR130546 JUPITERS LEGACY #2 CVR C JOCK (MR) $2.99

APR130420 LAZARUS #1 (MR) [DIG] $2.99

APR130457 MORIARTY DELUXE EDITION HC $29.99

APR130556 MORNING GLORIES #28 CVR A ESQUEJO (MR) [DIG] $3.99

APR130557 MORNING GLORIES #28 CVR B CHEGGOUR (MR) $3.99

APR130558 MORNING GLORIES #28 CVR C EISMA (MR) $3.99

APR130559 MORNING GLORIES #28 CVR D FORBES (MR) $3.99

APR130560 MORNING GLORIES #28 CVR E IRVING (MR) $3.99

APR130561 MORNING GLORIES #28 CVR F MOORE (MR) $3.99

APR130562 MORNING GLORIES #28 CVR G ROSSMO (MR) $3.99

APR130563 MORNING GLORIES #28 CVR H WILSON III (MR) $3.99

APR130459 OUTLAW TERRITORY GN VOL 03 (MR) $24.99

FEB130458 PROPHET #36 [DIG] $3.99

APR130570 SEX #4 (MR) [DIG] $2.99

FEB130470 THINK TANK #8 (MR) [DIG] $3.99

MAR130530 WITCHBLADE REBIRTH TP VOL 03 [DIG] $16.99

IMAGE COMICS/MCFARLANE TOYS

MAR130599 WALKING DEAD MICHONNE RESIN STATUE PI

Comic Book Review: JUPITER'S LEGACY #1

JUPITER'S LEGACY #1
IMAGE COMICS – @ImageComics

CREATORS: Mark Millar and Frank Quitely
WRITER: Mark Millar
ARTIST/COVER: Frank Quitely
COLORS/LETTERS: Peter Doherty
VARIANT COVERS: Bryan Hitch, Dave Johnson, Phil Noto, J. Scott Campbell, Christian Ward
28pp, Color, $2.99 U.S. (April 2013)

There is a new comic book series from superstar writer, Mark Millar, the creator of Kick-Ass and Wanted, both of which were adapted into films. It is entitled Jupiter’s Legacy, part of his “Millarworld” line, and Millar’s co-creator is artist Frank Quitely. The series focuses on the children of the world’s first superheroes and their struggles to live up to a legacy that is practically poisonous to the new generation.

Jupiter’s Legacy #1 opens in 1932 in Morocco. The story’s first focus is Sheldon Sampson, the heir to a fortune wiped out during the Wall Street crash of 1929. He has convinced his friends to follow him on a journey to a place he has seen only in his dreams. Called The Island, Sampson believes that the place will offer gifts that can save the United States of America, which is in the midst of the Great Depression.

A little over 80 years later, the great superheroes have achieved even greater things, but there is trouble. The world’s first superheroes have grown old, and their children cannot live up to their parents’ remarkable legacies.

I enjoyed reading Jupiter’s Legacy #1, but I cannot really render a final or whole judgment after reading one issue. That’s the curse of modern comics storytelling. A scant twenty pages of text plus decompression – spreading a storyline over four to six issues (if not more) and that combination forms a truncated chapter, if not a woefully incomplete episode.

I will say that there are some interesting ideas here. As intriguing as this take on superheroes is, Millar’s allusions to the current real world political and financial climate are the most attention grabbing material. Millar draws parallels between the 21st century and the 1920s and 30s in a brash way – as if to say that he does not care whether anyone agrees or disagrees to any extent.

Jupiter’s Legacy is not Frank Quitely’s best work, although, as usual, it is more attention-grabbing than the work of most other artists. For me, the best of Quitely remains New X-Men. Still, Quitely’s visual style is so unique and iconoclastic that I’d be interested in his art even if he were only producing still-life drawings for an extension course at the local junior college. Plus, Quitely’s compositions for Jupiter’s Legacy give off an unsettling vibe. Something bad is coming, and Quitely does something bad quite well.

