The New 52 Review: GRIFTER #1

GRIFTER #1
DC COMICS

WRITER: Nathan Edmondson
PENCILS: CAFU
INKS: Jason Gorder
COLORS: Andrew Dalhouse
LETTERS: Wes Abbott
COVER: CAFU and Bit
32pp, Color, $2.99 U.S.

Grifter was one of the superhero characters that debuted in WildC.A.T.s #1 (cover date August 1992), Image Comics founding partner Jim Lee’s first work published by the then newly-launched company. Created by Lee and Brandon Choi, Grifter is Cole Cash, an incredibly adept fighter who is an expert in hand-to-hand combat and with most weapons, especially guns. Grifter also has mental powers, which he rarely uses.

With the re-launch of DC Comics’ superhero line, “The New 52,” Grifter is the star of a new solo comic book series. As Grifter #1 (“17 Minutes”) opens, Cole Cash has arrived at Louis Armstrong International Airport in New Orleans for what should be an easy getaway from his most recent con. Then, why does he end up falling from the plane? Meanwhile, Cole’s brother, Max, gets a special assignment that will lead to an explosive family reunion.

First, I have to say that Grifter series artist, CAFU, has a drawing style that reminds me of the art of Paul Gulacy, which I consider a very good thing. CAFU has a good sense of both style and design in the way he poses figures and composes the content of a panel. His art both moves the story and also conveys a set of emotions and ideas within the panel.

Writer Nathan Edmondson has certainly presented a fast-moving story that grips you both with what it reveals and with the questions it raises. Still, I think CAFU brings a unique visual style and graphic narrative method that will make Grifter more than just another new series.

A-

September 14th
BATMAN AND ROBIN #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/09/batman-and-robin-1.html
BATWOMAN #1 2.99
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/09/batwoman-1.html
DEMON KNIGHTS #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/09/demon-knights-1.html
FRANKENSTEIN AGENT OF SHADE #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/09/frankenstein-agent-of-shade-1.html
GREEN LANTERN #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/09/green-lantern-1.html
LEGION LOST #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/09/legion-lost-1.html
MISTER TERRIFIC #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/09/mister-terrific-1.html
RED LANTERNS #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/09/red-lanterns-1.html
RESURRECTION MAN #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/09/resurrection-man-1.html
SUPERBOY #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/09/superboy-1.html

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

The New 52 Review: VOODOO #1

"...the Voodoo she do...:

VOODOO #1
DC COMICS

WRITER: Ron Marz
ART: Sami Basri
COLORS: Jessica Kholinne
LETTERS: Jared K. Fletcher
COVER: Sami Basri and Sunny Gho
32pp, Color, $2.99 U.S.

Voodoo is a female superhero character created by Jim Lee and Brandon Choi. She first appeared in WildC.A.T.s #1 (cover date August 1992), which was published by Image Comics. Voodoo is an alien Daemonite; she lives as Priscilla Kitaen. An exotic dancer, she uses telepathy and shapeshifting to gain information on human and metahumans.

With the re-launch of DC Comics’ superhero line, “The New 52,” Voodoo headlines her own self-titled comic book series. As Voodoo #1 (“Keeping Secrets”) opens, Voodoo is shaking her ass and working hard on a stripper pole at the Voodoo Lounge in New Orleans. Not only are horny men watching her, but also two special agents. One of them, Tyler Evans, decides to make a move on Voodoo, but she makes a bigger move on him.

The always reliable comic book scribe, Ron Marz, delivers on Voodoo #1. If I remember correctly, this is not the first time the character has had a solo series or miniseries, but Marz takes just 22 pages to maker her more interesting than she ever was as a Wildstorm pinup girl. Plus, Marz builds this story on a slow simmer until he finishes with a darn good explosive ending.

Marz’s clever script is turned into dazzling comic book art and graphic storytelling by Sami Basri (pencils/inks) and Jessica Kholinne (colors). Basri’s smooth line work shapes and forms tight compositions that offer superb figure drawing and simple but evocative backgrounds. Kholinne’s coloring gives depth and texture to the art, anchoring Basri’s slick line to the story and giving everything weight and substance.

I want another dance from Voodoo.

A-

September 28th
AQUAMAN #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/10/aquaman-1.html
BATMAN THE DARK KNIGHT #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/10/batman-dark-knight-1.html
BLACKHAWKS #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/10/blackhawks-1.html
FLASH #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/10/flash-1.html
JUSTICE LEAGUE DARK #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/10/justice-league-dark-1.html

Leroy Douresseaux on THE ART OF VAMPIRE KNIGHT: MATSURI HINO ILLUSTRATIONS

THE ART OF VAMPIRE KNIGHT: MATSURI HINO ILLUSTRATIONS
VIZ MEDIA

CARTOONIST: Matsuri Hino
TRANSLATION & ENGLISH ADAPTATION: Tetsuichiro Miyaki
ISBN: 978-1-4215-4005-4; hardcover; Rated “T+” for “Older Teen”
94pp, Color, $24.99 U.S., $28.99 CAN, £16.99 UK

Matsuri Hino is a Japanese manga artist or mangaka. She made her debut in 1995 with a one-shot manga. Her first series, Captive Hearts, which began publication in 1999, was about a young man bound to a teenaged girl via a family curse. Hino is now most famous as the creator of Vampire Knight.

Vampire Knight is a popular shojo manga that first appeared in January 2005 in LaLa magazine, a Japanese manga publication. Vampire Knight became a media franchise with the publication of light novels, video games, and two 13-episode anime series, among other things.

VIZ Media is Vampire Knight’s English-language publisher, releasing the series in a graphic novel format, beginning in 2006. The company recently published the 13th English volume of Vampire Knight (October 4th). VIZ Media published an English-language edition of the Vampire Knight Official Fanbook, a guide to the manga that is filled with illustrations, trivia, and general information.

VIZ Media also recently published The Art of Vampire Knight: Matsuri Hino Illustrations. Originally published in Japan in 2010, this hardcover, full-color book is exactly what the title declares on the cover: the art of Vampire Knight as presented through illustrations by Hino depicting characters from the Vampire Knight manga.

Vampire Knight is set at the private boarding school, Cross Academy, where there are two classes – the Day Class and the Night Class. The Day Class students are humans. When they return to their dorms at twilight, the Day Class doesn’t know that the Night Class students that are on their way to school are actually vampires. Vampire Knight’s main character is Yuki Cross, the adopted daughter of Headmaster Kainen Cross. Yuki’s earliest memory is of being attacked by a vampire.

There are two co-leads. One is Zero Kiryu, a human suffering the curse of the vampire. Yuki and Zero are Guardians at Cross Academy; they patrol the hallways and school grounds to protect the students of the Day Class from the vampires. The other co-lead is Kaname Kuran, a pureblood vampire who is the leader of the Night Class. Yuki is attracted to Kaname, and the two actually have a connection revealed later in the series.

Quite a bit of the movie Underworld (2003) takes place at the mansion of a vampire coven. Most of the vampires in the film are sleek and sexy; hair is cool platinum blonde or dark and sexy dangerous. They lounge around their posh estate, with its Gothic flourishes, in icy luxury.

The Art of Vampire Knight is a catalog of similar images. There are vampires in tuxedos, Goth-Loli girls, Victorian fashions, Pre-Raphaelite touches, etc. Actually, much of what Matsuri Hino presents is a blending of many styles, but an artist must take her influences and create something that is uniquely her own, even with its familiar elements. Hino has certainly done that.

