Dark Horse Comics from Diamond Distributors on November 23 2011

DARK HORSE COMICS

AUG110024 ALIENS FAST TRACK TO HEAVEN HC $10.99

JUN110051 BETTIE PAGE CHERRY RED KEYCHAIN $12.00

JUN110060 BETTIE PAGE GOLDEN LEOPARD KEYCHAIN $12.00

SEP110017 BPRD HELL ON EARTH RUSSIA #3 $3.50

AUG110050 BRAIN BOY ARCHIVES HC $49.99

SEP110035 DARK HORSE PRESENTS #6 LOVE VAR CVR $7.99

SEP110034 DARK HORSE PRESENTS #6 MOON CVR $7.99

JUL110088 DISNEYS COMICS & STORIES CHARACTERS #3 GOOFY $49.95

AUG110051 LITTLE LULU TP VOL 29 THE CRANKY GIANT AND OTHER STORIES $14.99

AUG110049 MILK & CHEESE DAIRY PRODUCTS GONE BAD HC $19.99

SEP110026 STAR WARS KNIGHT ERRANT DELUGE #4 (OF 5) $3.50

AUG110023 STAR WARS OMNIBUS TP VOL 02 AT WAR WITH THE EMPIRE $24.99

SEP110040 USAGI YOJIMBO #142 $3.50

Image Comics from Diamond Distributors for November 23 2011

IMAGE COMICS

SEP110447 27 SECOND SET #3 (OF 4) $3.99

SEP110467 INFINITE #4 $2.99

SEP110468 INFINITE #4 DELUXE ED $5.99

JUN110546 INVINCIBLE #85 $2.99

JUL110472 SAVAGE DRAGON KIDS ARE ALRIGHT TP $16.99

SEP110433 SUPER DINOSAUR TP VOL 01 $9.99

SEP110485 TEEN WOLF BITE ME #3 (OF 3) $3.99

SEP110486 VESCELL #4 (MR) $2.99

SEP110491 WALKING DEAD WEEKLY #47 (MR) $2.99

Comics and Magazines from Diamond Distributors for November 23 2011

COMICS

SEP111151 ADV TINTIN HC VOL 01 CIGARS OF THE PHAROAH (O/A) $24.95

SEP111062 ADVENTURES OF HERGE HC $19.95

AUG110793 ALL FALL DOWN GN (RES) $19.95

OCT110947 ART OF LADY DEATH SGN HC VOL 01 WIZARD WORLD CHICAGO $49.99

SEP110844 BART SIMPSON COMICS #65 $2.99

OCT111063 BERLIN #17 (O/A) (MR) $4.95

SEP110740 BILLY TUCCI A CHILD IS BORN ONE SHOT $5.99

JUL110806 BLADE OF KUMORI GN $14.95

AUG110853 CALIGULA #5 (OF 6) (MR) $3.99

AUG110854 CALIGULA #5 (OF 6) WRAP CVR (MR) $3.99

AUG110759 CAVEWOMAN COVER GALLERY #4 (MR) $3.75

SEP110712 CAVEWOMAN COVER GALLERY #4 SP ED (MR) PI

SEP111134 CODENAME SAILOR V TP VOL 02 $10.99

MAY111075 COMIC BOOK COMICS #6 (OF 6) $3.99

OCT110846 CROSSED PSYCHOPATH #4 (OF 7) WIZARD CHICAGO CVR (MR) $5.99

SEP110914 DARKWING DUCK DUCKTALES DANGEROUS CURRENCY TP $14.99

JUL111138 DEAD WALKER GN $8.99

SEP110904 DECISION 2012 RON PAUL #1 $3.99

JUL111072 DF JUSTICE LEAGUE #1 WILLIAMS SGN ED $29.99

JUN111088 DF LIVING CORPSE EXHUMED #1 AUTHENTIX W/ SKETCH $49.99

JUN111090 DF LIVING CORPSE EXHUMED #1 HAESER/HASSON SGN CVR $19.99

JUN111087 DF X-MEN #1 W/ WOLVERINE REMARK ED $49.99

SEP110921 DISNEY TREASURY DONALD DUCK TP VOL 01 $14.99

JUN110789 ELF #5 (OF 6) $3.99

AUG110796 EVERY WAKING MOMENT GN (RES) $19.95

AUG111017 EVERYTHING COMICS FROM 1978-1981 HC $24.95

SEP110789 EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT IRIS VOL 2 #5 CVR A FRANCISCO $3.50

SEP110790 EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT IRIS VOL 2 #5 CVR B PARKER $3.50

FEB110759 FLASH GORDON INVASION O/T RED SWORD #6 $3.99

JUL110858 FLASH GORDON SECRET HISTORY OF MONGO SC $4.99

AUG111257 FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST BOX SET $219.99

