DC Comics from Diamond Distributors for November 1, 2017

DC COMICS

MAR170415    ABS JUSTICE LEAGUE WORLDS GREATEST SUPERHEROES HC    $75.00
AUG170330    AQUAMAN THE ATLANTIS CHRONICLES DLX ED HC    $49.99
SEP170359    BANE CONQUEST #7 (OF 12)    $3.99
SEP170274    BATMAN #34    $2.99
SEP170275    BATMAN #34 VAR ED    $2.99
AUG170319    BATMAN DETECTIVE REBIRTH DLX COLL HC BOOK 01    $34.99
AUG170271    BATMAN THE DARK PRINCE CHARMING HC BOOK 01    $12.99
AUG170172    BATMAN THE DEVASTATOR #1 (METAL)    $3.99
AUG178987    BATMAN WHITE KNIGHT #1 (OF 8) 2ND PTG    $3.99
SEP170355    BATMAN WHITE KNIGHT #2 (OF 8)    $3.99
SEP170356    BATMAN WHITE KNIGHT #2 (OF 8) VAR ED    $3.99
SEP170349    BLACK LIGHTNING COLD DEAD HANDS #1 (OF 6)    $3.99
SEP170350    BLACK LIGHTNING COLD DEAD HANDS #1 (OF 6) VAR ED    $3.99
SEP170360    BOMBSHELLS UNITED #5    $2.99
SEP170287    CYBORG #18    $3.99
SEP170288    CYBORG #18 VAR ED    $3.99
SEP170387    DASTARDLY AND MUTTLEY #3 (OF 6)    $3.99
SEP170388    DASTARDLY AND MUTTLEY #3 (OF 6) VAR ED    $3.99
JUL170470    DC GREATEST HITS BOX SET    $39.96
MAY170376    DCTV LEGENDS OF TOMORROW ATOM AF    $28.00
MAY170377    DCTV LEGENDS OF TOMORROW WHITE CANARY AF    $28.00
MAY170375    DCTV THE FLASH KID FLASH AF    $28.00
AUG170273    DEADMAN #1 (OF 6) GLOW IN THE DARK ED    $4.99
AUG170274    DEADMAN #1 (OF 6) STANDARD ED    $3.99
SEP170285    DEATHSTROKE #25    $3.99
SEP170286    DEATHSTROKE #25 VAR ED    $3.99
SEP170301    GREEN ARROW #34    $3.99
SEP170302    GREEN ARROW #34 VAR ED    $3.99
SEP170297    GREEN LANTERNS #34    $2.99
SEP170298    GREEN LANTERNS #34 VAR ED    $2.99
SEP170357    HARLEY & IVY MEET BETTY & VERONICA #2 (OF 6)    $3.99
SEP170358    HARLEY & IVY MEET BETTY & VERONICA #2 (OF 6) VAR ED    $3.99
SEP170366    INJUSTICE 2 #13    $2.99
SEP170385    JETSONS #1 (OF 6)    $3.99
SEP170386    JETSONS #1 (OF 6) VAR ED    $3.99
SEP170257    JUSTICE LEAGUE #32 METAL    $2.99
SEP170258    JUSTICE LEAGUE #32 VAR ED METAL    $2.99
MAY170370    JUSTICE LEAGUE MOVIE BATMAN STATUE    $150.00
AUG170324    JUSTICE LEAGUE TP VOL 04 ENDLESS (REBIRTH)    $16.99
SEP170317    NIGHTWING #32    $2.99
SEP170318    NIGHTWING #32 VAR ED    $2.99
SEP170327    SUPERMAN #34    $2.99
SEP170328    SUPERMAN #34 VAR ED    $2.99
AUG170317    SUPERMAN ACTION COMICS TP VOL 04 THE NEW WORLD (REBIRTH)    $19.99
AUG170344    TWO FACE A CELEBRATION OF 75 YEARS HC    $39.99
AUG170328    VERY DC UNIVERSE REBIRTH HOLIDAY TP    $16.99

Marvel Comics from Diamond Distributors for October 4, 2017

MARVEL COMICS

AUG170973    ALL NEW GUARDIANS OF GALAXY #11    $3.99
JUL178539    ASTONISHING X-MEN #2 2ND PTG DEODATO VAR    $3.99
AUG170982    ASTONISHING X-MEN #4    $3.99
AUG170838    AVENGERS #672 LEG    $3.99
AUG170957    BLACK BOLT #6    $3.99
JUL171197    COLOR YOUR OWN THOR TP    $9.99
APR171131    DEADPOOL WORLDS GREATEST HC VOL 02    $34.99
JUL171230    DOCTOR STRANGE EPIC COLLECTION AFTERLIFE TP    $39.99
JUL178540    GENERATIONS IRON MAN & IRONHEART #1 2ND PTG SKAN VAR    $4.99
AUG170970    HAWKEYE #11    $3.99
JUL171195    HULK PLANET HULK PROSE NOVEL HC    $24.99
APR171130    HULK WORLD WAR HULK OMNIBUS HC    $125.00
AUG170916    ICEMAN #6 LEG    $3.99
AUG170818    IRON FIST #73 LEG    $3.99
AUG170894    JESSICA JONES #13 LEG    $3.99
AUG170989    JOURNEY SW LAST JEDI CAPT PHASMA #3 (OF 4)    $3.99
JUN171042    MARVELS AGENTS SHIELD SEASON FOUR DECLASSIFIED SLIPCASE HC    $50.00
JUN171061    MARVELS THOR RAGNAROK PRELUDE TP    $15.99
APR171135    MUPPET BABIES OMNIBUS HC    $75.00
APR171136    MUPPET BABIES OMNIBUS HC KERMIT DM VAR ED    $75.00
AUG170980    OLD MAN LOGAN #29    $3.99
AUG170930    PUNISHER PLATOON #1 (OF 6)    $3.99
AUG170882    ROYALS #9 LEG    $3.99
JUL171211    ROYALS TP VOL 01 BEYOND INHUMAN    $17.99
APR171134    SHANG-CHI MASTER OF KUNG FU OMNIBUS HC VOL 04 DM WILSON VAR    $125.00
APR171133    SHANG-CHI MASTER OF KUNG FU OMNIBUS HC VOL 04 MACK ED    $125.00
AUG170944    SPIDER-MAN #21    $3.99
AUG170951    SPIDER-MAN DEADPOOL #22    $3.99
JUL178541    SPIDER-MEN II #2 (OF 5) 2ND PTG PICHELLI VAR    $3.99
AUG170798    SPIRITS OF VENGEANCE #1 (OF 5) LEG    $3.99
AUG170986    STAR WARS #37    $4.99
AUG170997    STAR WARS DARTH VADER #6    $3.99
APR171129    THOR BY WALTER SIMONSON OMNIBUS HC NEW PTG    $125.00
APR171132    THOR HEROES RETURN OMNIBUS HC VOL 01    $125.00
JUL171196    THOR VS HULK TP    $29.99
JUL171231    TOMB OF DRACULA COMPLETE COLLECTION TP VOL 01    $39.99
JUL178542    TOTALLY AWESOME HULK #20 2ND PTG ASRAR VAR    $3.99
AUG170887    VENOM #155 LEG    $3.99
AUG170947    VENOMVERSE #5 (OF 5)    $3.99
AUG170949    VENOMVERSE #5 (OF 5) CRAIN CONNECTING VAR    $3.99
AUG170950    VENOMVERSE #5 (OF 5) TORQUE POISON VAR    $3.99
JUL178543    WEAPON X #7 2ND PTG SKAN VAR    $3.99
JUL171232    WEREWOLF BY NIGHT COMPLETE COLLECTION TP VOL 01    $39.99
AUG170857    X-MEN GOLD #13 LEG    $3.99