The two-page spread on pp 40-41 is oddly familiar, with its wings-as-drapery, but Hino fans know this can only be Hino. Illustration meets fashion design, and the art of Vampire Knight is born. Vampire Knight fans, get this book. Clutch it to your bosoms. You might even want to… get down with it… so to speak.

A

The New 52 Review: FLASH #1

"Fast and Furious"

FLASH #1
DC COMICS

WRITERS: Francis Manapul and Brian Buccellato
ARTIST: Francis Manapul
COLORS: Brian Buccellato
LETTERS: Sal Cipriano
32pp, Color, $2.99 U.S.

The Flash is a comic book superhero created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Harry Lampert. Flash’s power is super-speed, which includes the ability to run, move extremely fast, and use superhuman reflexes. The original Flash (or Golden Age Flash, as the character is known) first appeared in Flash Comics #1 (cover date January 1940). He was Jay Garrick, a college student who gained his speed through the inhalation of hard water vapors.

The best known Flash, “the Silver Age Flash,” first appeared in Showcase #4 (cover date October 1956). He is police scientist Barry Allen, who gained super-speed when bathed by chemicals after a shelf of them was struck by lightning. Allen took the name of The Flash after reading a comic book featuring the Golden Age Flash, whom he’d later meet.

As Flash #1 opens, it seems as if everyone is at the Central City Technology Symposium. Barry Allen is in attendance with his colleague and close friend, Patty Spivot. When armed men crash the symposium, Barry springs into action as Flash only to discover the involvement of an old friend – an old friend with a perplexing problem.

This new Flash title stands as one of my favorite of The New 52. Once upon a time, I was a huge fan of The Flash, but I never thought that I could love it as I once did. Co-writer/artist Francis Manapul and co-writer/colorist Brian Buccellato have turned in a gem of a comic book that is at once familiar as a Flash comic book, but also reads as something new. To me, it perfectly captures what The New 52 is supposed to be about, something accessible to new readers that is true to the character and its past.

As good as they are as a writing team, Manapul and Buccellato make an even better art team. Manapul has a pretty visual style built on solid compositions and the ability to draw just about anything. He has a clean, simple style that harks back to the Silver Age, but is thoroughly modern. Buccellato creates colors that seem right out of a Walt Disney animated feature (pre-CAPS); some pages of this comic book look like watercolors. Buccellato gives the art texture and even life.

I have to have more of this Flash.

A+

September 28th
AQUAMAN #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/10/aquaman-1.html
BATMAN THE DARK KNIGHT #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/10/batman-dark-knight-1.html
BLACKHAWKS #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/10/blackhawks-1.html
JUSTICE LEAGUE DARK #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/10/justice-league-dark-1.html

Leroy Douresseaux Reviews "HABIBI" - An Original Graphic Novel by Craig Thompson

"A thousand and one..."

HABIBI
PANTHEON BOOKS

CARTOONIST: Craig Thompson
ISBN: 978-0-375-42414-4; hardcover
672pp, B&W, $35.00 U.S., $40.00 CAN

Craig Thompson is the Michigan-born, Wisconsin-bred graphic novelist who began his comics career as a graphic artist for Dark Horse Comics. However, it was his 1999 semi-autobiographical graphic novel, Good-bye, Chunky Rice, that brought him to readers’ attentions. Four years later, his 600-page, autobiographical graphic novel, Blankets, made him a sensation.

Eight years later, he returns with another 600-plus-page monster of a graphic novel, Habibi. At almost 700 pages in length, Habibi (apparently Arabic for “my beloved”) is a massive tome containing a blockbuster of a comic. It is a sprawling epic that spans time while being surprisingly contemporary in places. It addresses the modern world, but is timeless and is steeped in past times.

At alternate places in the narrative, Habibi is set deep in Arabic deserts, right in the middle of slums and mind-boggling squalor, inside lavish palaces and harems, and finally in modern industrial centers. Habibi is the story of two refugee child slaves that are bound to each other by chance, circumstance, and need, but mostly by love. There is the older one, Dodola, an Arabic girl sold as a child bride and later sold into slavery. The younger is Zam, a black child that Dodola rescues and takes as her own.

Dodola and Zam become like mother and child, but they are eventually ripped apart, when Dodola is kidnapped. She is taken to Wanatolia, where she enters the great estate of the Sultan. He is a fat, lustful man who is always looking for something new in pleasure and gratification. Past the Gates of Felicity, Dodola is carried into the Sultan’s harem, where she becomes his greatest turn-on and most aggravating lover.

Meanwhile, Zam goes on his own journey, one that involves magical desert snakes and drought. His journey takes him from the most depressing slums to a house of sly and conniving eunuchs. Dodola and Zam’s lives will always unfold together, even when they are apart, but will they ever be reunited for good?

Habibi is magical storytelling. Symbolic and metaphoric, Habibi is also a parable and a fairy tale. Craig Thompson does so much in this graphic novel, both literally and figuratively. Habibi tries to bridge the first and third worlds, and in that attempt, it addresses racism in such a bold and blunt way that this graphic novel could find a place on the African and Black interests bookshelves. Thompson also unveils the common heritage of Christianity and Islam share, which is Judaism, in a matter-of-fact way that readers will be either offended or shocked, or perhaps delightfully surprised. Thompson transforms passages from the Koran into exquisite and enchanting graphical storytelling, composed of words, pictures, and graphics that come together like a striking piece of music.

Habibi is certainly a remarkable feat, but it is so big that sometimes I found myself getting lost. It seems to be about everything, but is really a long and winding love story of which the reader must keep track over 600+ pages. Habibi shifts in time so much and offers so many dream sequences and side stories that it is easy to see where one might get lost in all that black ink.

Also, some of the story seems to shift from the Middle East to the American Midwest, which is odd. Still, I could see Habibi being the best comic book of the year simply because it is so ambitious. I look at this whirling dervish of a tale and see it as a book that attempts to capture or to depict the complexity of humanity itself. Habibi is magical in its narrative and beautiful in its breath. Craig Thompson has given those who love the comics medium a treasure.

A

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

Slam Dunk: The Feeling of Falling

I read Slam Dunk, Vol. 18

I posted a review at the Comic Book Bin.

Vampire Knight: Distant Memories

I read Vampire Knight, Vol. 13.

I posted a review at the Comic Book Bin.

The New 52 Review: BLACKHAWKS #1

"Not your grandfather's or father's Blackhawks"

BLACKHAWKS #1
DC COMICS

WRITER: Mike Costa
LAYOUTS: Graham Nolan
FINISHES: Ken Lashley
COLORS: Guy Major
LETTERS: Rob Leigh
COVERS: Ken Lashley
32pp, Color, $2.99 U.S.

The Blackhawks debuted in Military Comics #1 (cover date August 1941), published by Quality Comics. The Blackhawk Squadron, usually called the Blackhawks, were a small team of World War II-era ace pilots of varied nationalities, who were led by an American named Blackhawk (his nationality and ethnicity changed over the years).

The Blackhawks’ long-running comic book series was known as Blackhawk, both in Military Comics (eventually Modern Comics) and, later, a self-titled series. Blackhawk was created by Will Eisner, Chuck Cuidera, and Bob Powell, although Reed Crandall is the artist most associated with the series. Future Justice League of America artist, Dick Dillin, drew the series for 18 years. In 1987, Howard Chaykin of American Flagg! fame revamped the series in the three-issue, prestige format comic book, Blackhawk.