SEP111182 GETTING CLOSE (O/A) (A) $11.99

AUG111290 GFT PRESENTS NEVERLAND HOOK #2 A CVR GARZA $2.99

AUG111291 GFT PRESENTS NEVERLAND HOOK #2 B CVR MYCHAELS $2.99

SEP111293 GOSSIP GIRL MANGA GN VOL 03 FOR YOUR EYES ONLY $12.99

SEP111172 GREY GN (MR) $14.99

SEP110863 HELLRAISER MASTERPIECES #2 (MR) $3.99

SEP111292 HIGH SCHOOL O/T DEAD COLOR OMNIBUS HC (MR) $49.99

JUN111130 HIS DREAM O/T SKYLAND (MR) $32.95

SEP110866 INCORRUPTIBLE #24 $3.99

SEP111294 INNOCENT GN $11.99

JUN111258 JESUS HATES ZOMBIES JURASSIC KINDA LIFE GN VOL 02 (MR) $5.99

OCT110944 LADY DEATH (ONGOING) #7 WIZARD WORLD CHICAGO (MR) $9.99

OCT110943 LADY DEATH (ONGOING) #8 AUXILIARY (MR) $3.99

OCT110945 LADY DEATH ORIGINS ANNUAL #1 TEASE (MR) $9.99

MAR111058 LAST PHANTOM #10 $3.99

SEP110763 LIFE WITH ARCHIE #15 $3.99

SEP111295 MELANCHOLY OF HARUHI SUZUMIYA GN VOL 10 $11.99

SEP111296 MELANCHOLY OF SUZUMIYA HARUHI CHAN GN VOL 04 $11.99

SEP111226 MI BARRIO GN $14.95

SEP111297 NABARI NO OU TP VOL 08 $11.99

SEP110708 NIGHTMARES & FAIRY TALES TP VOL 02 BEAUTIFUL BEASTS (O/A) $14.95

SEP110709 NIGHTMARES & FAIRY TALES TP VOL 03 1140 RUE ROYALE (O/A) $14.95

SEP110710 NIGHTMARES & FAIRY TALES TP VOL 04 (O/A) $14.95

SEP111139 NINJA GIRLS GN VOL 08 (MR) $10.99

JUN111094 OIL AND WATER HC $19.99

SEP111299 OMAMORI HIMARI GN VOL 05 $11.99

JUL111086 POGO COMP SYNDICATED STRIPS HC VOL 01 WILD WONDER $39.99

AUG110748 PRINCELESS #1 $3.99

OCT110752 RACHEL RISING #1 2ND PTG $3.99

AUG110948 RASL #12 (MR) $3.50

JAN111147 RED SONJA #59 $3.99

JUN111236 RICHELLE MEAD DARK SWAN #4 (OF 4) STORM BORN (MR) $3.99

JUL111040 ROBERT JORDAN WHEEL OF TIME EYE O/T WORLD #17 $3.99

AUG110799 ROVERS GN $14.95

JUL110784 ROYAL HISTORIAN OF OZ TP $14.95

SEP111140 SAILOR MOON TP KODANSHA ED VOL 02 $10.99

SEP111193 SIXTH GUN #17 $3.99

SEP111187 SMURFS GN VOL 09 GARGAMEL AND SMURFS $5.99

SEP111188 SMURFS HC VOL 09 GARGAMEL AND SMURFS $10.99

SEP110767 SONIC UNIVERSE #34 $2.99

SEP111298 SUMOMOMO MOMOMO TP VOL 10 $11.99

AUG111201 TANK GIRL CARIOCA #2 (OF 3) (MR) $5.99

AUG111256 TESORO TP $12.99

JUL110811 ULTRADUCK GN $14.95

SEP110942 UNCLE SCROOGE THE HUNT FOR OLD NUMBER ONE SC $9.99

AUG111043 WALT DISNEY DONALD DUCK HC VOL 01 LOST I/T ANDES $24.99

OCT110946 WAR GODDESS #2 AUXILIARY (MR) $3.99

AUG110964 WARLORD OF MARS DEJAH THORIS #8 $3.99

SEP110945 WIZARDS OF MICKEY SC VOL 01 MOUSE MAGIC $9.99

SEP110948 WIZARDS OF MICKEY SC VOL 03 BATTLE FOR THE CROWN TPB $9.99

SEP110771 WORLD OF ARCHIE DOUBLE DIGEST #12 $3.99

MAGAZINES
AUG111360 FREAKY MONSTERS MAGAZINE #6 $9.95
AUG111400 HOBBY JAPAN NOV 2011 #95 PI
JUL111339 LEES TOY REVIEW #219 FALL ISSUE $6.95
SEP110694 TERRY MOORE HOW TO DRAW #2 EXPRESSIONS $4.99
MAY111336 TRIPWIRE MAGAZINE #55 $9.99
AUG112096 WHITE DWARF #382 PI
SEP111242 WORLD WAR 3 ILLUSTRATED #42 (MR) $7.00

Review: GINGERBREAD GIRL (OGN)

GINGERBREAD GIRL
TOP SHELF PRODUCTIONS

WRITER: Paul Tobin
ARTIST: Colleen Coover
ISBN: 978-1-60309-080-3; paperback
112pp, B&W, $12.95 U.S.

Colleen Coover is a Portland, Oregon-based comic book artist, perhaps best known for her erotic comic book, Small Favors (Fantagraphics Books). She has also drawn many titles for Marvel Comics, including various comic books related to X-Men: First Class, Spider-Man, and Power Pack.

Paul Tobin is the author of the comic book, Banana Sunday (Oni Press). He is also a frequent writer for Marvel Comics’ Marvel Adventures imprint. Tobin is married to Colleen Coover.

Gingerbread Girl is an original graphic novel from writer Paul Tobin and artist Colleen Coover. It is a mystery story (of sorts) about a captivating, 20-something who has a missing twin sister… or not.

Annah Billips is a 27-year-old single girl who likes vintage fashions, piglets, massages, extra spicy food, farting and puddles (among other things). Cute and charismatic, Annah is, however, totally exasperating for the guys and (yes) girls who want to date her. Annah believes that when she was nine-years-old, her scientist father extracted a part of her brain (the Penfield Homunculus) and grew it into a twin sister. Annah called this version of herself the “Gingerbread Girl” or Ginger.

Does Annah really have such a twin sister? Or is she just insane? A host of co-narrators and commentators, including a pigeon, a bulldog, a magician, neighborhood types, a boyfriend, and girlfriend, try their best to unlock the mystery called Annah. And her best friend, Chili Brandals, also wants to date her.

While reading Gingerbread Girl, I started to wonder if Ginger was just an excuse Annah made so that she didn’t have to ever enter a long-term committed relationship. Listening to the afro-ed Chili, you might even get the idea that Annah could be the doppelganger. Sometimes, writer Paul Tobin’s story is a bit too oblique and coy for the story’s own good, but for the most part, Tobin offers an interesting character in Annah. Much of what is interesting about this story comes from the fact that readers have to seriously engage the dilemma that is Annah without the reward of easy conclusions.

Artist Colleen Coover’s storytelling is like a blend of Seth and New Yorker cartoonists with the pastoral melancholy of Charles Schulz. The art is pretty, and Coover’s clean line discloses the story in an open way that makes the frequent interjection of different narrators not be jarring, but illuminating, in a small way. Gingerbread Girl is not a great work, but it is something good for comics. It’s something delightfully different.

B

http://www.paultobin.net/
http://www.colleencoover.net/
http://www.topshelfcomix.com/

The New 52 Review: JUSTICE LEAGUE #2

"Superman-handled"

JUSTICE LEAGUE #2
DC COMICS

WRITER: Geoff Johns
PENCILS: Jim Lee
INKS: Scott Williams
COLORS: Alex Sinclair
LETTERS: Patrick Brosseau
COVER: Jim Lee, Scott Williams, and Alex Sinclair
VARIANT COVER: Ivan Reis, Andy Lanning, and Rod Reis
40pp, Color, $3.99 U.S.