Review: SCOOBY APOCALYPSE #1

SCOOBY APOCALYPSE No. 1
DC COMICS – @DCComic

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

PLOT/BREAKDOWNS:  Keith Giffen
DIALOGUE: J.M. DeMatteis
ARTIST: Howard Porter
COLORS: Hi-Fi
LETTERS: Nick J. Napolitano; Travis Lanham
COVER: Jim Lee with Alex Sinclair
VARIANT COVERS: Howard Porter with Hi-Fi;Dan Panosian; Neal Adams with Alex Sinclair; Joelle Jones with Nick Filardi; Ben Caldwell
40pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (July 2016)

Rated “T” for “Teen”

“Waiting for the End of the World”

Based on a concept by Jim Lee; Scooby-Doo created by Joe Ruby and Ken Spears and Iwao Takamoto

Scooby-Doo is a media franchise that began with the animated, Saturday-morning, television series, “Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!” in 1969, which was produced by American animation studio, Hanna-Barbera Production.  The series featured four teenagers:  Fred Jones, Daphne Blake, Velma Dinkley, and Norville "Shaggy" Rogers and Scooby-Doo, a talking Great Dane-ish dog.  Together, they solved mysteries involving supernatural creatures that usually turned out to be frauds.

That first series basically gave birth to numerous follow-up Scooby-Doo animated cartoon series that used the original as a pattern to one extent or another.  DC Comics recently launched a Scooby-Doo comic book that takes the characters introduced in “Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!” but largely reinvents the character relationships, personalities, histories, and their mission.  Entitled Scooby Apocalypse, the new comic book is based on a concept created by Jim Lee.  The comic book is written by Keith Giffen (plot) and J.M. DeMatteis (dialogue); drawn by Howard Porter; colored by Hi-Fi; and lettered by Nick J. Napolitano.

Scooby Apocalypse #1 (“Waiting for the End of the World”) finds Daphne and Fred at “The Blazing Man Festival.”  Daphne is the host of a once-popular television series, “Daphne Blake's Mysterious Mysteries.”  She hopes that an informant that she is supposed to meet at the festival will provide the lead to a story that will return the show to the big time.  Fred, her long-suffering cameraman, thinks that he and Daphne should move on to bigger things.

Nearby is Shaggy, a dog-trainer at a secret facility, and his trainee, Scooby-Doo.  A misunderstanding forces an encounter between Shaggy and Scooby and Fred and Daphne.  Now, both parties are about to hear an amazing story from Dr. Velma Dinkley who works for a secret government program, the Elysium Project.  What she tells them will change their lives.

I would not call myself a Scooby-Doo purist, but I probably am.  I am not crazy about anything that strays too far from “Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!” (1969-1970) and the follow-up series, “The New Scooby-Doo Mysteries” (1972-1973)  Thus, I am inclined to not like Scooby Apocalypse, and I had planned on not reading it.  However, word that some of the early issues were selling-out in various places piqued my interests.  I picked up some copies at a my local comic shop and turned to eBay for the ones I could not find there.

After reading the first ten pages, I was disgusted and even insulted, as a Scooby-Doo fan.  Then, I found myself intrigued by the goings-on inside the Project Elysium facility, and then, I bought in to this comic book.

I'd be lying if I called it great, but I really want to see where this goes.  I have the first four issues, and I think that will be enough to decide if I want to keep reading.  Honestly, I would recommend this first issue to any adult who is or was a fan of Scooby-Doo, reading it as a lark or out of curiosity.  Considering the creative team behind this, Scooby Apocalypse could be good.  The bonus story, “When Shaggy Met Scooby!” about the first meeting between fiction's greediest boy-and-his-dog combo is a novel spin on the classic animated cartoon comedy duo.

I'll review a future issue, dear reader, and I promise to keep it real, one way or the other.

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: DEFENDERS #1

DEFENDERS No. 1 (2017)
MARVEL COMICS – @Marvel

[This review was originally posted in Patreon.]

STORY: Brian Michael Bendis
ART: David Marquez
COLORS: Justin Ponsor
LETTERS: VC's Corey Petit
MISC. ART: Michael Gaydos with Matt Hollingworth; Mike Mayhew; Olivier Coipel and Mark Morales with Jose Villarrubia; Jason Latour; Dave Cockrum and Rich Buckler with Paul Mounts; Lenil Francis Yu
COVER: David Marquez with Justin Ponsor
VARIANT COVERS: Jack Kirby, John Verpoorten and Paul Mounts with Joe Frontirre; Ron Lim with Rachelle Rosenberg; David Mack; Alex Maleev; Neal Adams with Paul Mounts; Skottie Young
36pp, Color, $4.99 U.S. (August 2017)

Rated T+

The Defenders is a Marvel Comics superhero team.  The original version of the team first appeared in the comic book, Marvel Feature #1 (cover dated:  December 1971).  The team's original lineup included the characters Doctor Strange, Hulk, and Namor.  Since that time, there have been several versions of the team with differing and fluctuating memberships, and differing mission statements from team to team.