With the re-launch of DC Comics’ superhero line, “The New 52,” the Blackhawks are reborn. However, the new series apparently will have no connection to the previous incarnations and also will share the post-Flashpoint, rebooted DC Universe continuity.

Blackhawks #1 opens in Ayaguz, Kazakhstan with the Blackhawks on a rescue mission and doing a takedown of hostage takers. The operation goes well, but not without a hitch. Kunoichi has a big problem that starts out small, and the Blackhawks’ cover is blown.

If you are a fan of everything Blackhawk before Chaykin’s miniseries, you will need to accept that this new Blackhawks is exactly that – something new. Even if you accepted the changes Chaykin made, you will still have to make another leap of faith. Other than the logo, this is, for all intents and purposes, something called Blackhawks that is not the Blackhawk that debuted in 1941. That said…

This is neither really good nor deplorably bad. At least to me, Blackhawks is essentially a comic book about special ops on steroids with elements of military science fiction and superheroes mixed into the concept. Writer Mike Costa brings his script together nicely. Readers will have questions, like who are these characters; what are they about, what do they want; and who are their adversaries, among others? Still, what is in the first issue is easy to understand.

The art by Ken Lashley, from layouts by Graham Nolan, looks like a scratchy version of Trevor Von Eeden’s art on the 1980s cult series, Thriller. Lashley’s is not a pretty style, but it grew on me.

Will I try this comic book again? Yes, I’m curious, but I also hope it gets better.

B-

September 28th
AQUAMAN #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/10/aquaman-1.html
BATMAN THE DARK KNIGHT #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/10/batman-dark-knight-1.html
JUSTICE LEAGUE DARK #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/10/justice-league-dark-1.html

The New 52 Review: JUSTICE LEAGUE DARK #1

JUSTICE LEAGUE DARK #1
DC COMICS

WRITER: Peter Milligan
ARTIST: Mikel Janin
COLORS: Ulises Arreola
LETTERS: Rob Leigh
COVER: Ryan Sook
32pp, Color, $2.99 U.S.

In the Dark Part One: "Imaginary Women"

Justice League Dark is a new Justice League comic book series that comes out of “The New 52,” the re-launch of DC Comics superhero comic book line. This series will focus on a more supernatural team than any Justice League series has previously done.

Justice League Dark #1 opens with Madame Xanadu finding “great wickedness” in the future during a tarot card reading. Meanwhile, a young woman named June Moone is literally beside herself so many times that she is on the run. Meanwhile, the Justice League, in the form of Superman, Wonder Woman, and Cyborg. take on an increasingly insane and insanely powerful Enchantress. Also, Shade the Changing Man and John Constantine are on the move.

I really wanted to like Justice League Dark because I like both the cast and series writer, Peter Milligan, but I can’t – not really or not yet. This first issue is all setup and the story hangs on stiff dialogue and stiffer exposition. The pencil art by Mikel Janin ranges from strong compositions to wooden figure drawing, with the former (thankfully) dominating. The cover by Ryan Sook is quite good, though.

I’m sure that Justice League Dark is going to be a dynamite book, but it isn’t, yet…

B-

Library Wars: Weekly New World

I read Library Wars: Love & War, Vol. 6

I posted a review at the Comic Book Bin.

Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan: Gozu-Mezu Spy Team

I read Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan, Vol. 5

I posted a review at the Comic Book Bin (which has FREE smart phone apps).

The New 52 Review: BATMAN: THE DARK KNIGHT #1

"This Batman is fo' reals, y'all!"

BATMAN: THE DARK KNIGHT #1
DC COMICS

PLOT: Paul Jenkins and David Finch
WRITER: Paul Jenkins
PENCILS: David Finch
INKS: Richard Friend
COLORS: Alex Sinclair
LETTERS: Sal Cipriano
32pp, Color, $2.99 U.S.

Late last year, DC Comics launched a new Batman comic book series, Batman: The Dark Knight (#1, cover date January 2011). The series was written and penciled by David Finch. It dealt with Bruce Wayne’s life in Gotham City, with an emphasis on the commitments, relationships, connections he has in the city.

Now, a new volume of Batman: The Dark Knight is the fourth Batman comic book series to come from “The New 52,” DC Comics re-launch of its superhero comic book line. As I read it, this book features a Batman that is older, smarter, more powerful, and certainly more dangerous. I would say that he is 30-something, maybe even late 30’s. He acts and sounds like a police officer, and in the opening scenes, Batman is a very self-assured superhero.

Batman: The Dark Knight #1 (“Knight Terrors”) opens with Bruce Wayne attending one of those social gatherings that involve charity and very rich and successful men, like Wayne, making speeches. All is not clean and neat, as Bruce has to entertain a sleazy Senator and fend off an aggressive officer from Gotham City Police Department Internal Affairs. The beautiful Jaina Hudson makes the night interesting, however. Meanwhile, all hell has broken loose at Arkham Asylum, and Two-Face seems to be the focal point.

Setting the initial action and conflict of a first issue at a high society party doesn’t seem like a smart move on the part of co-plotters David Finch and Paul Jenkins, who wrote the script. That would be true if Finch and Jenkins weren’t setting up what seems like a more dangerous Gotham; don’t turn your back, Bruce, to anyone – unless you’re ready to take on the knife. Add Arkham sequences, and Batman: The Dark Knight will need a Batman who is a seriously dark knight. The storytelling is not as polished as it is in the new Detective Comics and new Batman and Robin, but it could get there.

The art by the team of Finch, Richard Friend (inks), and Alex Sinclair (colors) is quite good. By now, Finch’s pencils no longer really resemble the pencil art of Marc Silverstri, Brandon Peterson, Jim Lee, or whoever may have influenced him – not really. Some of the faces Finch draws quite frankly look bizarre, and in one case, what looks like an ugly top lip is really a mustache. Still, there are moments of brilliance: the two-page spreads on pages 2 and 3 and on 12 and 13 (of the story) and also the final page, which has an EC Comics quality.

B+

DC Comics from Diamond Distributors for October 5 2011

DC COMICS

AUG110179 ACTION COMICS #2 $3.99

JUL110247 ALL STAR SUPERMAN TP $29.99

JUL110284 AMERICAN VAMPIRE TP VOL 01 (MR) $19.99

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AUG110212 ANIMAL MAN #2 $2.99

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AUG110211 SWAMP THING #2 $2.99

AUG110289 SWEET TOOTH #26 (MR) $2.99

Marvel Comics from Diamond Distributors for October 5 2011

MARVEL COMICS

AUG110717 ANITA BLAKE VH GUILTY PLEASURES ULT COLL TP (MR) $34.99

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JUL110715 MMW AMAZING SPIDER-MAN TP VOL 06 $24.99

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IDW PUBLISHING
 
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Dark Horse Comics from Diamond Distributors for October 5 2011

DARK HORSE COMICS

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Image Comics from Diamond Distributors for October 5 2011

IMAGE COMICS

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AUG110530 MORIARTY #5 $2.99

AUG110421 PILOT SEASON TEST #1 $3.99

JUL110538 RED SPIKE #5 (OF 5) $2.99

AUG110536 REED GUNTHER #5 $2.99

AUG110540 SEVERED #3 (OF 7) (MR) $2.99

JUL110546 SKULLKICKERS #11 $2.99

AUG110543 SPAWN #212 $2.99

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JUL110549 VESCELL #2 (MR) $2.99