DC Comics re-launched its superhero comic book line with 52 #1 issues – “The New 52,” back in September. The first new #1 was Justice League #1, written by Geoff Johns, penciled by Jim Lee, and inked by Scott Williams. Now that the introductions to the new JL have been made, it is time for the long haul. Is this series good?

Justice League #2 (“Part Two”) brings together the first members of what will become the world’s greatest super team, but this is an inauspicious beginning. Batman and Green Lantern made a mistake in the way they approached Superman in order to question him. Now, Superman is stomping their asses into the ground, and Flash comes to the rescue, but will he fare better? Meanwhile, S.T.A.R. Labs scientist, Silas Stone, and his son, Victor, find their family feud interrupted by an invasion.

I didn’t expect much of Justice League #1, but was pleasantly surprised. Suddenly, I had bigger expectations for #2, which I am happy to say were exceeded. Up to this point, I have been unimpressed with Geoff Johns, but he writes a Justice League that is funny, lively, energetic and fast paced. The characters work purely as superheroes; John’s focus seems to be to make them heroes – men of action rather than men of psychoanalysis. [Oh, I’m so dark and moody because my parents were shot right in front of me, I got a Jheri curl, and went to the Far East to learn magical kung fu.]

As for the art, I think this is the best work that Jim Lee has done, both in terms of being eye-candy and storytelling, since the 1990s. Scott William’s precision inking and Alex Sinclair’s gleaming colors make it even better. For me, at least, The New 52 is about superhero comic books that are fun to read, and Justice League exemplifies that.

A

D.Gray-man: The Awakening of Alma Karma

I read D. Gray-Man, Vol. 21

I posted a review at the Comic Book Bin (which has comics).

#IReadsYou Review: BATMAN CONFIDENTIAL #43

BATMAN CONFIDENTIAL #43
DC COMICS

WRITER/ARTIST: Sam Keith
COLORIST: Jose Villarrubia and Sam Keith
LETTERS: Sam Cipriano
32pp, Color, $2.99 U.S.

Batman Confidential was a comic book series published by DC Comics from 2006 to 2011. Like Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight, Batman Confidential featured rotating creative teams, but while I read LotDK for many years, I only read a few issues of Batman Confidential.

A few months ago, I was visiting a favorite comic book haunt and the owner gave me a freebie, Batman Confidential #43. It was the final issue of a five-issue story arc from Sam Keith (Batman Confidential #40-43), and although I hadn’t read the other issues, I was able to follow the story (“Ghosts: The Conclusion”).

The story involves a young woman named Callie who is being stalked by some kind of ghost or monster or monstrous ghost. Batman is trying to protect her, but there is the added complication that Batman has feelings for Callie. Why? It is because her tragedy is like the childhood tragedy that set Bruce Wayne’s life as Batman in motion or is it just love?

Once upon a time, I was a huge Sam Keith fan. I think that I stopped following Keith’s work after his work in Marvel Comics Presents and after the first few issues of The Maxx, which debuted in 1993 from Image Comics. My favorite work of Keith’s remains I Before E, a collection of Keith’s early work, which Fantagraphics Books published in two issues back in the 1980s.

Although known for his quirky storytelling and still quirkier drawing style, Keith is capable of evocative and poignant work. Ghosts is a Batman story, but at its heart, it is about people who are like lost souls, which both Batman and Callie are, trying to find safe harbor. This is one of those last issues that makes me want to go back to the beginning of the story.

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

VIZ Media Digital Jumps "Bleach" in November

VIZ MANGA ANNOUNCES BLEACH MANGA DIGITAL ‘JUMP AHEAD’ TO LATEST STORY ARC

3 New Volumes Of Hit Series Are Part Of SHONEN JUMP DIGITAL WARP To Bring U.S. Readers Up To Speed With Japanese Counterpart

VIZ Media expands its November digital manga update even more with the latest announcement of a BLEACH ‘Jump Ahead’ that will deliver 3 new volumes of the hit supernatural action saga throughout the month to users on VIZManga.com and for digital download on the VIZ MANGA App for the Apple iPad™, iPhone™ and iPod™ touch. This is part of a SHONEN JUMP DIGITAL WARP, a speed-up of selected titles to bring U.S. readers up-to-date with Japanese releases and prepare for the launch of VIZ Media’s WEEKLY SHONEN JUMP ALPHA on January 30, 2012. The new outlet will be North America’s only near-simultaneous digital manga magazine.

BLEACH volumes available include (print editions forthcoming):
BLEACH, Vol. 49 – available now!
BLEACH, Vol. 50 – available November 21st
BLEACH, Vol. 51 – available November 28th

BLEACH Volume 49 jumps ahead to the latest story arc in Japan for the BLEACH series. After the big battle, Ichigo finds himself without his Soul Reaper powers. Free from the rigors of defeating Hollows, he tries to settle back into a normal and peaceful life as a high school student. But inside Ichigo still burns with the desire to protect his friends, and when new enemies appear, Ichigo is powerless. However, he is soon approached by a mysterious man who offers to help Ichigo regain his lost powers...

The popular BLEACH animated and manga series, created by Tite Kubo, follow the adventures of Ichigo, a 15-year old student with the ability to see ghosts. When his family is attacked by a Hollow — a malevolent lost soul – Ichigo encounters Rukia, a Soul Reaper, and inadvertently absorbs her powers. Now, he’s dedicating his life to protecting the innocent and helping tortured souls find peace.

BLEACH is a tremendously successful multimedia property internationally. The manga has been licensed to more than a dozen countries and has sold over 50 million copies in Japan alone. In North America, the manga has been a sales hit and the popular animated series (both rated 'T' for Teens) is viewed weekly by millions in the United States and Canada. This success has further spawned an array of related video games, apparel, action figures, trading cards and other merchandise.

VIZ Media’s digital manga platforms allow for universal access to read manga from an iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, and now, VIZManga.com for desktop/laptop computers and Android-powered devices with built-in web browsers. With one account, registered users may access their purchases across even more devices than ever.