Now, Marvel Comics is introducing a new version in the new comic book series, Defenders.  It is written by Brian Michael Bendis; drawn by David Marquez; colored by Justin Ponsor; and lettered by Corey Petit.  The members of the Defenders are Daredevil, Luke Cage, Jessica Jones, and Iron Fist – the lineup that will be featured in the Marvel/Netflix series, “Defenders.”

Defenders #1 opens with the return of a villain that was supposed to be dead, Diamondback.  He is determined to prove to everyone that the streets of New York City are his.  When he launches an attack on a Defender, he gets to prove just how formidable he is, but is it enough?

I remember reading The Defenders comic book series in the 1980s, and it was terrible.  I kept reading it because I thought that it had the kind of characters that could yield a really good comic book, but it never did, in my estimation.  I abandoned it, and never read a Defenders comic book again – not even Secret Defenders... until now.

I believe in Brian Michael Bendis, so that is why I picked up this new Defenders comic book.  Plus, Bendis is working with artist David Marquez, with whom Bendis produced a nice run on Miles Morales: Ultimate Spider-Man and on Invincible Iron Man.  So how is the latest Bendis-Marquez joint?

I like it, but not for the reasons you might normally guess, dear reader.  I like this depiction of Diamondback.  I am intrigued by everything about him – his character, his motivations, his machinations.  I can't say that I particularly care about these individual Defenders, at least not yet, but I'm sure that Bendis will work on that.  If there is one thing he does very well, it is produce page after page of dialogue, philosophizing, blather, rumination, etc. that make for great character probing.

Marquez's satiny compositions and Justin Ponsor's rich colors hit the eyes with milk shake smoothness.  The mood of the story constantly shifts, however, and the character drama seems to meander.  Where Marquez and Ponsor really shine is on Diamondback.  The art makes you believe he is every bit as bad-ass as Luke Cage.

I am willing to follow this series for a bit because of my affinity for Bendis with Marquez, but I won't lie.  This is not standout material, overall, and I expected more from this team for a first issue.  But I want to see where Diamondback takes crusade.

B+
7.5 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.

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

Review: TALES OF THE BATMAN:Carmine Infantino

TALES OF THE BATMAN: CARMINE INFANTINO
DC COMICS – @DCComics

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

WRITERS: Gardner Fox, John Broome, Cary Bates, Gerry Conway, Don Kraar, Mike Barr, Geoff Johns
FEATURED ARTIST: Carmine Infantino
INKERS: Joe Giella, Murphy Anderson, Sid Greene, Bob Smith, Steve Mitchell, Mike DeCarlo, Sal Trapani, Mike Esposito, Neal Adams
COVER: Carmine Infantino and Murphy Anderson
ADDITIONAL ART: Jim Aparo, Adam Hughes, Bob Kane, Gil Kane, Charles Paris
ISBN:  978-1-4012-4755-3; hardcover (June 3, 2014)
520pp, Color, $49.99 U.S., $58.00 CAN

Batman created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger

Carmine Infantino (1925 – 2013) was an American comic book creator who worked as an artist and as an editor.  He began working in comic books in 1942 and was best known for his association with DC Comics, where he was a comic book cover artist, interior story artist, character designer, and editor.

Infantino was a major force during what is known as the “Silver Age” of American comics book.  In 1956, Infantino joined writer Robert Kanigher in DC Comics' first attempt at reviving a superhero from the “Golden Age” of comic books.  Kanigher and Infantino created an updated version of The Flash that would appear in Showcase #4 (cover dated: October 1956).  Infantino designed the Flash's now-classic red uniform with yellow detail and fashioned a new visual language to depict the Flash's speed, with both vertical and horizontal motion lines to make the Flash's figure a red and yellow blur.

In 1964, Infantino began his second DC Comics reclamation protect, when he was tasked with reviving the faded Batman line of comic book titles.  Infantino and writer John Broome introduced the “New Look” Batman and Robin in Detective Comics #327 (cover dated: May 1964).  Broome and Infantino abandoned the sillier aspects and fanciful characters that had crept into the Batman comics over the better part of two decades (such as Bat-Mite in 1959).

Under the guiding hand of this new creative team, the Adventures of Batman and Robin in both Batman and in Detective Comics took a detective-oriented direction.  Infantino's art for the “New Look” Batman and Robin was slick and streamlined.  He went away from drawing Batman in a style that was some variation of the art of Bob Kane, Batman's creator.  For the better part of three decades, most artists took their cue from Kane when drawing Batman comic books and newspaper comic strips, even if they already had their own distinctive style.

Carmine Infantino is the artist who visually and graphically and in terms of storytelling modernized Batman comic books.  From 1964 to 1968, Infantino was the lead comic book artist for DC Comics' flagship Batman titles.  Even when Infantino did not draw the interior art for Batman or Detective Comics, he usually provided the pencil art for the covers.

Infantino's work on the Batman titles over the four year period, from Detective Comics #327 to the cover of Batman #199 (cover dated: February 1968), for which he only provided the cover pencils, is collected in the hardcover comics collection, Tales of the Batman: Carmine Infantino.  Originally released in 2014, this full-cover archival collection also reprints Infantino's 1980s Batman work in Detective Comics #500 (cover dated: March 1981) and in The Brave and the Bold (issues 172, 183, 190, and 194 – 1982 to 1983).  There is also a story from DC Comics Presents: Batman #1 (cover dated: September 2004).

When I opened this book and saw the first page of Detective Comics #327, I was immediately struck by how different it looks.  Even 50+ years later, Infantino's art stands out as unique.  I have seen enough of the Batman comics that came before it to say this issue of Detective Comics represented a sort of evolutionary leap for Batman comic books.  In fact, in something unusual for comic books, Detective Comics seems new and “now.”  For a time, the relatively long lead time needed to produce comic books made them seem behind current events.  This comic book matched the looks, styles, designs, and visuals of the time, with some of the art resembling the design style known as “mid-century modern”.