JUL110554 WALKING DEAD #89 (MR) $2.99

AUG110454 WALKING DEAD HC VOL 07 (MR) $34.99

AUG110548 WALKING DEAD WEEKLY #40 (MR) $2.99

Comics and Magazines from Diamond Distributors for October 5 2011

PREVIEWS PUBLICATIONS
AUG110001 PREVIEWS #277 OCTOBER 2011 PI

COMICS
JUN110927 28 DAYS LATER TP VOL 05 GHOST TOWN $12.99

JUL111225 ARON WARNERS PARIAH #3 (OF 4) $3.99

JUL110843 B & V FRIENDS DOUBLE DIGEST #218 $3.99

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JUL111270 BLEACH 3-IN-1 ED VOL 03 $14.99

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AUG110997 BOYS #59 (MR) $3.99

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AUG110859 CHOPPER #1 (OF 5) (MR) $2.99

JUN111193 CLASSICS ILLUS HC VOL 14 WUTHERING HEIGHTS $9.99

JUN110900 CODE GEASS QUEEN GN VOL 03 (RES) $10.99

JUN110965 DARKWING DUCK TP VOL 03 FOWL DISPOSITION $14.99

APR110881 DEFINITIVE IRREDEEMABLE HC VOL 01 $74.99

AUG110831 EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT IRIS VOL 2 #4 CVR A FRANCISCO $3.50

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JUL111280 FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST 3-IN-1 ED VOL 03 $14.99

JUN111316 GFT MYTHS & LEGENDS #8 A CVR GARZA (MR) $2.99

JUN111317 GFT MYTHS & LEGENDS #8 B CVR QUALANO (MR) $2.99

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JUN111314 GRIMM FAIRY TALES THE LIBRARY #2 B CVR MYCHAELS $2.99

AUG111018 HARK A VAGRANT HC (MR) $19.95

JAN111159 JIM BUTCHER DRESDEN FILES FOOL MOON #4 $3.99

JUL110844 JUGHEADS DOUBLE DIGEST #174 $3.99

JUN111159 KNIGHTS OF THE DINNER TABLE #178 (NOTE PRICE) $5.99

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AUG110934 LADY DEATH (ONGOING) #10 (MR) $3.99

AUG110935 LADY DEATH (ONGOING) #10 WRAP CVR (MR) $3.99

JUL111228 MY BOYFRIEND IS A VAMPIRE GN COLL VOL 01 (OF 2) $15.99

JUL111265 NATSUMES BOOK OF FRIENDS TP VOL 09 $9.99

JUL111148 NEGIMA OMNIBUS GN VOL 02 (MR) $19.99

JUL111237 NINA IN THAT MAKES ME MAD HC $12.95

JUL111149 NINJA GIRLS GN VOL 07 (MR) $10.99

JUL111268 NURA RISE O/T YOKAI CLAN GN VOL 05 $9.99

JUN111194 PAPERCUTZ SLICES GN VOL 03 PERCY & OVOLACTOVEGETARIANS $6.99

MAR111198 PHASES O/T MOON #2 HONEY WEST / KOLCHAK $2.50

JUL111288 POKEMON ADVENTURES PLATINUM VOL 03 $7.99

JUL111269 PSYREN GN VOL 01 $9.99

MAY111027 QUEEN SONJA #21 $3.99

JUN110962 ROGER LANGRIDGE THE SHOW MUST GO ON TP $19.99

AUG110930 ROGER LANGRIDGES SNARKED #1 $3.99

JUL111278 ROSARIO VAMPIRE SEASON II TP VOL 06 $9.99

JUL111262 SAKURA HIME LEGEND OF PRINCESS SAKURA GN VOL 04 $9.99

JUN111318 SALEMS DAUGHTER HAUNTING #2 A CVR EBAS (MR) $2.99

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JUL110847 SONIC THE HEDGEHOG #229 $2.99

JUL110848 SONIC THE HEDGEHOG ARCHIVES TP VOL 16 $7.95

JUL110954 STAN LEE TRAVELER #11 $3.99

JUL111174 STAR GAZING DOG GN $11.99

MAY111268 TEZUKA BOOK OF HUMAN INSECTS HC (MR) $21.95

AUG110920 THE RINSE #2 $3.99

JUL111317 THEATER #1 A CVR ARTGERM (MR) $3.99

JUL111318 THEATER #1 B CVR KIRKHAM (MR) $3.99

JUL111319 THEATER #1 C CVR RODIN (MR) $3.99

AUG111060 TWO GENERALS SC $19.99

JUL111264 VAMPIRE KNIGHT TP VOL 13 $9.99

JUL111153 WALLFLOWER GN VOL 26 (MR) $10.99

JUN110973 WAR GODDESS #2 (MR) $3.99

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JUN110974 WAR GODDESS #2 WRAP CVR (MR) $3.99

JUL111002 WARLORD OF MARS DEJAH THORIS #7 $3.99

MAGAZINES
MAY111321 CLASSIC MARVEL FIG COLL MAG #154 WRECKER $14.00
MAY111322 CLASSIC MARVEL FIG COLL MAG #155 SONGBIRD $14.00
JUN111351 CLASSIC MARVEL FIG COLL MAG #156 TOAD $14.00
JUN111352 CLASSIC MARVEL FIG COLL MAG #157 MOONDRAGON $14.00
JUN111362 DC BLACKEST NIGHT FIG COLL MAG #11 DEATHSTORM $14.00
JUN111363 DC BLACKEST NIGHT FIG COLL MAG #12 JADE $14.00
MAY111332 DC SUPERHERO FIG COLL MAG #88 STARMAN $14.00
MAY111333 DC SUPERHERO FIG COLL MAG #89 HUSH $14.00
JUN111364 DC SUPERHERO FIG COLL MAG #90 BLUE DEVIL $14.00
JUN111365 DC SUPERHERO FIG COLL MAG #91 BRAINIAC 5 $14.00
JUN111393 HOBBY JAPAN SEP 2011 $16.60
JUN111386 MONSTERS FROM THE VAULT #29 $9.98

The New 52 Review: AQUAMAN #1

"Aquatease"

AQUAMAN #1
DC COMICS

WRITER: Geoff Johns
PENCILS: Ivan Reis
INKS: Joe Prado
COLORS: Rod Reis
LETTERS: Nick J. Napolitano
32pp, Color, $2.99

Aquaman is a DC Comics superhero created by Paul Norris and Mort Weisinger. Aquaman debuted in More Fun Comics #73 (cover date November 1941) and, for the better part of two decades, was the star of backup features in DC’s anthology titles. Beginning in Adventure Comics #260 (cover date May 1959), the character was given an origin story, new powers, and a supporting cast.

With the re-launch of DC Comics’ superhero line, “The New 52,” Aquaman returns in a new self-titled comic book series. In Aquaman #1 (“The Trench” Part One), Aquaman returns to the public eye, but people still consider him a joke and/or are very curious about him. Meanwhile, trouble rises from the ocean depths.

What can I say about Aquaman #1? It’s all tease and setup. The art is nice, although the coloring is a bit garish. Writer Geoff Johns spends most of this issue dealing with how fans perceive Aquaman, addressing that through peripheral characters who mock (cops, restaurant patrons) or question (the self-appointed journalist blogger) Aquaman. How Aquaman’s powers work or his status in Atlantis is really fanboy stuff. The real conflict and dramatic tension will come from the invasion, and that’s pushed off for another issue. Of course, that’s how it works in padded, write-for-the-trades land.  This is not a first issue; it's a "#0" issue.