A-

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux

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Image Comics from Diamond Distributors for April 24 2013

IMAGE COMICS

FEB130400 A DISTANT SOIL #39 [DIG] $3.50

FEB130401 CLONE #6 [DIG] $2.99

DEC120558 DARKNESS #112 (MR) [DIG] $2.99

FEB138443 EAST OF WEST #1 2ND PTG $3.50

FEB130440 EAST OF WEST #2 [DIG] $3.50

FEB130441 END TIMES OF BRAM & BEN #4 (MR) [DIG] $2.99

FEB130444 FIVE WEAPONS #3 [DIG] $3.50

FEB130449 INVINCIBLE #102 [DIG] $2.99

FEB130422 INVINCIBLE HC VOL 08 ULTIMATE COLLECTION [DIG] $39.99

FEB138467 JUPITERS LEGACY #1 BLANK SKETCH CVR (MR) $2.99

FEB130379 JUPITERS LEGACY #1 CVR A QUITELY (MR) [DIG] $2.99

FEB130380 JUPITERS LEGACY #1 CVR B HITCH (MR) $2.99

FEB130381 JUPITERS LEGACY #1 CVR C JOHNSON (MR) $2.99

FEB130382 JUPITERS LEGACY #1 CVR D NOTO (MR) $2.99

FEB130452 LOST VEGAS #2 CVR A LEE [DIG] $3.50

FEB130453 LOST VEGAS #2 CVR B SHALVEY $3.50

DEC120522 MANHATTAN PROJECTS #11 [DIG] $3.50

FEB130408 MIGHTY SKULLKICKERS #1 CVR A HUANG & ZUB [DIG] $3.50

FEB130409 MIGHTY SKULLKICKERS #1 CVR B STEVENS $3.50

FEB130403 MORNING GLORIES #26 (MR) [DIG] $1.00

JAN130507 MORNING GLORIES TP VOL 04 TRUANTS $14.99

FEB138440 NOWHERE MEN #1 5TH PTG $2.99

FEB130411 NYCC SEJIC SGN TRIPTYCH $30.00

NOV120588 WHISPERS #5 (MR) [DIG] $2.99

FEB130473 WITCH DOCTOR MALPRACTICE #6 [DIG] $2.99

Review: THE WALKING DEAD: The Official Magazine #1

THE WALKING DEAD: THE OFFICIAL MAGAZINE #1 (NOV/DEC 2012)
TITAN MAGAZINES – @WalkingDeadMag

WRITERS: Robert Kirkman, Tob Weidmann, Dan Auty, Stuart Barr, Tara Bennett, Jay Bonansinga, Dan Bura, and Bryan Caims
ART: Charlie Adlard
98pp, Color, $9.99 U.S./Canada

The Walking Dead is a black and white comic book series published by Image Comics. It first appeared in late 2003, the creation of writer Robert Kirkman and artist Tony Moore. Artist Charlie Adlard replaced Moore as of the seventh issue and continues to draw the series, which, as of this writing, recently reached issue #103. The series follows Rick Grimes, his family and friends, and other survivors as the try to stay alive during a zombie apocalypse.

In 2010, a television series, “The Walking Dead,” based on the comic book, debuted on cable television channel, AMC. The Golden Globe Award-nominated series recently began its third season. The Walking Dead has also spawned merchandise such as video games, novels, apparel, (including Halloween costumes), action figures, toy lines, etc.

Like other genre media franchises (Star Wars, Star Trek), The Walking Dead has its own magazine. The Walking Dead: The Official Magazine #1 (November/December 2012) is now walking to newsstands and into mailboxes.

I must admit that I’ve never read a single issue of The Walking Dead comic book, although I’ve been meaning to since it first debuted. I watched the TV series’ debut episode, but I’ve only sporadically watched it since then. But The Walking Dead: The Official Magazine has my back. It is designed and produced not only to inform fans, but also to guide fresh newbie meat into the world of The Walking Dead.

The Walking Dead: The Official Magazine covers everything about The Walking Dead – comics, prose fiction, merchandise, and, of course, the TV series. That includes an interview with Glen Mazzara, the showrunner of AMC’s The Walking Dead. Mazzara even explains what a showrunner does (basically the day to day administration of the production). There is also an interview with the host of “Talking Dead,” Chris Hardwick.

“Choice Cuts,” one of what will be several regular features in the magazine, looks at Michonne, a hugely-popular character since her debut in the comic book. There is also an interview with Danai Gurira, the actress who portrays Michonne on the TV series. We learn, for instance, that Gurira is an award-winning playwright.

Do I have to tell you that there is a Robert Kirkman interview? There is a synopsis of the comic book from issue #1 to #100 and a preview of the TV series’ Season Three. Read the exclusive Walking Dead short story, “Just Another Day at the Office.” Learn about series artist Charlie Adlard and see the variant covers of The Walking Dead #100, including art from Bryan Hitch, Todd McFarlane, Ryan Ottley, Sean Phillips, Frank Quitely, Matthew Roberts, and Marc Silvestri.