Infantino made the world of Batman hip, modern, and urbane.  There is a James Bond quality to the graphical storytelling.  John Broome introduces adversaries for the Dynamic Duo that range from spectacular, colorfully costumed supervillains to conniving ordinary hoods.  Every one of them has fashioned some ingenious plan, wacky conspiracy, or over-thought murder plot that involves twists and turns and even secret agent-type gadgets.  Infantino's slick compositions and sleek draftsmanship make the entirety of a story seem more cool and stylish even when it ought to look like what it is – silly.

Infantino's “new look” Batman apparently inspired the mid to late 1960s, ABC television series, “Batman,” which starred Adam West as Batman and Burt Ward as Robin.  I also see the influence of Carmine Infantino's art on the Batman comic book artists that would follow him; Jim Aparo and Don Newton are two that come to mind.

If I had to offer specific reasons why you should buy this pricey book, I could name a few.  Well, this book reprints the first appearance of Barbara Gordon as Batgirl in the story, “The Million Dollar Debut of Batgirl!,” from Detective Comics #359 (cover dated: January 1967).  The book also reprints Infantino's Batman and Detective Comics covers.  Through his compositions for these covers, Infantino proves to be a master of motion, and these covers pulse with energy.  Sometimes, the entire cover illustration seems as if it wants to leap off the page because two dimensions cannot contain its vigor.

So, yeah, Batman fans, buy Tales of the Batman: Carmine Infantino.

A+

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.

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

DC Comics from Diamond Distributors for March 14, 2016

DC COMICS

DEC150329     AQUAMAN TP VOL 06 MAELSTROM     $19.99
JAN160346     ASTRO CITY #33     $3.99
JAN160285     BATMAN AND ROBIN ETERNAL #24     $2.99
NOV150271     BATMAN HC VOL 08 SUPERHEAVY     $24.99
DEC150331     BATMAN TP VOL 07 ENDGAME     $16.99
DEC150223     BLACK CANARY #9     $2.99
JAN160350     CLEAN ROOM #6 (MR)     $3.99
DEC150313     COLORING DC BATMAN ADVENTURES MAD LOVE TP     $15.99
JAN160313     DC COMICS ESSENTIALS SUPERMAN UNCHAINED #1     $1.00
JAN160265     DOCTOR FATE #10     $2.99
DEC150332     GOTHAM ACADEMY TP VOL 02 CALAMITY     $14.99
JAN160242     GREEN ARROW #50 (NOTE PRICE)     $4.99
JAN160306     INJUSTICE GODS AMONG US YEAR FIVE #6     $2.99
DEC150334     JUSTICE LEAGUE 3001 TP VOL 01 DEJA VU ALL OVER AGAIN     $16.99
JAN160226     LEGENDS OF TOMORROW #1     $7.99
JAN160357     LUCIFER #4 (MR)     $3.99
JAN160254     MARTIAN MANHUNTER #10     $2.99
JAN160292     POISON IVY CYCLE OF LIFE AND DEATH #3     $2.99
NOV150248     QUARANTINE ZONE HC     $22.99
JAN160359     RED THORN #5 (MR)     $3.99
JAN160297     ROBIN SON OF BATMAN #10     $3.99
DEC150339     ROBIN TP VOL 02     $24.99
JAN160301     SINESTRO #21     $2.99
JAN160229     SUPERMAN #50 (NOTE PRICE)     $4.99
JAN160275     SUPERMAN AMERICAN ALIEN #5     $3.99
JAN160274     SUPERMAN THE COMING OF THE SUPERMEN #2     $3.99
DEC150348     SUPERMAN THE GOLDEN AGE TP VOL 01     $19.99
JAN160280     SUPERMAN WONDER WOMAN #27     $3.99
JAN160273     TITANS HUNT #6     $3.99

DC COMICS/DC COLLECTIBLES

AUG150309     DC COMICS BOMBSHELLS JOKER & HARLEY QUINN STATUE 2ND ED     $250.00

DC Comics from Diamond Distributors for March 9, 2016

DC COMICS

JAN160231     ACTION COMICS #50 (NOTE PRICE)     $4.99
NOV150287     AZRAEL TP VOL 01 FALLEN ANGEL     $19.99
JAN160284     BATMAN AND ROBIN ETERNAL #23     $2.99
DEC150341     BATMAN AND ROBIN ETERNAL TP VOL 01     $29.99
DEC150317     BATMAN BEYOND TP VOL 01 BRAVE NEW WORLDS     $14.99
SEP150292     BATMAN BY NEAL ADAMS OMNIBUS HC     $99.99
DEC150342     BATMAN CONTAGION TP     $34.99
JAN160277     BATMAN SUPERMAN #30     $3.99
OCT150249     BATMAN SUPERMAN SILVER AGE OMNIBUS HC VOL 01     $75.00
JAN160303     BATMAN TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES #4     $3.99
JAN160237     CATWOMAN #50 (NOTE PRICE)     $4.99
JAN160253     CONSTANTINE THE HELLBLAZER #10     $2.99
JAN160348     DARK AND BLOODY #2 (MR)     $3.99
NOV150161     DARK KNIGHT III MASTER RACE #3 COLLECTORS ED     $12.99
JAN160238     DETECTIVE COMICS #50 (NOTE PRICE)     $4.99
JAN160258     EARTH 2 SOCIETY #10     $2.99
DEC150321     EARTH 2 SOCIETY TP VOL 01 PLANETFALL     $14.99
JAN160351     FABLES THE WOLF AMONG US #15 (MR)     $3.99
JAN160296     GOTHAM ACADEMY #16     $2.99
JAN160300     GREEN LANTERN CORPS EDGE OF OBLIVION #3     $2.99
NOV150295     JL THRONE OF ATLANTIS HC BOOK & DVD BLU RAY SET     $33.99
NOV150281     JUSTICE LEAGUE HC VOL 07 DARKSEID WAR PART 1     $24.99
DEC150328     JUSTICE LEAGUE TP VOL 06 INJUSTICE LEAGUE     $19.99
JAN160308     LEGEND OF WONDER WOMAN #3     $3.99
JAN160358     NEW ROMANCER #4 (MR)     $3.99
JAN160260     NEW SUICIDE SQUAD #18     $2.99
JAN160269     RED HOOD ARSENAL #10     $2.99
JAN160311     SCOOBY DOO WHERE ARE YOU #67     $2.99
JAN160361     SLASH & BURN #5 (MR)     $3.99
JAN160270     STARFIRE #10     $2.99
NOV150293     SUPERMAN BATMAN VOL 1 HC BOOK & DVD BLU RAY SET     $33.99
DEC150336     TEEN TITANS TP VOL 02 ROGUE TARGETS     $16.99
JAN160268     TELOS #6     $2.99