C+

The New 52 Review: CAPTAIN ATOM #1

"Chase Manhattan"

CAPTAIN ATOM #1
DC COMICS

WRITER: J.T. Krul
ARTIST: Freddie Williams II
COLORS: Jose Villarrubia
LETTERS: Rob Leigh
COVER: Stanley “Artgerm” Lau
32pp, Color, $2.99

Captain Atom is a comic book superhero created by writer Joe Gill and artist/co-writer Steve Ditko. Captain Atom first appeared in Space Adventures #33 (March 1960) from Charlton Comics. He was Allen Adam, a military official caught in a scientific experiment and “atomized.” Allen acquired superhuman strength and endurance and the ability to fly and to project energy blasts, and he could also reform his body.

The character was later acquired by DC Comics and inserted into the DC Universe that came into being after Crisis on Infinite Earths. His civilian identity became Air Force pilot Nathaniel Adam, who had the same powers as the earlier Captain Atom. With the re-launch of the DC Comics’ superhero line, “The New 52,” Captain Atom is back in a new comic book series.

As Captain Atom #1 (“Evolution of the Species”) opens, Captain Atom is in Chicago taking on what looks to be a four-story tall suit of battle armor. Suddenly, his powers do something quite shocking – something that shocks even the good Captain. Back at the Kansas-based Continuum, Atom learns some surprising/troubling news about himself and his new powers. Captain Atom is not, however, the only thing evolving.

Readers who dig into details and study comic book history know that Alan Moore and Dave Gibbon’s classic comic book series, Watchmen, began as a project to revive some of the Charlton Comics characters to which DC Comics had then recently obtained ownership. Eventually, the main cast of Watchmen was based upon some Charlton superheroes. Watchmen’s usually-naked, blue-skinned, godlike Dr. Manhattan was based upon Captain Atom.

The bosses at DC Comics really haven’t made it a secret that they want sequels and prequels to Watchmen. Captain Atom, with his blue-skin and Ken® doll anatomically incomplete nakedness, is now like a version of Dr. Manhattan that DC can more freely play with for the time being. And the way writer J.T. Krul plays with Captain Atom, judging by the first issue, could be interesting, and I’m certainly curious about the direction of this series.

Meanwhile, the art by Freddie Williams II (pencils/inks) and the always-interesting Jose Villarrubia (colors) has an odd, but catchy quality. I’d like to see this book continue just to get more of their art… or they could get another assignment.

B

September 21st
BATMAN #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/09/batman-1.html
BIRDS OF PREY #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/10/birds-of-prey-1.html
BLUE BEETLE #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/10/blue-beetle-1.html
CATWOMAN #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/09/catwoman-1.html
DC UNIVERSE PRESENTS #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/10/dc-comics-presents-1.html
GREEN LANTERN CORPS #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/10/green-lantern-corps-1.html
LEGION OF SUPER HEROES #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/10/legion-of-super-heroes-1.html
NIGHTWING #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/09/nightwing-1.html
RED HOOD AND THE OUTLAWS #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/09/red-hood-and-outlaws-1.html
SUPERGIRL #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/10/supergirl-1.html
WONDER WOMAN #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/09/wonder-woman-1.html

The New 52 Review: BIRDS OF PREY #1

"The Bad Girls Club - Gotham"

BIRDS OF PREY #1
DC COMICS

WRITER: Duane Swierczynski
ARTIST: Jesus Saiz
COLORS: Nei Ruffino
LETTERS: Carlos M. Mangual
32pp, Color, 2.99 U.S.

Birds of Prey began as a 1995 one-shot comic book entitled Black Canary/Oracle: Birds of Prey. The series followed the adventures of Oracle, the former Batgirl Barbara Gordon who was wheelchair bound and Dinah Lance AKA Black Canary. With the re-launch of DC Comics superhero line, “The New 52,” Birds of Prey returns in a new series with Black Canary in the lead and Ev Crawford AKA Starling her partner.

Birds of Prey #1 (“Let Us Prey”) opens in Gotham City. Gotham Gazette reporter, Charlie Keen, has been tracking Black Canary for two weeks, and the “source” for his info on Black Canary has led him to church. However, this wild-goose chase has also led him into a trap, or perhaps Charlie’s just bait to lure Canary and Starling into a trap. Or maybe they’re the bait.

Birds of Prey scribe Duane Swierczynski has fashioned a brisk crime thriller filled with snappy dialogue, crisp flashbacks, and slick action set pieces. It feels more like 100 Bullets than a superhero comic book, at least for this debut issue. Artist Jesus Saiz does his best Steve Dillon, which may be why this also feels like Garth Ennis-lite, which isn’t a bad thing.

I like to give a superhero comic book credit for being clever. The Birds of Prey creators may also deserve credit for giving superheroes a Vertigo spin that won’t alienate Birds of Prey from the rest of The New 52.

B+

September 21st
BATMAN #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/09/batman-1.html
BLUE BEETLE #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/10/blue-beetle-1.html
CATWOMAN #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/09/catwoman-1.html
DC UNIVERSE PRESENTS #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/10/dc-comics-presents-1.html
GREEN LANTERN CORPS #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/10/green-lantern-corps-1.html
LEGION OF SUPER HEROES #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/10/legion-of-super-heroes-1.html
NIGHTWING #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/09/nightwing-1.html
RED HOOD AND THE OUTLAWS #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/09/red-hood-and-outlaws-1.html
SUPERGIRL #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/10/supergirl-1.html
WONDER WOMAN #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/09/wonder-woman-1.html

The New 52 Review: LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES #1

LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES #1
DC COMICS

WRITER: Paul Levitz
ARTIST: Francis Portela
COLORS: Javier Mena
LETTERS: Pat Brosseau
COVER: Karl Kerschl
32pp, Color, $2.99

The Legion of Super-Heroes is a DC Comics superhero team whose adventures are set the 30th and 31st centuries of the DC Comics Universe. The team first appeared in Adventure Comics #247 (cover date April 1958) and was created by Otto Binder and Al Plastino.

In that comic book, the original Superboy meets three teenagers from the 30th century: Lightning Boy, Saturn Girl, and Cosmic Boy, who were members of a “super-hero club,” called the Legion of Super-Heroes. The trio formed the club with Superboy as an inspiration, and for a long time, the Legion was closely associated with Superboy (the version that was Superman as a teenager).

With the re-launch of DC Comics’ superhero line, “The New 52,” the Legion of Super-Heroes gets a new series (in what seems like the tenth time in 10 years). Legion of Super-Heroes #1 (“Renegade World”) finds members of the Legion on Panoptes, a military “Watchworld,” from where the United Planets keeps an eye on the Dominators’ Empire. Now, there is a problem and contact with Panoptes has been lost. Chameleon Boy, Dragonwing, Phantom Girl, Ultra Boy, and Chemical Kid embark on a stealth mission to discover if anything is wrong on Panoptes. Something is.

I was an avid Legion of Super-Heroes reader from the mid to late 1980s, and, of course, my favorite writer of Legion adventures was Paul Levitz. This first issue of the new Legion of Super-Heroes series is written by Levitz, although I didn’t find anything here that reminded me of the good old days. Half of this issue is a collection of scenes offered to catch readers up on the Legion, but there isn’t much story in these scenes. The Panoptes plotline is actually good, and I wish more of this issue had been devoted to it.