The free VIZ Manga App continues to be the top app for reading manga on iOS devices and features a rapidly growing library of the most popular manga series in the world, currently offering over 45 series and almost 500 volumes, with new additions and free Chapter 1 previews added weekly.

For more information on BLEACH please visit Bleach.viz.com.

For more information on VIZ Media digital manga, please visit VIZManga.com or www.VIZ.com/apps/.

For more information on the forthcoming WEEKLY SHONEN JUMP ALPHA, please visit ShonenJump.viz.com.

Men of Tattoos/Dream Lover

I read Men Of Tattoos (Yaoi)

I posted a review at the Comic Book Bin (which has comics).

Cross Game: Volver

I read Cross Game, Vol. 5

I posted a review at the Comic Book Bin (which as comics).

DC Comics from Diamond Distributors for November 16 2011

DC COMICS

JUL110262 ASTRO CITY THE DARK AGE BOOK 02 BROTHERS IN ARMS $19.99

SEP110120 BATMAN #3 $2.99

JUN110267 BATMAN A DEATH IN THE FAMILY TP NEW ED $24.99

AUG110241 BATMAN AND ROBIN TP VOL 02 BATMAN VS ROBIN $17.99

SEP110128 BIRDS OF PREY #3 $2.99

SEP110164 BLUE BEETLE #3 $2.99

SEP110105 CAPTAIN ATOM #3 $2.99

SEP110131 CATWOMAN #3 $2.99

SEP110175 DC COMICS PRESENTS SUPERMAN THE KENTS #1 $7.99

SEP110109 DC UNIVERSE ONLINE LEGENDS #17 $2.99

SEP110108 DC UNIVERSE PRESENTS #3 $2.99

SEP110210 END OF NATIONS #1 (OF 4) (RES) $2.99

JUN110273 FLASH THE ROAD TO FLASHPOINT HC $22.99

SEP110140 GREEN LANTERN CORPS #3 $2.99

JUL110252 GREEN LANTERN WAR OF THE GREEN LANTERNS HC $29.99

SEP110223 IZOMBIE #19 (MR) $2.99

SEP110095 JUSTICE LEAGUE #3 $3.99

SEP110098 JUSTICE LEAGUE #3 COMBO PACK $4.99

JUN110268 LEGENDS OF THE DARK KNIGHT MARSHALL ROGERS HC $49.99

SEP110167 LEGION OF SUPER HEROES #3 $2.99

AUG118124 MAD PRESENTS SPY VS SPY THE TOP SECRET FILES TP $9.99

SEP110113 MY GREATEST ADVENTURE #2 (OF 6) $3.99

SEP110135 NIGHTWING #3 $2.99

SEP110225 NORTHLANDERS #46 (MR) $2.99

SEP110134 RED HOOD AND THE OUTLAWS #3 $2.99

AUG110288 SCALPED TP VOL 08 YOU GOTTA SIN TO GET SAVED (MR) $17.99

SEP110119 SUPERGIRL #3 $2.99

AUG110257 TEEN TITANS TEAM BUILDING TP $17.99

SEP110101 WONDER WOMAN #3 $2.99

NOV100308 WOW PREMIUM SER 4 HEADLESS HORSEMAN AF PI

NOV100309 WOW PREMIUM SER 4 MOONKIN AF PI

SEP110205 YOUNG JUSTICE #10 $2.99

JUL110261 ZATANNA TP VOL 02 SHADES OF THE PAST $19.99

Marvel Comics from Diamond Distributors for November 16 2011

MARVEL COMICS

SEP110542 AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #674 $3.99

SEP110506 AVENGERS #19 $3.99

SEP110514 AVENGERS ACADEMY #22 $2.99

SEP110526 AVENGERS ORIGINS LUKE CAGE #1 $3.99

AUG110616 CAPTAIN AMERICA #4 $3.99

SEP110620 DEADPOOL #46 $2.99

SEP110662 DEADPOOL TEAM-UP TP VOL 03 BFFS $15.99

SEP110663 DEADPOOL TP VOL 07 SPACE ODDITY $15.99

SEP110501 FEAR ITSELF #7 POINT THREE $3.99

SEP110504 FEAR ITSELF FEARLESS #3 (OF 12) $2.99

SEP110610 GENERATION HOPE #13 XREGB $2.99

SEP110547 I AM CAPTAIN AMERICA #1 $3.99

SEP110507 INCREDIBLE HULK #2 $3.99

SEP110518 JOHN CARTER A PRINCESS OF MARS #3 (OF 5) $2.99

SEP110578 LEGION OF MONSTERS #2 (OF 4) $3.99

JUN110726 MARVEL ART OF JOHN ROMITA JR HC $49.99

SEP110647 MARVEL UNIVERSE VS WOLVERINE HC $19.99

JUN110722 MMW GOLDEN AGE ALL WINNERS HC VOL 04 $64.99

JUN110723 MMW GOLDEN AGE ALL WINNERS HC VOL 04 DM VAR ED 170 $64.99

SEP110609 NEW MUTANTS #34 XREGB $2.99

SEP110561 PUNISHER #5 $2.99

SEP110581 SIX GUNS #2 (OF 5) $2.99

SEP110681 SPIDER-MAN TORMENT TP NEW PTG $15.99

SEP110624 STAND NIGHT HAS COME #4 (OF 6) $3.99

SEP110572 SUPER HEROES #20 $2.99

SEP110672 THOR WORLD EATERS TP $19.99

SEP110582 THUNDERBOLTS #165 $2.99

SEP110674 ULTIMATE COMICS DOOMSDAY TP $34.99

AUG118223 ULTIMATE COMICS SPIDER-MAN #3 2ND PTG ANDREWS VAR (PP #993) $3.99

AUG118222 ULTIMATE COMICS X-MEN #2 2ND PTG ANDREWS VAR (PP #993) $3.99

SEP110524 ULTIMATE COMICS X-MEN #3 $3.99

SEP110544 VENOM #9 $2.99

SEP110648 WOLVERINE AND BLACK CAT CLAWS 2 HC $19.99

AUG110668 WOLVERINE BEST THERE IS #11 $3.99

SEP110575 WOLVERINE PUNISHER GHOST RIDER OFF INDEX MU #4 $3.99

SEP110618 X-23 #17 $2.99

SEP110616 X-FACTOR #227 $2.99

SEP110602 X-MEN #21 XREGB $3.99

AUG118225 X-MEN REGENESIS #1 2ND PTG CYCLOPS VAR (PP #993) $3.99

AUG118226 X-MEN REGENESIS #1 2ND PTG WOLVERINE VAR (PP #993) $3.99

AUG118170 X-MEN SCHISM #1 (OF 5) X PTG VAR (PP #992) $4.99

AUG118173 X-MEN SCHISM #4 (OF 5) X PTG VAR (PP #992) $3.99

IDW Publishing from Diamond Distributors for November 16 2011

IDW PUBLISHING

SEP110339 ANGEL PORTRAITS 100 PAGE SPECTACULAR $7.99

SEP110270 ANNE RICE SERVANT OF THE BONES #4 (OF 6) $3.99

JUL110403 ARCHIE BEST OF SAMM SCHWARTZ HC VOL 01 $24.99

AUG110383 BLOOM COUNTY COMPLETE LIBRARY HC VOL 04 LTD SGN ED $50.00

AUG110387 BOB POWELL TERROR HC $24.99

SEP110321 CLASSIC NEXT MEN TP VOL 02 $29.99

SEP110325 DOCTOR WHO A FAIRYTALE LIFE TP $17.99

SEP110353 DREAMER TP VOL 02 $19.99

SEP110350 FELIX THE CAT GREATEST COMIC BOOK TAILS SC $27.99

SEP110266 GHOSTBUSTERS ONGOING #3 $3.99

SEP110301 GI JOE A REAL AMERICAN HERO #172 $3.99

SEP110286 GODZILLA LEGENDS #1 (OF 5) $3.99

SEP110330 HAWKEN #1 (OF 6) $3.99

SEP110257 JACK AVARICE IS THE COURIER #3 (OF 5) $3.99

JUL110389 MONSTROUS COLL STEVE NILES & BERNIE WRIGHTSON HC $50.00

AUG110328 NEXT MEN HC VOL 02 $24.99

SEP110304 SNAKE EYES (ONGOING) TP VOL 01 $17.99

SEP110299 SNAKE EYES ONGOING (IDW) #7 $3.99

SEP110292 STAR TREK 100 PAGE SPECTACULAR $7.99

SEP110307 TRANSFORMERS ONGOING #30 $3.99

Dark Horse Comics from Diamond Distributors for November 16 2011

DARK HORSE COMICS
SEP110032 CONAN ROAD OF KINGS #10 $3.50
JUL110053 DRAWING DOWN THE MOON SC $29.99
SEP110022 MASS EFFECT INVASION #2 (OF 4) CARNEVALE CVR $3.50
MAY110066 MASS EFFECT SSV NORMANDY SHIP REPLICA $34.99
SEP110029 STAR WARS INVASION REVELATIONS #5 (OF 5) $3.50
AUG110025 VALVE PRESENTS SACRIFICE & OTHER STEAM POWERED STORIES HC $24.99