DC COMICS/DC COLLECTIBLES
JUL150350     DC COMICS COVER GIRLS BLACK CANARY STATUE     $100.00
AUG150310     GREEN ARROW AND BLACK CANARY STATUE     $250.00

DC Comics from Diamond Distributors for February 24, 2016

DC COMICS

DEC150221     AQUAMAN #49     $3.99
DEC150358     ART OPS #5 (MR)     $3.99
DEC150277     BATMAN AND ROBIN ETERNAL #21     $2.99
OCT150246     BATMAN ARKHAM KNIGHT HC VOL 02     $22.99
NOV150276     BIRDS OF PREY TP VOL 02     $19.99
DEC150224     CYBORG #8     $2.99
NOV150155     DARK KNIGHT III MASTER RACE #3     $5.99
DEC150315     DC COMICS ESSENTIALS BATMAN AND ROBIN #1     $1.00
DEC150227     DEATHSTROKE #15     $2.99
NOV150272     DEATHSTROKE TP VOL 02 GODKILLER     $14.99
DEC150231     FLASH #49     $3.99
DEC150283     GRAYSON #17     $3.99
DEC150305     HE MAN THE ETERNITY WAR #15     $2.99
DEC150360     JACKED #4 (MR)     $3.99
NOV150171     JUSTICE LEAGUE #48     $3.99
DEC150235     JUSTICE LEAGUE 3001 #9     $2.99
OCT150282     KILL YOUR BOYFRIEND VINAMARAMA DELUXE ED HC (MR)     $19.99
DEC150362     LAST GANG IN TOWN #3 (MR)     $3.99
DEC150310     MAD MAGAZINE #538     $5.99
NOV150264     MARTIAN MANHUNTER TP VOL 01 THE EPIPHANY     $14.99
DEC150240     SUICIDE SQUAD MOST WANTED DEADSHOT KATANA #2     $4.99
DEC150267     SUPERMAN #49     $3.99
DEC150269     SUPERMAN LOIS AND CLARK #5     $3.99
DEC150213     SUPERMAN THE COMING OF THE SUPERMEN #1     $3.99
DEC150264     SUPERMAN WONDER WOMAN #26     $3.99
DEC150248     TEEN TITANS #17     $2.99
DEC150291     WE ARE ROBIN #9     $3.99

Review: DOCTOR STRANGE #1

DOCTOR STRANGE (2015) No. 1
MARVEL COMICS – @Marvel

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

WRITER: Jason Aaron
PENCILS: Chris Bachalo
INKS: Tim Townsend, Al Vey, and Mark Irwin
COLORS: Chris Bachalo
LETTERS: VC's Cory Petit
COVER: Chris Bachalo and Tim Townsend
VARIANT COVERS: Neal Adams; John Tyler Christopher; Juan Doe; Eric Henderson; Dave Johnson; Kevin Nowlan; Jakub Rebelka; Skottie Young; Allen Lee Hansard with Mary Cahela and Judy Stephens
36pp, Color, $4.99 U.S. (December 2015)

Rated T+

Doctor Strange created by Steve Ditko

“The Way of the Weird”

Doctor Strange is a Marvel Comics superhero character.  Doctor Strange first appeared in Strange Tales #110 (cover dated:  July 1963) and was created by artist Steve Ditko, although Marvel Comics also recognizes Stan Lee as the character's co-creator.

Doctor Stephen Vincent Strange is a brilliant, but egotistical neurosurgeon who only cares about using his career and talents to become wealthy.  A car accident severely damages his hands, ending his ability to perform surgery.  His pride causes him to lose everything, but his encounter with the Ancient One changes him.  Doctor Strange becomes the “Sorcerer Supreme,” the “Master of the Mystic Arts,” who is the primary protector of Earth against magical and mystical threats from wherever they may come.

As part of the “All-New All-Different Marvel” initiative, Marvel Comics is launching a new Doctor Strange comic book series.  The new series is written by Jason Aaron; drawn and colored by Chris Bachalo, with inking by Tim Townsend, Al Vey and Mark Irwin; and lettered by Cory Petit.

Doctor Strange #1 (“The Way of the Weird”) with Strange battling possession in the Netherworld.  After a day of battling soul-eaters and a psychic-leech, Strange sees a pattern.  Something bad is coming.  Plus, Strange meets Doctor Voodoo, Shaman, and the Scarlet Witch.

I am intrigued by some of the elements presented in this new series, but I don't know that this is a title that I would buy every month.  If you have ever seen Chris Bachalo's art, and you have because he has been a Marvel Comics stable pony for over a decade, then, this comic book will look familiar to you.  Maybe some of it looks like Bachalo's work on Neil Gaiman's Death comic book miniseries.  Anyway, I can't recommend this, not because it is bad, but because I don't see myself being a regular reader of this new Doctor Strange.  So why should I suggest that you be?

Now, there is also a five-age epilogue written by Aaron and drawn by the great Kevin Nowlan (who also draws one of this #1 issue's variant covers).  For a long time, Nolan has been known as a comic book artist's artist, and Nowlan's five pages are worth every penny of this book's cover price.  I will come back to this title if there is more Nowlan.

[This volume includes a bonus story written by Jason Aaron; drawn and colored by Kevin Nowlan; and lettered by VC's Cory Petit.]