The art, which is a joint venture by Francis Portela (pencils/inks) and Javier Mena (colors) is quite pretty. The colors shimmer like a candied kaleidoscope, and the compositions and quality of the drawing are tight with few cracks. Hopefully, this is the beginning of a strong and long-lasting Legion of Super-Heroes series.

B+

September 21st
BATMAN #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/09/batman-1.html
BLUE BEETLE #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/10/blue-beetle-1.html
CATWOMAN #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/09/catwoman-1.html
DC UNIVERSE PRESENTS #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/10/dc-comics-presents-1.html
GREEN LANTERN CORPS #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/10/green-lantern-corps-1.html
NIGHTWING #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/09/nightwing-1.html
RED HOOD AND THE OUTLAWS #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/09/red-hood-and-outlaws-1.html
SUPERGIRL #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/10/supergirl-1.html
WONDER WOMAN #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/09/wonder-woman-1.html

The New 52 Review: DC COMICS PRESENTS # 1

"Alive, again"

DC COMICS PRESENTS # 1
DC COMICS

WRITER: Paul Jenkins
ARTIST: Bernard Chang
COLORS: Blond
LETTERS: Dave Sharpe
COVER: Ryan Sook
32pp, Color, $2.99 U.S.

Deadman is a DC Comics character that first appeared in Strange Adventures #205 (cover date October 1967). Created by writer Arnold Drake and artist Carmine Infantino, Deadman is the ghost of circus trapeze artist, Boston Brand, who performed under the name Deadman, a stage persona in which he wore a red costume and white corpse makeup. After he is murdered, Brand’s spirit is given the power to possess any living being by a Hindu goddess named Rama Kushna (a DC Comics version of Rama-Krishna), in order to search for his murderer and obtain justice.

With the re-launch of DC Comics’ superhero line, “The New 52,” the classic 1970s and 80s series, DC Comics Presents (1978-1986) returns. In this new series, it is DC Comics Presents Deadman in “Twenty Questions,” a new storyline.

DC Comics Presents #1 gives a recap of Deadman’s origin, a flashback to Boston Brand, the arrogant trapeze artist shot down mid-performance. We see how he met Rama, essentially his patron goddess who points him down the path to redemption and balance. Now, Deadman has to enter the body of Johnny Foster, injured war vet, but Deadman has plans that may shock Rama, but will certainly shock us.

This first issue of DC Comics Presents is one of the wordier first issues of a comic book that I’ve read in some time. Bruthas and sistas, if you still don’t know what Deadman is about after reading this, you’ll never get it. Writer Paul Jenkins provides a detailed introduction to Deadman that he deftly ties into Deadman’s first “client,” the tragic war vet. And Jenkins does this without taking a big crap on Deadman’s history, keeping the character intact without committing some ridiculous re-imagining that completely changes an already-interesting character.

Not to forget the artist: Bernard Chang visually and graphically recalls classic 1960s and 70s Deadman without having to copy Neal Adams. The robotic coloring by Blond often gives Chang’s drawings surreal or ghostly touches, making Chang’s striking images even more striking. There is a combat flashback scene at the top of a page near the middle of this issue. It is such an arresting series of images that it is still on mind. I would say that sequence makes this issue or art team Eisner and Harvey Awards nomination worthy.

A

September 21st
BATMAN #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/09/batman-1.html
BLUE BEETLE #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/10/blue-beetle-1.html
CATWOMAN #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/09/catwoman-1.html
GREEN LANTERN CORPS #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/10/green-lantern-corps-1.html
NIGHTWING #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/09/nightwing-1.html
RED HOOD AND THE OUTLAWS #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/09/red-hood-and-outlaws-1.html
SUPERGIRL #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/10/supergirl-1.html
WONDER WOMAN #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/09/wonder-woman-1.html

The New 52 Review: BLUE BEETLE #1

BLUE BEETLE #1
DC COMICS

WRITER: Tony Bedard
PENCILS: Ig Guara
INKS: Ruy Jose
COLORS: Pete Pantazis
LETTERS: Rob Leigh
COVER: Tyler Kirkham and Sal Regla with Nate Eyring
32pp, Color, $2.99

The superhero Blue Beetle first appeared in Mystery Men Comics #1 (cover-dated August 1939) from the publisher, Fox Comics. The original Blue Beetle was Dan Garret, a rookie police officer who used special equipment, a bulletproof costume, and a super-strength formula to fight crime. In Captain Atom #83 (cover-dated November 1966), Charlton Comics introduced the best known Blue Beetle, Ted Kord. Kord was a student of Dan Garret’s and also an inventor who used special gadgets to fight crime.

After DC Comics bought the rights to the Charlton characters, the Ted Kord Blue Beetle starred in several series for the next two decades. The most recent Blue Beetle, Jamie Reyes, debuted in 2006 and is a Latino teenager who uses alien technology. “The New 52,” DC Comics’ re-launch of its superhero line, gives Jaime Reyes a new comic book series. Blue Beetle #1 (“Metamorphosis, Part One”) opens a long time ago, as The Reach destroys a world in Space Sector 2. Readers will recognize that the soldiers of The Reach look like Blue Beetle. They are soldiers created by blue Scarabs.

Present day, the most important thing on Jaime Reyes’ mind is Brenda Del Vecchio’s party. However, the festivities are at Brenda’s aunt’s house, and Jaime’s parents don’t want their son in the home of Doña Cardenas. But a teen will do what a teen has to do, and Jaime is racing to the party with his pal, Paco. However, this car ride is heading to a date with super-villains and a certain scarab.

Simply put, Blue Beetle #1 is a top-notch superhero comic book and a great read. Writer Tony Bedard squeezes quite a bit of narrative into 22-pages, from the origins of the scarab that gives Blue Beetle his powers and uniform to the environment in which series star Jaime Reyes lives. Plus, Bedard includes two good battle scenes.

Bedard’s script allows penciller Ig Guara to show off his broad compositional and design skills in creating diverse settings: alien worlds, outer space battles, teen melodrama, and super-powered fights. These are four essential set pieces from the superhero comic book catalog, which Guara draws with a deft touch and captures with sharply defined emotion and explosive action. Blue Beetle should be a hit.

A-

September 21st
BATMAN #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/09/batman-1.html
CATWOMAN #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/09/catwoman-1.html
GREEN LANTERN CORPS #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/10/green-lantern-corps-1.html
NIGHTWING #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/09/nightwing-1.html
RED HOOD AND THE OUTLAWS #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/09/red-hood-and-outlaws-1.html
SUPERGIRL #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/10/supergirl-1.html
WONDER WOMAN #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/09/wonder-woman-1.html

The New 52 Review: SUPERGIRL #1

SUPERGIRL #1
DC COMICS

WRITERS: Michael Green and Mike Johnson
PENCILS: Mahmud Asrar
INKS: Dan Green with Mahmud Asrar
COLORS: Dave McCaig
LETTERS: John J. Hill
COVER: Mahmud Asrar with Dave McCaig
32pp, Color, $2.99

Rated “T” for “Teen”

Supergirl is a female counterpart of Superman. The most familiar version of the character, Superman’s cousin, Kara Zor-El, was created by writer Otto Binder and designed by artist Al Plastino. She first appeared in Action Comics #252 (cover date May 1959), although there were two earlier versions of the character that appeared, first in 1949 and then in 1958.