Image Comics from Diamond Distributors for November 16 2011

IMAGE COMICS

JUN110497 68 HARDSHIP ONE SHOT CVR A $3.99

JUN110498 68 HARDSHIP ONE SHOT CVR B $3.99

SEP110451 BLUE ESTATE #7 (MR) $2.99

AUG110418 CARBON GREY ORIGINS #1 (OF 2) (MR) $3.99

SEP110457 CHEW #19 SDCC GLOW IN THE DARK VAR (MR) $10.00

JUN110504 DARKNESS ACCURSED TP VOL 05 $16.99

JUL110521 ELEPHANTMEN #36 (MR) $3.99

AUG110518 EPOCH #3 (OF 5) $3.99

SEP110407 GLADSTONES SCHOOL FOR WORLD CONQUERORS TP VOL 01 $15.99

APR110507 HAUNT #18 $2.99

AUG110531 MORNING GLORIES #14 (MR) $2.99

SEP110363 MUDMAN #1 $3.50

SEP110388 PILOT SEASON SERAPH #1 $3.99

SEP110481 SEVERED #4 (OF 7) (MR) $2.99

SEP110431 SKULLKICKERS TP VOL 02 FIVE FUNERALS & A BUCKET OF BLOOD $16.99

JUL110496 ULTRA SEVEN DAYS DELUXE HC (MR) $74.99

JUL110497 ULTRA SEVEN DAYS DELUXE S&N LTD ED HC (MR) $99.99

SEP110487 WALKING DEAD #91 (MR) $2.99

AUG110462 WALKING DEAD T/S RICK & ZOMBIES LG $24.99

AUG110461 WALKING DEAD T/S RICK & ZOMBIES MED $24.99

AUG110460 WALKING DEAD T/S RICK & ZOMBIES SM $24.99

AUG110463 WALKING DEAD T/S RICK & ZOMBIES XL $24.99

AUG110464 WALKING DEAD T/S RICK & ZOMBIES XXL $27.99

SEP110490 WALKING DEAD WEEKLY #46 (MR) $2.99

AUG110457 WHO IS JAKE ELLIS TP VOL 01 $16.99

SEP110495 XENOHOLICS #2 (MR) $3.50

Comics and Magazines from Diamond Distributors for November 16 2011

COMICS

SEP111065 ACME NOVELTY LIBRARY VOL 18.5 PX PORTFOLIO (O/A) (MR) $32.00

SEP111132 ARISA GN VOL 05 $10.99

AUG111182 ATOMIC ROBO GHOST OF STATION X #3 (OF 6) $3.50

SEP110759 B & V FRIENDS DOUBLE DIGEST #219 $3.99

AUG110801 BERONAS WAR HC VOL 02 FIGHT FOR AMITY (RES) $19.95

AUG110795 BLOOD SHELLS & ROSES GN (MR) $14.95

SEP110961 BONE ONE VOL COLOR 20TH ANN SLIPCASED ED $150.00

SEP111218 BONNIE LASS #3 (OF 4) $2.99

SEP110981 BOYS BUTCHER BAKER CANDLESTICKMAKER #5 (MR) $3.99

JUN111004 BOYS DEFINITIVE ED HC VOL 02 ENNIS SGN $75.00

AUG110837 CAPTAIN SWING HC (MR) $27.99

AUG110836 CAPTAIN SWING TP (MR) $17.99

JUN111048 CHARLAINE HARRIS GRAVE SIGHT GN VOL 02 (OF 3) $7.99

AUG111178 CRADLEGRAVE GN $22.99

JUN111050 DEAN KOONTZ NEVERMORE #5 (OF 6) $3.99

SEP110894 DECISION 2012 MICHELE BACHMANN #1 $3.99

JUL111074 DF GREEN ARROW #1 KRUL SGN ED $29.99

MAY111058 DF X-MEN #1 HAESER REMARK CVR $49.99

AUG111254 DOGS TP VOL 06 (MR) $12.99

AUG110782 DREAM REAVERS #2 (OF 4) $3.99

SEP111136 FAIRY TAIL GN VOL 16 $10.99

JUL110859 FLASH GORDON MERCY WARS SIX PACK $9.99

JUL111105 FRACTURE OF THE UNIVERSAL BOY GN (MR) $27.99

JUL111211 FURRLOUGH #191 $9.99

AUG111151 GODSPEED KURT COBAIN GN $15.95

AUG111238 INU YASHA VIZBIG ED GN VOL 09 $17.99

SEP110761 JUGHEAD #210 $2.99

SEP111012 KEVIN SMITH BIONIC MAN #4 $3.99

SEP110879 KEY OF Z #2 (OF 4) (MR) $3.99

AUG110959 KIRBY GENESIS CAPTAIN VICTORY #1 $3.99

AUG111094 KNIGHTS OF THE DINNER TABLE #180 $5.99

AUG111239 KUROZAKURO GN VOL 07 (OF 7) $9.99

JUN110981 LADY DEATH ORIGINS HC SGN ED VOL 02 $34.99

JUN110980 LADY DEATH ORIGINS HC VOL 02 $27.99

JUN110979 LADY DEATH ORIGINS TP VOL 02 $19.99

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JUL118144 LEGEND OF ZELDA BOX SET (PP #986) $69.99

SEP111050 LIVING CORPSE EXHUMED #4 (OF 6) $3.99

JUL111046 LOVEPHOBIA GN VOL 01 (MR) $12.95

SEP110707 NIGHTMARES & FAIRY TALES TP VOL 01 (JAN042064) (MR) $14.95

JUL110861 NINJAS VS ZOMBIES #4 $3.99

SEP110882 PLANET OF THE APES #8 $3.99

AUG111236 POKEMON BLACK & WHITE GN VOL 04 $4.99