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux


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

DC Comics from Diamond Distributors for December 23, 2015

DC COMICS

JUN150301     ABSOLUTE GREEN LANTERN GREEN ARROW HC     $99.99
OCT150171     AQUAMAN #47     $3.99
OCT150275     ART OPS #3 (MR)     $3.99
OCT150277     ASTRO CITY #30     $3.99
OCT150153     BATMAN 66 MEETS THE MAN FROM UNCLE #1     $2.99
OCT150214     BATMAN AND ROBIN ETERNAL #12     $2.99
OCT150229     BATMAN ARKHAM KNIGHT #12     $3.99
OCT150169     CYBORG #6     $2.99
OCT150141     DARK KNIGHT III MASTER RACE #2     $5.99
OCT150226     DC COMICS BOMBSHELLS #7     $3.99
OCT150173     DEATHSTROKE #13     $2.99
SEP150293     DEATHSTROKE THE TERMINATOR TP VOL 02 SYMPATHY     $14.99
SEP150295     DEMON TP VOL 01 HELLS HITMAN     $19.99
OCT150217     GOTHAM BY MIDNIGHT #12     $2.99
OCT150231     HE MAN THE ETERNITY WAR #13     $2.99
OCT150278     JACKED #2 (MR)     $3.99
OCT150180     JUSTICE LEAGUE 3001 #7     $2.99
SEP150199     JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #6     $3.99
OCT150271     LAST GANG IN TOWN #1 (MR)     $3.99
OCT150160     ROBIN SON OF BATMAN #7 (ROBIN WAR)     $3.99
AUG150295     SCALPED HC BOOK 03 DELUXE EDITION     $29.99
OCT150224     SINESTRO #18     $2.99
OCT150199     SUPERMAN #47     $3.99
AUG150277     SUPERMAN ACTION COMICS HC VOL 07 UNDER THE SKIN     $22.99
SEP150306     SUPERMAN ACTION COMICS TP VOL 06 SUPERDOOM     $16.99
OCT150163     TEEN TITANS #15 (ROBIN WAR)     $2.99
OCT150189     TITANS HUNT #3     $3.99

DC COMICS/DC COLLECTIBLES

MAY150285     BATMAN ARKHAM KNIGHT ARKHAM KNIGHT STATUE     $124.95
AUG140382     DC COMICS DESIGNER SER 3 TWO FACE AF     $24.95
JUL150349     DC COMICS ICONS HARLEY QUINN STATUE     $100.00
MAY150295     DC ICONS THE FLASH CHAIN LIGHTNING AF     $24.95
MAY150280     JUSTICE LEAGUE GODS & MONSTERS BATMAN AF     $24.95
MAY150281     JUSTICE LEAGUE GODS & MONSTERS SUPERMAN AF     $24.95
MAY150282     JUSTICE LEAGUE GODS & MONSTERS WONDER WOMAN AF     $24.95
MAY150290     JUSTICE LEAGUE TAROT CARD DECK     $24.95

I Reads You Review: X-MEN CLASSICS #1

X-MEN CLASSICS #1
MARVEL COMICS – @Marvel

WRITER: Roy Thomas
PENCILS: Neal Adams
INKS: Tom Palmer
LETTERS: Sam Rosen, Artie Simek
NEW MATERIAL: Mike Zeck and Tom Palmer
COLORS: Daina Graziunas
EDITORS: Stan Lee (original), Carl Potts and Ann Nocenti (reprint)
EiC: Jim Shooter
COVER:  Mike Zeck and Tom Palmer
48pp, Colors, $2.00 U.S., $2.25 CAN (December 1983)

One of my favorite comic book miniseries is actually a reprint series.  Originally published in late 1983 (with 1983 and 1984 cover dates), X-Men Classics reprinted writer Roy Thomas and artist Neal Adams’ celebrated run on The X-Men comic book series circa 1969-70.  Adams drew The X-Men #56-63 and #65, while Don Heck was the fill-in artist for #64.  X-Men Classics reprints The X-Men #56-63.

Already a freelancer for DC Comics, in 1969, Adams also began freelancing for Marvel Comics, where he penciled several issues of The X-Men.  In 1969, The X-Men comic book was on the verge of cancellation.  Adams joined Roy Thomas and inker Tom Palmer to produce acclaimed, award-winning work (the Alley Awards).

Adams not only penciled The X-Men, but he also colored and plotted the stories with Thomas.  Apparently, some comic book historians consider the Thomas-Adams-Palmer X-Men a highlight of that era (late 1960s to early 1970s) for Marvel Comics.  Adams’ work was popular, but it was too late to save The X-Men from cancellation with issue #66 (March 1970), and the title ended its initial run.

X-Men Classics #1 reprints The X-Men #56-58, in whole or in part.  It also features some new material, including a new splash page drawn by Mike Zeck and Tom Palmer, which summarizes the story leading up to the reprinted material.  Legendary X-Men artist, John Byrne, also provides an introductory piece for this series.

The X-Men, at the time of these stories, were Scott Summers/Cyclops, Jean Grey/Marvel Girl, Warren Worthington III/The Angel, Hank McCoy/The Beast, and Bobby Drake/Iceman.  X-Men Classics #1 opens with a summary of the connection between The Living Pharaoh/The Living Monolith and Alex Summers, Scott’s younger brother.  Beyond that melodrama, the story’s primary focus is the return of the mutant-hunting robots, the Sentinels.  Larry Trask is the son of Boliver Trask, the creator of the Sentinels.  Seeking revenge for his father’s death, which he blames on the X-Men, Larry restarts the Sentinels program.  One by one, the Sentinels kidnap the X-Men and other mutants with whom the X-Men had interacted (which at the time of this story arc’s original publication was a small number).

I have read the Roy Thomas-Neal Adams-Tom Palmer X-Men several times, mostly in reprint form, but I have read a few of the original issues.  I have never been disappointed.  Reading the series again for the first time in ages, I wondered if I would realize that my love of these classic X-Men comics was really about nostalgia.  That is not the case.  They were great superhero comics, and they remain so.