There is so much more. And it’s good. Why be objective? The Walking Dead: The Official Magazine is awesome.

A

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux

Image Comics from Diamond Distributors for July 11 2012

IMAGE COMICS

APR120529 BULLETPROOF COFFIN DISINTERRED #6 (MR) $3.99

MAY120497 CHEW SECRET AGENT POYO #1 (MR) $3.50

MAY120602 DANCER #3 $3.50

MAR120421 DARKNESS ORIGINS TP VOL 04 (MR) $19.99

MAY120519 ENORMOUS ONE SHOT #1 $9.99

MAY120552 HEART TP (MR) $12.99

MAY120521 HOAX HUNTERS #1 $2.99

JAN120591 LIL DEPRESSED BOY #12 $2.99

MAY128113 LIL DEPRESSED BOY #12 ASTRO ZOMBIE EXC $2.99

APR120551 PETER PANZERFAUST #5 (MR) $3.50

MAY128123 PLANETOID #1 2ND PTG $2.99

MAY120622 PLANETOID #2 $2.99

MAY120495 REVIVAL #1 CVR A FRISON $2.99

MAY120527 SUNSET FIRST LOOK ONE SHOT (MR) $1.00

MAY128003 THIEF OF THIEVES #1 5TH PTG $2.99

MAY120478 WALKING DEAD #100 CHROMIUM ED (MR) $9.99

MAY120469 WALKING DEAD #100 CVR A ADLARD (MR) $3.99

MAY120470 WALKING DEAD #100 CVR B SILVESTRI (MR) $3.99

MAY120471 WALKING DEAD #100 CVR C QUITELY (MR) $3.99

MAY120472 WALKING DEAD #100 CVR D MCFARLANE (MR) $3.99

MAY120473 WALKING DEAD #100 CVR E PHILLIPS (MR) $3.99

MAY120474 WALKING DEAD #100 CVR F HITCH (MR) $3.99

MAY120475 WALKING DEAD #100 CVR G OTTLEY (MR) $3.99

MAY120476 WALKING DEAD #100 CVR H ADLARD WRAP (MR) $3.99

MAY120522 WILD CHILDREN ONE SHOT (MR) $7.99

APR120566 YOUNGBLOOD #72 $2.99

IMAGE COMICS/MCFARLANE TOYS
MAY120479 WALKING DEAD #100 POSTER (MR) $9.99

I Reads You Review: BATMAN AND ROBIN: Batman Reborn – The Deluxe Edition

BATMAN AND ROBIN: BATMAN REBORN – THE DELUXE EDITION
DC COMICS

WRITER: Grant Morrison
PENCILS: Frank Quitely, Philip Tan
INKS: Frank Quitely, Jonathan Glapion
COLORS: Alex Sinclair, Pete Pantazis
LETTERS: Patrick Brosseau
EXTRA ART: Grant Morrison, Frank Quitely, Philip Tan, J.G. Jones, Andy Kubert with Chris Chuckry, Tony S. Daniel with Ian Hannin
COVER: Frank Quitely and Alex Sinclair
ISBN: 978-1-4012-2566-7; hardcover
168pp, Color, $24.99 U.S., $29.99 CAN

I see the last 26 years of DC Comics as an onslaught of events, launches, re-launches, etc., especially the last 10 years. It seems as if the powers at DC and also the writers, artists, and editors who are looked upon with favor have been restarting, destroying, making-over, re-imagining, revamping, re-jiggering and remaking every corner of the DC Universe, every character in the DC catalog, and every page of comics ever published by DC Comics.

Out of the 2008-09 conflagration that was “Batman: R.I.P.,” Final Crisis, and “Battle for the Cowl,” came a new Batman comic book series, Batman and Robin. Bruce Wayne was no longer Batman. Bruce was dead/missing/lost in time and the Bat-mantle was picked up by the original Robin, Richard “Dick” Grayson, and the new Robin (#4) was Damian Wayne, Batman and Talia al Ghul’s lovechild.

The new Batman and Robin debuted in Batman and Robin #1 (cover date August 2009). The series was created by Grant Morrison and the first three issues were drawn by Morrison’s All-Star Superman collaborator, Frank Quitely. Like All-Star Superman and the other Morrison/Quitely joint, New X-Men, Batman and Robin was snazzy and jazzy compared to the dark-dark that has mostly been Batman since Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight Returns. The Richard Grayson Batman is light-hearted and more conscious about violence and the Damian Wayne Robin is more like the scowling, Dirty Harry Batman.