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JUL118145 POKEMON DIAMOND & PEARL ADV BOX SET (PP #986) $59.99

AUG110747 PREDATORS ANTHOLOGY $14.99

AUG110978 QUEEN SONJA #24 $3.99

JUL111047 RABBIT MAN TIGER MAN GN VOL 02 (OF 2) (MR) $12.95

AUG111255 REAL GN VOL 10 $12.99

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SEP110846 SERGIO ARAGONES FUNNIES #5 $3.50

SEP110847 SIMPSONS COMICS #184 $2.99

JUL110782 SPEED RACER CIRCLE OF VENGEANCE #1 (OF 4) $3.99

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SEP110885 STAN LEE STARBORN #12 $3.99

JUL111048 STRANGE MYSTIFYING STORY GN VOL 03 (OF 3) (MR) $12.95

SEP111115 TRANSFORMERS TIMELINES #6 STUNTI CON JOB $7.95

JUN110825 TROUT GN (MR) $14.95

JUL111152 UNTIL THE FULL MOON GN VOL 02 (MR) $10.99

AUG110741 VESSEL OF TERROR GN (MR) $17.99

JUL110973 WAR GODDESS #3 (MR) $3.99

JUL110975 WAR GODDESS #3 GORE CVR (MR) $3.99

JUL110974 WAR GODDESS #3 WRAP CVR (MR) $3.99

AUG111159 WASTELAND TP VOL 06 ENEMY WITHIN $14.99

JUL111279 X 3-IN-1 ED VOL 01 $19.99

SEP111040 ZORRO RIDES AGAIN #5 (OF 12) $3.99

MAGAZINES
JUL111342 BACK ISSUE #52 $8.95
AUG111405 CINEMA RETRO #21 $11.99
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AUG112098 KOBOLD QUARTERLY MAGAZINE #19 $8.99
SEP111397 LOCUS #610 $6.95
SEP111381 RUE MORGUE MAGAZINE #117 $9.95
AUG111441 STAR WARS SOUVENIR SPECIAL $14.99
JUN111347 TOMARTS ACTION FIGURE DIGEST #200 $5.99

Saturn Apartments: Forced Retirement

I read Saturn Apartments, Vol. 4

I posted a review at the Comic Book Bin.

Kevin Avery Tours to Support "Everything is an Afterthought"

On Tour Now: Kevin Avery Hits the Road with "Everything is an Afterthought: The Life and Writings of Paul Nelson"

“Kevin Avery has done something heroic here. Avery has rescued the work and the passion, the life and the meaning of the great Paul Nelson. Nelson was a deep and beautiful writer, mysterious and painstaking and brilliant. Thanks to Avery and Everything is an Afterthought, Paul Nelson’s work finally has a home.” — Cameron Crowe

What happened to legendary music critic Paul Nelson?

Fantagraphics Books Inc. invites you to find out as we present author/editor Kevin Avery on tour for the unique anthology-biography, Everything is an Afterthought: The Life and Writings of Paul Nelson – a collection that’s been called “music book of the year” by DangerousMinds.net.

In the ‘60s, Paul Nelson pioneered rock & roll criticism with a first-person style of writing that would later be popularized by the likes of Tom Wolfe and Norman Mailer as “New Journalism.” As co-founding editor of The Little Sandy Review and managing editor of Sing Out!, he’d already established himself, to use his friend Bob Dylan’s words, as “a folk-music scholar”; but when Dylan went electric in 1965, Nelson went with him.

During a five-year detour at Mercury Records in the early 1970s, Nelson signed the New York Dolls to their first recording contract, then settled back down to writing criticism at Rolling Stone as the last in a great tradition of record-review editors that included Jon Landau, Dave Marsh, and Greil Marcus. Famously championing the early careers of artists like Bruce Springsteen, Jackson Browne, Rod Stewart, Neil Young, and Warren Zevon, Nelson not only wrote about them but often befriended them. Never one to be pigeonholed, he was also one of punk rock’s first stateside mainstream proponents, embracing The Sex Pistols and The Ramones.