I think what Thomas and Adams created was their take on the soap opera theatrics of Stan Lee and the dynamism of Jack Kirby.  It as if the grand epic that was the Lee-Kirby Fantastic Four became a smaller epic, something like an intimately staged opera, in the pages of the X-Men.

Thomas has the characters scream dialogue, taking the saying, “wears his heart on his sleeve” as if it were some kind of comic book proverb.  Larry Trask practically vomits rage and the spirit of vengeance is in every one of his word balloons.  The X-Men yell at each other; to hell with discussion.  They command, demand, order, and bicker.  They are selfish and concerned about their own needs and interests.  At the same time, they are a family, constantly fighting to save one another from a world that wants to destroy them.

Neal Adams’ page design early in his career (and even later) was like a mosaic of broken, jagged, and angled panels united into a single page of narrative.  More diagonal and vertical than horizontal, the panels could be confusing.

There is another way of looking at Adams’ stylish and chaotic graphic design and graphical storytelling.  He was creating the illusion of life and movement in static images.  His art suggested 3D in what was clearly 2D.  That 3D, sense of movement makes Roy Thomas’ loud exposition even louder and makes the melodrama seem imperative and immediate, and maybe even genuine.  Pages 2 and 3 of The X-Men #57 form a splash page, in which Iceman seems to be flying off the page.

That splash page epitomizes the graphic and visual power of superhero comics.  It is not fantasy grounded in realism.  That power is a comic book in which the characters really seem to be exploding off the page.  And X-Men Classics is a great way to experience the master of explosive comic book art, Neal Adams.

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: CRISIS ON MULTIPLE EARTHS Volume 2

CRISIS ON MULTIPLE EARTHS VOLUME 2
DC COMICS – @DCComics

WRITERS: Gardner Fox, Dennis O’Neil
PENCILS: Mike Sekowsky, Dick Dillin
INKS: Sid Greene, Joe Giella
LETTERS: Gaspar Saladino, Joe Letterese, Milton Snapinn, Ira Schnapp
ORIGINAL COVER ARTISTS:  Mike Sekowsky and Murphy Anderson; Mike Sekowsky and Joe Giella; Carmine Infantino and Murphy Anderson; Dick Dillin and George Roussos; Joe Kubert; Neal Adams
COVER: Jerry Ordway
208pp, Color, $14.95 U.S., $22.95 CAN (2003)

Several years ago, I was one of the winners of a raffle at a local comic book shop (well, at least my version of a local comic shop).  The prizes had mostly been picked through by the time I visited the store again, but I ended up being lucky anyway.  Sitting on the prize table, almost alone, was a copy of Crisis on Multiple Earths Volume 2.

I am a fan of DC Comics’ Silver and Bronze Ages, and here was a book full of Justice League of America reprints from the late Silver Age and at the precipice of the Bronze Age.  As far as I was concerned, I won the raffle.

Crisis on Multiple Earths Volume 2 reprints the following Justice League of America issues with August to September cover dates:  #55-56 (1967), 64-65 (1968), 73-74 (1969), and 82-83 (1970).  The book also reprints three pin-ups that were originally published in Justice League #76 (cover dated: October 1969) and Limited Collector’s Edition C-46 (cover dated: August-September 1976).  Why did DC Comics pair two issues of Justice League of America?

Well, it starts with Flash #123 (cover dated: September 1961).  In a story entitled, “The Flash of Two Worlds,” the Silver Age Flash (Barry Allen) meets his Golden Age counterpart, Jay Garrick.  It turns out Garrick, along with the rest of the original Justice Society of America of the Golden Age of comics, inhabit an alternate universe.  This meeting of the Flash characters from two different comic book eras turned out to be a historic meeting.  Apparently fans liked it, and there were more such issues of Flash.

This set the stage for the first crossover between the Silver Age Justice League of America and the Golden Age Justice Society of America:  “Crisis on Earth-One” (Justice League of America #21, cover dated: August 1963) and “Crisis on Earth-Two” (Justice League of America #22, September 1963).  In this two-part tale, the Justice Society teams up with the Justice League to combat a team of villains from both worlds.  These evil-doers travel between the worlds using vibratory devices made by the Fiddler (a Flash villain).  After kidnapping both Flashes, they plan on committing crimes, and then, each villain will spend the money on the version of Earth where nobody knows him.

From that point on in 1967 until 1985, the JLA/JSA crossover became an annual event in Justice League of America comic book series.  I know that these JLA/JSA team-ups are essential stories that led the way to DC Comics’ universe-changing event series, Crisis on Infinite Earths.  However, I’m reading them because they are a kind of comic book that I like the most.  If you, dear reader, do need some historical perspective, Martin Pasko’s introduction to this trade paperback, “Crisis Behind the Scenes,” is excellent.

The stories in this book also reflect the changes going on in the comic book industry in the late 1960s.  Golden Age Justice Society of America and longtime Justice League of America writer, Gardner Fox (who had written 65 consecutive issues of the JLA series), gave way to then emerging new talent Dennis O’Neil.  Artist Dick Dillin became Justice League of America’s penciller.  He replaced regular JLA artist Mike Sekowsky, who began his comic book career when the industry was in its infancy (in 1941 with Timely Comics).  Even Sekowsky’s inker, Murphy Anderson (who also began working in the 1940s), gave way to Sid Greene and Joe Giella as Dillin’s inkers.

As I am largely unfamiliar with that era of comics, I didn’t notice much of a change in the creative staff, except in the kind of stories Gardner Fox and Dennis O’Neil wrote.  Fox’s JLA-JSA stories are fanciful, like children’s fantasy stories (Alice in Wonderland or The Wizard of Oz).  O’Neil’s stories are more cosmic, and the threats to the heroes are more immediate and dangerous.  Change and death are prominent themes, especially in the 1969 crossover.

I enjoyed reading this trade paperback, and I would recommend it to JLA fans.  Crisis on Multiple Earths Volume 2 makes me look forward to finding the other volumes in the Crisis on Multiple Earths trade paperback series, although I do wonder how many are currently out of print.