In addition to appearing in various titles, Supergirl first had her own comic book series in the early 1970s and again in the early 1980s. With the re-launch of DC Comics’ superhero line, “The New 52,” Supergirl has a new comic book series.

Supergirl #1 (“Last Daughter of Krypton”) finds Kara Zor-El in Siberia, Russia when she thinks she is still on Krypton, sleeping and experiencing a really strange dream. Suddenly, she’s fighting six massive suits of battle armor. She should have been killed early in the fight, but what are these amazing powers she suddenly has?

Like a 22-page battle manga, Supergirl throws a gigantic fight in readers’ faces. The art by Mahmud Asrar recalls the power and design of Jack Kirby. Asrar, who has drawn Star Wars comic books for Dark Horse Comics, however, already knows how to bring sci-fi tech and character drama together. He may be the one person in this creative team who really brings out the potential of the new Supergirl series.

A-

September 21st
BATMAN #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/09/batman-1.html
CATWOMAN #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/09/catwoman-1.html
GREEN LANTERN CORPS #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/10/green-lantern-corps-1.html
NIGHTWING #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/09/nightwing-1.html
RED HOOD AND THE OUTLAWS #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/09/red-hood-and-outlaws-1.html
WONDER WOMAN #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/09/wonder-woman-1.html

The New 52 Review: GREEN LANTERN CORPS #1

GREEN LANTERN CORPS #1
DC COMICS

WRITER: Peter J. Tomasi
PENCILS: Fernando Pasarin
INKS: Scott Hanna
COLORS: Gabe El Taeb
LETTERS: Pat Brosseau
COVER: Doug Mahnke and Christian Alamy with Randy Mayor
32pp, Color, $2.99

The best known Green Lantern, Hal Jordan, first appeared in Showcase #22 (September-October 1959). Not only was Hal a Green Lantern (of Sector 2814), he was also a member of the Green Lantern Corps. Technically, the Corps first appeared in Showcase #22 when Hal met Abin Sur, his forerunner. However, Hal didn’t meet another Green Lantern until Green Lantern #6 (May-June 1961).

With the re-launch of DC Comics’ superhero line, “The New 52,” the Green Lantern Corps gets its own comic book series (after decades of one-shots, miniseries, backups, and specials). The leads in this new series are Guy Gardner (Green Lantern of Sector 2814.2) and John Stewart (Green Lantern of Sector 2814.3).

Green Lantern Corps #1 (“Triumph of the Will”) opens with Green Lanterns being murdered in Space Sector 3599. Meanwhile, Guy and John are trying to lead meaningful lives as civilians on Earth.

Green Lantern Corps #1 looks like Green Lantern #1 because both series have artists doing the Brian Bolland-clone thing. In this case, Fernando Pasarin (pencils) and Scott Hanna (inks) have slightly more imaginative environments to draw and, in turn, win over Green Lantern’s penciller, Doug Mahnke. Writer Peter J. Tomasi does a good job setting up scenes involving murder and mystery, and the character drama he writes to depict John and Guy’s difficulties is good – poignant even in the case of Guy.

I’m not afraid to say that this Green Lantern title may be better than the main Green Lantern title.

B+

September 21st
BATMAN #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/09/batman-1.html
CATWOMAN #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/09/catwoman-1.html
NIGHTWING #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/09/nightwing-1.html
RED HOOD AND THE OUTLAWS #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/09/red-hood-and-outlaws-1.html
WONDER WOMAN #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/09/wonder-woman-1.html

Trina Robbins at Fantagraphics Bookstore October 8th

Underground Comix Legend Trina Robbins Presents The Brinkley Girls in Seattle

For over thirty years Nell Brinkley’s beautiful girls pirouetted, waltzed, vamped and shimmied their way through the pages of William Randolph Hearst’s newspapers, captivating the American public with their innocent sexuality. Accomplished cartoonist and women’s comix “herstorian” Trina Robbins examines the work of this unjustly forgotten artist in The Brinkley Girls, The Best of Nell Brinkley’s Cartoons 1913 – 1940. Robbins will present the work of this remarkable illustrator with an exhibition, slide talk and book signing at Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery on Saturday, October 8 from 6:00 to 9:00 PM.

A brash Nell Brinkley arrived in New York in 1907 at the tender age of 22. Within a year, her work began to appear newspapers illustrating her high society gossip column. Her cartoon serials popularized the bobbed hairstyle and flapper fashions of the era, while reflecting period art nouveau and deco aesthetics. Such was her influence that the Ziegfeld Follies costumed their dancers as “Brinkley Girls.” Pop music heralded her creations and a line of hair products carried her name. As the war years approached, her comic strip serials evolved from naive romantic themes like “Billy and Betty and Their Love Through the Ages” to presenting women in less traditional roles like “Heroines of Today.” Championing the cause of better pay and conditions for workingwomen, Brinkley became an early archetype of the contemporary American woman.

Trina Robbins has long championed the work of women cartoonists. Her early underground work appeared in the groundbreaking Wimmen’s Comix anthology. In 1969 she co-created the character Vampirella for Forrest Ackerman and later collaborated with Colleen Doran on a provocative Wonder Woman series. She has written several volumes on the role of women in comix including From Girls to Grrrlz: A History of Women’s Comics from Teens to Zines. Robbins co-founded Friends of Lulu in 1994, a nonprofit organization promoting women’s readership of comics and increasing profile in the comix profession. In addition to her appearance at Fantagraphics Bookstore, Robbins will be a guest at Geek Girl Con held at the Seattle Center October 8 and 9.

The “Brinkley Girls” exhibition includes a dozen Brinkley comics pages, as well as Brinkley-illustrated sheet music, hair accessories, photographs, and related ephemera. Robbins will discuss Nell Brinkley’s fascinating career followed by an informal reception and book signing from 6:00 to 9:00 PM on Saturday, October 8 at Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery, 1201 S. Vale St., Seattle. Phone 206.658.0110.

This event coincides with the lively Georgetown Art Attack featuring visual and performing arts presentations throughout the historic neighborhood.

Readstober

Welcome to I Reads You, my blog about the things I read (mostly comic books, comics, and related books) and about the things I come across worth reading (mostly about comic books, politics, and entertainment). Sometimes I’ll comment on “real” books and the mass media.

I’m Leroy Douresseaux, and I have another blog: http://www.negromancer.com/. I also write for the Comic Book Bin (which has smart phones apps).

Internet issues have largely kept this blog silent since Wednesday.  Thanks for your patience.

All images and text appearing on this blog are copyright © and/or trademark their respective owners.

The New 52 Review: CATWOMAN #1

"Bringing sexy back to the DC Universe"

CATWOMAN #1
DC COMICS

WRITER: Judd Winick
ARTIST: Guillem March
COLORS: Tomeu Morey
LETTERS: Sal Cipriano
32pp, Colors, $2.99

Catwoman is a DC Comics character associated with the Batman franchise. The best known Catwoman is Selina Kyle, who was created by Bill Finger and Bob Kane. Kyle first appeared in Batman #1 (Spring 1940) as The Cat.

The character has been a super-villain, but she has also had a complex love-hate relationship with Batman that is sometimes romantic. Since her appearance in Frank Miller and David Mazzuchelli’s Batman: Year One, Catwoman has been something of an anti-hero that skirts the fine line between daring good girl and criminal bad girl. Most of the time, she is a thief and cat burglar.