But in 1982, he walked away from it all – Rolling Stone, his friends, and rock & roll. By the time he died in his New York City apartment in 2006 at the age of seventy – a week passing before anybody discovered his body – almost everything he’d written had been relegated to back issues of old music magazines.

How could a man whose writing had been so highly regarded have fallen so quickly from our collective memory?

With Paul Nelson’s posthumous blessing, Kevin Avery spent four years researching and writing Everything is an Afterthought: The Life and Writings of Paul Nelson, which compiles Nelson’s best works (some of it previously unpublished) while also providing a vivid account of his private and public lives. Avery interviewed almost 100 of Paul Nelson’s friends, family, and colleagues, including several of the artists about whom he’d written.

For additional information and a preview, please visit:
• www.fantagraphics.com/kevinavery
• www.fantagraphics.com/paulnelson


Kevin Avery's Tour Dates for Everything is an Afterthought: The Life and Writings of Paul Nelson

Wednesday, November 9th at 7:00 PM
Kevin Avery will be joined on stage by Dave Marsh, a rock critic, historian, anti-censorship activist, talk show host and “Louie Louie” expert who has written more than 20 books about rock and popular music. This event will be held in the Rare Book Room on the 3rd Floor of the Strand.
Strand Bookstore
828 Broadway (at 12th St.)
New York City, NY 10003

Thursday, December 1st at 7:00 PM
Join Kevin Avery for a signing and discussion.
Barnes & Noble Park Slope
267 7th Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11215

Saturday, December 3rd at 1:00 – 4:00 PM
Join Kevin Avery for a signing and discussion.
Farley’s Bookshop
44 South Main Street
New Hope, PA 18938

Tuesday, December 13th at 7:00 PM
Join Kevin Avery for a signing and discussion. Avery will be joined by musician Elliott Murphy, who will play a few tunes.
BookCourt
163 Court Street
Brooklyn, NY 11201

For more information, visit www.fantagraphics.com/news/averytour

Review: THE COMPLETE RECORD COVER COLLECTION

THE COMPLETE RECORD COVER COLLECTION
W.W. NORTON & COMPANY

CARTOONIST: R. Crumb
ISBN: 978-0-393-08278-4; hardcover
96pp, Color, $25.95 U.S., $32.50 CAN

An American comic book artist, illustrator, and musician, R. Crumb (also known as Robert Crumb) is the famed Underground Comix creator known for his controversial work. Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1943, Crumb is a founder of the Underground Comix movement and is its most prominent figure. Crumb also founded the seminal Underground Comix comic book series, Zap Comix.

Crumb is something of a satirist and social critic, and his work has frequently been called racist and sexist. But there are many sides to Crumb’s creativity and artistry, which is revealed in The Complete Record Cover Collection, a new hardcover Crumb art book from publisher, W.W. Norton & Company. Crumb is a prolific illustrator of record covers, having produced over 400 of them. Crumb apparently began drawing record covers in 1968 when Janis Joplin asked him to draw the cover for Cheap Thrills (1968), the second album from American rock band, Big Brother and the Holding Company, for which she was then the lead singer.

The publisher says that The Complete Record Cover Collection is the complete catalog of every record cover jacket Crumb has ever drawn, while also admitting that there could still be Crumb music-related art hidden away somewhere. Crumb mainly drew record covers for artists, new and forgotten, who performed jazz, country, old-time blues, roots, and Americana music of the 1920s and 30s. He also produced record cover art for his own musical act, R. Crumb and His Cheap Suit Serenaders.

The Complete Record Cover Collection also brings together other music related art from Crumb. The book reprints art for event flyers and posters, advertisements, magazine covers, silkscreen prints, and trading cards, among other things. Much of the work also reveals Crumb’s skill at lettering. I think the publisher would like reviewers to emphasize the record cover art in their reviews of The Complete Record Cover Collection, but I want to focus on something else.

What I like most about this book are the portraits of musicians – past and present. These drawings range in size from about 2.5” x 4” to a little larger. They are drawn with such power and faithfulness to the subjects that they seem larger. Crumb executed two such portraits of legendary R&B singer James Brown for The New Yorker in 2000. One depicts a young Brown that captures his likeness with a photographer’s touch. The other, a depiction of an older “hardest working man in show business,” is more of a cartoon, but it captures the spirit both of Brown’s public persona and of his stage performance. Crumb’s 1992 portrait of Frank Zappa (also for The New Yorker) is a sparkling psychedelic piece that encapsulates the eccentric Zappa.

These black and white ink drawings are rendered in such detail that Crumb’s cartoonish style has a kind of realism that is all his own. Crosshatching, fine line work, and solid brushwork bring these musicians to life in strange ways, making even what is familiar about them vibrant and new. This is exemplified in portraits of a smirking, older George Jones; a proud Bo Diddley, and a wired up Merle Haggard.

The Complete Record Cover Collection is about the record cover art of R. Crumb, and it is an excellent book in that regard. Its treasure, however, is the collection of portraits.

A

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

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

Real Ringer

I read Real, Vol. 10 (Real (Viz))

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

Review: THE SWEETER SIDE OF R. CRUMB

THE SWEETER SIDE OF R. CRUMB
W.W. NORTON & COMPANY

CARTOONIST: R. Crumb
ISBN: 978-0-393-33371-8; paperback
110pp, B&W, $17.95 U.S., $22.50 CAN

The Sweeter Side of R. Crumb is a 2010 paperback from W.W. Norton & Company that reprints various non-controversial works from the cartoonist and artist, R. Crumb (Robert Crumb). Crumb, the famed Underground Comix creator, has created comix and art that some describe as perverse, crude, cruel, nasty, vile, racist, misogynist, and just plain negative. While I would agree with those sentiments in some examples of his work, I think that American comic books would be worse off without the work of this genius.

Perhaps R. Crumb, a publicist, and/or his publisher decided it was time to show readers a less controversial, more artistic side of Crumb. The Sweeter Side of R. Crumb is a combination art book, portfolio, and sketchbook that offers an array of Crumb drawings that have nothing to do with the busty female revolutionaries, conniving funny animals, weird characters, and horny everyman’s that populate Crumb’s comic book and comix work. Also, the art here is in glorious black and white, the better to show off Crumb’s precision cross hatching and sumptuous, textured ink work.