B+

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: SUPERMAN UNCHAINED #1

SUPERMAN UNCHAINED #1
DC COMICS – @DCComics

WRITER: Scott Snyder
PENCILS: Jim Lee, Dustin Nguyen
INKS: Scott Williams
COLORS: Alex Sinclair, John Kalisz
LETTERS: Sal Cipriano
COVER: Jim Lee and Scott Williams with Alex Sinclair
VARIANT COVERS: Jim Lee, Bruce Timm, Dave Johnson, Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez, Neal Adams, Jerry Ordway, Dan Jurgens, Lee Bermejo, Brett Booth
40pp, Color, $4.99 U.S. (August 2013)

Superman created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster

Last year, DC Comics unleashed a new ongoing Superman comic book series to coincide with the release of Man of Steel, the 2013 relaunch of the Superman film franchise.  Superman Unchained is from burning-hot writer Scott Snyder and superstar-for-over-two-decades artist Jim Lee with his longtime inker, Scott Williams.

Superman Unchained #1 (“The Leap”) opens with a brief (kind of) prologue that takes place in Nagasaki, Japan on April 9th, 1945.  We move to the present (which seems like a near-future) and find Superman trying to stop a space station called the Lighthouse from causing an epic catastrophe when it crashes to Earth.

Superman has suspects for the Lighthouse event, which include Lex Luthor (on his way to prison) and a cyber terrorist group known as Ascension.  The Man of Steel is probably wrong on his suspects, and there is a lot that he doesn’t know.  But Superman doesn’t know what he doesn’t know.

Superman Unchained #1 is one busy comic book.  Scott Snyder, obviously in love with his dialogue, packs this first issue with so much talk and exposition.  This first issue is like a box of “Raisin Bran” (or one of its knock-offs) infested with raisins – just too much of a good thing.  The story is a slick piece of sci-fi-lite, complete with digital displays and shiny tech.  The story, however, doesn’t really get hot until the last page of “The Leap.”  Of note, there is also a two-page epilogue drawn by Dustin Nguyen.

Speaking of busy, that’s Jim Lee’s pencils.  Lee draws so much anemic line work and so many scritchy-scratch lines that we should be thankful for Scott Williams ability to rein in Lee’s excesses and eccentricities.  As usual, Alex Sinclair’s colors turn the art into comic book eye candy.  I have to admit that I’ll be back for future issues.

B

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux

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

New Orleans Comic Con Has Neal Adams "Miracleman #2" Variant

Marvel Comics & Wizard World Reveal 'Miracleman 2' Exclusive Variant Interlocking Cover By Neal Adams For New Orleans Comic Con

Marvel Will Offer Exclusive Books At All 16 Wizard World Shows Including 'Miracleman #2' At New Orleans Comic Con, February 7-9; VIP Attendees Receive Free Color Version; B&W Limited Edition Available For Purchase

NEW YORK, January 2, 2014 – Marvel Comics and Wizard World, Inc. (OTCBB: WIZD) have announced a program by which VIP attendees at each of the 16 scheduled 2014 Wizard World Comic Con pop culture conventions will receive exclusive variant covers of the best Marvel titles, continuing with Miracleman #2 at New Orleans Comic Con (Feb. 7-9). The limited-edition book, with cover illustrated by comics legend and Eisner Award Hall of Famer Neal Adams, features an interlocking cover with Adams' Miracleman #1 from Portland Comic Con (Jan. 24-26), and will be available in both color and black & white sketch editions.

The colored version of Miracleman #2 will be limited to 3,000 copies and provided free at registration to all Wizard World New Orleans Comic Con VIP attendees, including any celebrity VIP packages. The Black & White sketch version is limited to just 2,500 copies and will be available for sale at the Wizard World Store on the convention floor. Quantities per purchase may be limited.

Adams is scheduled to be on site at the event to sign copies (autograph fees may apply). Leading professional comic grader CGC will also be on hand to accept books for grading and Signature Series.

Wizard World Comic Con events bring together thousands of fans of all ages to celebrate the best in pop-fi, pop culture, movies, graphic novels, comics, toys, video gaming, television, sci-fi, gaming, original art, collectibles, contests and more. A first-class lineup of topical programming takes place at each event, with celebrity Q&A's, comics-themed sessions, costume contest, movie screenings, evening parties and more. Sunday is also Kids Day, with an array of activities and programming specially designed for the younger Wizard World fans.

Wizard World Comic Con is also the place for cosplay, with fans young and old showing off their best costumes throughout the event. Fans dressed as every imaginable character – and some never before dreamed – will roam the convention floor, often stopping by the Show Stage, the ideal place to see and be seen.

For more on the 2014 Wizard World New Orleans Comic Con, go to http://www.wizardworld.com/home-neworleans.html.

About Wizard World:
Wizard World, Inc. (OTCBB: WIZD) produces Comic Cons and pop culture conventions across North America that celebrate graphic novels, comic books, movies, TV shows, gaming, technology, toys and social networking. The events often feature celebrities from movies and TV, artists and writers, and events such as premieres, gaming tournaments, panels, and costume contests.

About Marvel Entertainment, LLC
Marvel Entertainment, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company, is one of the world’s most prominent character-based entertainment companies, built on a proven library of more than 8,000 characters featured in a variety of media over seventy years. Marvel utilizes its character franchises in entertainment, licensing and publishing. For more information, visit marvel.com.

The full event schedule can be found at www.wizardworld.com.

Wizard World 2014 Schedule

January 24-26 – Wizard World Portland Comic Con

February 7-9 – Wizard World New Orleans Comic Con

March 7-9 – Wizard World Sacramento Comic Con

March 28-30 – Wizard World Louisville Comic Con

April 4-6 – Wizard World St. Louis Comic Con

May 2-4 – Wizard World Minneapolis Comic Con

May 30-June 1 – Wizard World Atlanta Comic Con

June 19-22 – Wizard World Philadelphia Comic Con

August 1-3 – Wizard World San Antonio Comic Con

August 21-24 – Wizard World Chicago Comic Con

September 12-14 – Wizard World Richmond Comic Con

September 26-28 – Wizard World Nashville Comic Con

October 2-4 – Wizard World Austin Comic Con

October 31-November 2 – Wizard World Ohio Comic Con

November 7-9 – Wizard World Tulsa Comic Con

November 21-23 – Wizard World Reno Comic Con


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