With the re-launch of DC Comics’ superhero line, “The New 52,” Catwoman, who has had a few series of her own, gets a new one. As Catwoman #1 (“…and most of the costumes stay on…”) opens, Selina Kyle’s apartment is destroyed, leaving her homeless. Determined to discover who is after her, Selina takes a job in a bar that caters to Russian mobsters, where she gets information that puts her onto her next burglary. Plus, there is a visit from Batman.

I have finally found a Judd Winick-scripted comic book that I enjoyed – Catwoman #1, although this first issue is mainly set-up for a longer storyline. Still, there isn’t much that is imaginative here in terms of ideas: Russian mobsters and a torrid scene between the Bat and the Cat – nice but familiar.

What makes this series look unique is the art by Guillem March, which is covered in luscious colors by Tomeu Morey. By chance, I discovered March because he drew a pin-up that appeared in a hardcover collection I reviewed. I’ve been crazy about his work since then. I look forward to his run on Catwoman enough to take a chance that Winick will entertain me – even if he only rehashes other people’s crime fiction ideas and plots.

By the way, the controversial, tawdry stuff ain’t as scandalous as some are making it out to be. It’s fairly tame considering all the leather, rubber, and vinyl involved.

B+

September 21st
BATMAN #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/09/batman-1.html
NIGHTWING #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/09/nightwing-1.html
RED HOOD AND THE OUTLAWS #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/09/red-hood-and-outlaws-1.html
WONDER WOMAN #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/09/wonder-woman-1.html

The New 52 Review: NIGHTWING #1

NIGHTWING #1
DC COMICS

WRITER: Kyle Higgins
PENCILS: Eddy Barrows
INKS: JP Mayer
COLORS: Rod Reis
LETTERS: Carlos M. Mangual
32pp, Color, $2.99 U.S.

Dick Grayson, Batman’s original Robin, first appeared in Detective Comics #38 (April 1940). Grayson would eventually retire as Robin and take on his own superhero identity, Nightwing, a character that first appeared in Tales of the Teen Titans #44 (July 1984). Grayson became the new Batman for a year (two years in publishing time), but as part of “The New 52,” DC Comics’ re-launch of its superhero comic book line, he is back as Nightwing.

Nightwing #1 (“Welcome to Gotham”) opens with Nightwing swinging over Gotham City. Dick Grayson has decided to live in the rougher section of town in order to be closer to the action, and he gets plenty of action. First, he visits Haly’s Circus, for whom his late parents were acrobats. Next, a vicious new villain is on the prowl to kill.

Nightwing #1 is a straightforward action and fight comic. The character stuff, such as the visit to Haly’s Circus, is empty and devoid of the emotions Kyle Higgins thought he was hitting, but the fights have, shall we say, kick. The art team of Eddy Barrows (pencils) and JP Mayer (inks) is good and features strong composition and solid drawing. I’ve never heard of Barrows, but I want to know more about him now.

I would describe Nightwing as currently being at the top of the middle of the pack, mainly because of the art.

B+

September 21st
BATMAN #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/09/batman-1.html
RED HOOD AND THE OUTLAWS #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/09/red-hood-and-outlaws-1.html
WONDER WOMAN #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/09/wonder-woman-1.html

Hayate the Combat Butler: Quiz Show

I read Hayate the Combat Butler, Vol. 18

I posted a review at the Comic Book Bin.

The New 52 Review: RED HOOD AND THE OUTLAWS #1

"OEL DC"

RED HOOD AND THE OUTLAWS #1
DC COMICS

WRITER: Scott Lobdell
ARTIST: Kenneth Rocafort
COLORS: Blond
LETTERS: Carlos M. Mangual
32pp, Color, $2.99 U.S.

The Red Hood is an alias used by various adversaries of Batman. Before the Joker was the Joker, he was the Red Hood in Detective Comics #168 (February 1951). Jason Todd, the second Robin, became the Red Hood after being resurrected. Todd was in fact killed by the Joker in the famous storyline, Batman: A Death in the Family (Batman #426-429).

As part of “The New 52,” DC Comics’ re-launch of its superhero line, Jason Todd gets his own comic book, Red Hood and the Outlaws, with Todd leading a group of antiheroes. As Red Hood and the Outlaws #1 (“I Fought the Law and Kicked its Butt!”) opens, Red Hood undertakes a mission to rescue Roy Harper AKA Arsenal from a prison in the Middle Eastern country of Qurac.

They later join fellow Outlaw, Koriand’r AKA Starfire, the former Teen Titan, on the island of St. Martinique. While Roy and Kori… frolic, Jason gets a visit and dark news from Essence. What has happened to the All Caste?

Visually, Red Hood and the Outlaws mostly looks like an OEL manga (original English language) from TOKYOPOP (or maybe even Del Rey Manga). When it comes to drawing Starfire, artist Kenneth Rocafort offers pretty much what those Top Cow pin-up comic books did in the mid-1990s Barbie doll mixed with Pamela Anderson proportions and weird hair. The art and coloring is at its worst during the opening sequence, where the inking creates a hodge podge of ugly line work and confusing textures.

As for the story, writer Scott Lobdell spins a yarn that is no better or worse than early Image Comics – an action comic book focusing on babes, boobs, and shootouts. It’s not bad; it’s just nothing special. Too many of “The New 52” are like this, and when a publisher is making a big push like this, there should be as little mediocrity as possible.

C+

September 21st
BATMAN #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/09/batman-1.html
WONDER WOMAN #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/09/wonder-woman-1.html

DC Comics from Diamond Distributors for September 28 2011

DC COMICS

JUL118179 ACTION COMICS #1 2ND PTG $3.99

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Marvel Comics from Diamond Distributors for September 28 2011

MARVEL COMICS

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JUL118173 X-MEN SCHISM #3 (OF 5) 2ND PTG VAR (PP #987) $3.99

IDW Publishing from Diamond Distributors for September 28 2011

IDW PUBLISHING

JUL110380 CRAWL TO ME #3 (OF 4) $3.99

JUL110399 DEADWORLD LAST SIESTA GN $14.99

JUL110364 DOCTOR WHO ONGOING VOL 2 #9 $3.99

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JUL110312 TRUE BLOOD FRENCH QUARTER #2 (OF 6) $3.99

JUL110315 TRUE BLOOD HC VOL 02 TAINTED LOVE $24.99

Dark Horse Comics from Diamond Distributors for September 28 2011

DARK HORSE COMICS

JUL110023 ABE SAPIEN DEVIL DOES NOT JEST #1 JOHNSON CVR $3.50

JUL110021 ANGEL & FAITH #2 REBEKAH ISSACS VAR CVR $2.99

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JUL110115 MUMMY BOY T/S GRAY LG (O/A) $17.99

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JUL110100 PIN CUSHION QUEEN CAP SLEEVE BABYDOLL T/S WHITE W/ RED LG (O/A) $34.00

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JUL110106 TIM BURTON TOXIC BOY L/S T/S XL (O/A) $36.00

Image Comics from Diamond Distributors for September 28 2011

IMAGE COMICS

APR110489 ARTIFACTS #10 (OF 13) CVR A SEJIC $3.99

APR110490 ARTIFACTS #10 (OF 13) CVR B CHRISTOPHER $3.99

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MAY110442 BOMB QUEEN GANG BANG TP (MR) $14.99

JUL110514 BREED III #5 (OF 6) (MR) $2.99

JUL110517 DAOMU #7 (MR) $2.99

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