The first six issues of Batman and Robin (which was re-launched during DC Comics’ “The New 52), are collected in the 2010 hardcover, Batman and Robin: Batman Reborn – The Deluxe Edition. The book collects two storylines: “Batman Reborn” (#1-3) and “Revenge of the Red Hood” (#4-6); the latter is penciled by Philip Tan. The book also includes a 16-page section in the back of the book, entitled “Batman Redrawn” which includes art, character and costume designs, and some text about the creation, graphics, and design of the new series.

Originally, I only read the first issue of the series. I thought it was excellent, and it reminded me of the start-off-with-a-bang that was Morrison and Quitely’s New X-Men #114 (cover date July 2001). Rereading Batman and Robin #1 for the first time in over two years, I have to admit that I didn’t find it as sparkly as I did the first time. That surprises me because every time I reread New X-Men #114, which I do every few years, I love it as much as I did the first time. And boy, did I love it.

In “Batman Reborn,” the new Dynamic Duo takes on Professor Pyg, a villain with a predilection for changing people’s faces. He is the boss of an extreme circus based in Europe, but he is also a creator of and dealer in designer drugs. “Revenge of the Red Hood” pits Batman and Robin against rivals who want to replace them, Red Hood and Scarlet. The twist is that Red Hood was Robin #2, the tragic Jason Todd. Todd, who claims to want to really cleanup Gotham City, actually brings more trouble to the city with his antics.

Although it ultimately goes out with a whimper, the “Batman Reborn” storyline is imaginative. It’s not Morrison’s best work (The Invisibles), but it is some of the most colorful and inventive Batman comics, probably since the Batman comic books of the 1950s and 1960s. Quitely’s intricate line work in All-Star Superman needed color to give it texture and form. In “Batman Reborn,” ragged brushwork pushes Alex Sinclair’s colors aside, so that the color is just that – color. Quitely’s artwork would look lovely reprinted as a black and white comic book. The clotted blacks and scratchy lines give Batman and his Gotham City milieu a screwy, but unique neo-Noir touch.

“Revenge of the Red Hood” is hodge-podge of character conflicts that don’t interest me enough to analyze them. The art by the usually good Philip Tan is ugly. With that in mind, overall, I think of this collection, Batman and Robin: Batman Reborn – The Deluxe Edition, as being another DC Comics event that does not live up to the hype or to some readers’ expectations (like mine). This isn’t essential Batman or essential Grant Morrison, but Batman and Morrison fans will want to sample it.

B

DC Comics from Diamond Distributors for March 30 2011

DC COMICS

JAN110287 ACTION COMICS #899 $2.99

JUL100283 ALL STAR BATMAN AND ROBIN MINI STATUE $80.00

AUG100296 AME COMI DONNA TROY AS WONDER GIRL VARIANT FIGURE $60.00

AUG100295 AME COMI SUPERGIRL V.1 BLACK SUIT VARIANT FIGURE $60.00

JAN110416 AMERICAN VAMPIRE #13 (MR) $2.99

DEC100246 BATMAN AND ROBIN BATMAN REBORN TP $14.99

DEC100291 BRONX KILL TP (MR) $12.99

JAN110405 CARTOON NETWORK ACTION PACK #58 $2.99

JAN110270 DETECTIVE COMICS #875 $2.99

JAN110281 GOTHAM CITY SIRENS #21 $2.99

JAN110251 GREEN ARROW #10 (BRIGHTEST DAY) $2.99

JAN110241 GREEN LANTERN EMERALD WARRIORS #8 (WAR OF GL) $2.99

AUG100292 HEROES OF DCU VIOLET LANTERN STAR SAPPHIRE BUST $70.00

DEC100295 JACK OF FABLES #50 (MR) (NOTE PRICE) $4.99

JAN110291 JIMMY OLSEN #1 $5.99

JAN110305 JLA THE 99 #6 (OF 6) $2.99

JAN110306 JUSTICE SOCIETY OF AMERICA #49 $2.99

JAN110433 SCALPED #47 (MR) $2.99

NOV100233 SUPERMAN THE BLACK RING HC $19.99

JAN110312 TEEN TITANS #93 $2.99

JAN110293 WONDER WOMAN #609 $2.99

JAN110415 WORLD OF WARCRAFT CURSE OF THE WORGEN #5 (OF 5) $2.99

DEC100287 WORLD OF WARCRAFT TP VOL 03 $17.99

JAN110315 ZATANNA #11 $2.99

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+