The Sweeter Side of R. Crumb presents intimate portraits of Crumb’s family and friends as well as drawings of roots music figures – some obscure (Charlie Poole) and some fairly well known (B.B. King). This book offers marvelous landscapes from the French countryside and lovely still life drawings, and even eye-popping depictions of French alleyways and buildings. Many of these drawings may simply be work that Crumb did while quietly observing people or interior and exteriors scenes. There are even a few comic strip vignettes starring Robert and his daughter Sophie as a small child.

I look at The Sweeter Side of R. Crumb as a publication Norton is going to use to pad their R. Crumb catalog. Or maybe people who only know the controversial R. Crumb need a book like this. Even Crumb seems to suggest as much in his introduction to this book, an introduction that only seems partly tongue-in-cheek. As far as I’m concerned, I’m up for anything that will get more people to see R. Crumb’s comix and illustrations. If it means The Sweeter Side of R. Crumb, then, let’s have more.

A

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

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

Review: X 3-IN-1 EDITION Volume 1

X 3-IN-1 EDITION, VOL. 1
VIZ MEDIA

CREATORS: CLAMP
Story and Script and Book Design: Nanase Ohkawa
Art/Cover Illustration: Mokona Apapa
Art Direction: Mick Nekoi
Art Assistance: Satsuki Igarashi
TRANSLATION: Lillian Olsen
LETTERS: Annaliese Christman
ISBN: 978-1-4215-4041-2; paperback, Rated “T+” for “Older Teen”
584pp, B&W with some color, $19.99 U.S. $22.99 CAN

CLAMP (or Clamp) is an all-female manga artist group and studio. The group began in the mid-1980s as a self-publishing collective of amateur artists. The group’s first professional work, RG Veda, apparently was started when the creators were still amateurs. Some of their best known titles are Cardcaptor Sakura, Chobits, and xxxHolic.

One of CLAMP’s most famous/infamous series is X, which is also known as X/1999. The series debuted in 1992 in the manga magazine, Monthly Asuka. X follows a young man who must deal with the fact that his destiny will determine the fate of humanity. VIZ Media is currently publishing the series as “X” in their omnibus 3-in-1 editions, which collect three volumes in one large size paperback volume.

X 3-in-1 Edition: Vol. 1 introduces the major players. After the recent death of his mother, Kamui Shiro moves back to Tokyo following a six-year absence. His dear friends, Kotori Monou and her older brother, Fuma Monou, find that Kamui is not like they remember him. Now, sullen and withdrawn, Kamui seems to have the weight of the world on his shoulders, and he actually does.

According to the blind seer, Hinoto, the fate of humanity rests on Kamui’s narrow shoulders. Meanwhile, the Seven Seals, who are Kamui’s allies, and the Seven Angels, who are to be his adversaries, gather. The year 1999 will be the year of the great battle in which Kamui will decide the outcome. Or will he? Could there be another?

I was brief in my summary of the first volume of X 3-in-1 Edition, but so much more happens and practically all of it is fun to read. X is not as polished as Clamp’s later work, and its unrefined nature shows on every page. However, there is something very alluring about this rawness. Lacking the ability or, more likely, desire to be subtle, Clamp filled X with high-strung characters whose emotions are not hidden or quiet. The conniving are really conniving. The sullen are particularly sullen. And when a young woman is in love, as Kotori is, she’s ready to stand by her man and make him soup if he won’t eat what she has already cooked.

The art emphasizes big panels which usually contain battle scenes. Those battle scenes depict energy and magic unleashed in a fast and furious display. What the art lacks in draftsmanship, composition, and figure drawing, it makes up for in sheer bravado. The characters are likeable and though the subplots are a mess, X is that kind of large scale fantasy that attracts readers – like me.

B+

Tesoro: A Short Story Treasury

I read Tesoro (Tesoro: Ono Natsume Shoki Tanpenshuu 1998-2008)

I posted a review at the Comic Book Bin.

Review: OKIE DOKIE DONUTS: Open for Business (OGN)

OKIE DOKIE DONUTS: OPEN FOR BUSINESS
TOP SHELF PRODUCTIONS

CARTOONIST: Chris Eliopoulos
ISBN: 978-1-60309-068-1; hardcover
48pp, Color, $9.95 U.S.

Chris Eliopoulos is a prolific and acclaimed comic book letterer and has won or been nominated for several awards for lettering comic books. He is also a cartoonist and comic book creator, producing the Calvin and Hobbes-inspired Desperate Times and, for Marvel Comics, the Franklin Richards: Son of a Genius series of backup features and comic book one-shots.

Top Shelf Productions recently released Okie Dokie Donuts: Open for Business, a graphic novel and children’s book from Eliopoulos. This full-color, 5” x 7.5,” hardcover book is the story of a portly matron who owns and operates a hugely popular donut shop.

Okie Dokie Donuts may be the best little donut shop anywhere. People line up outside the shop for its treats. Baker and owner, Big Mama, does practically everything by hand and from scratch, but she could use a little help.

In walks kitchen appliance salesman, Mr. Mayweather, who is in the employ of the “Great Cooks Cooking Corporation.” Mayweather swears that the corporation’s latest contraption, Mr. Baker (Brilliant Apparatus Kooks Every Recipe”), will help Big Mama because it can cook “over 1000 donuts in 40 seconds.” This oven-like robot may do just that, but when it is through, Big Mama and Okie Dokie Donuts may be through as well.

Okie Dokie Donuts: Open for Business opens with a musical number (or the comic book version of one), so I knew I was in for an unpleasant reading experience. But I wasn’t. Okie Dokie Donuts is not just a cute kids’ comic book, but it is also simply a funny tale. Chris Eliopoulos makes comedy out of the unappetizing idea of the mechanization of food, which is the current status of our food processing. Of course, Mayweather’s robot can work, but without the ability to “think on one’s feet” or troubleshoot the unexpected, the robot is just another thing in the way – a disruptive nuisance.

Okie Dokie Donuts slyly preaches for hard work and making things with one’s hands, but uses vibrant colors and comic book graphics to deliver an entertaining message. Okie Dokie Donuts has the manic energy and sarcastic charm of a Marx Bros. movie, so don’t sell it short. You don’t have to be a kid to enjoy this sweet treat.

A-

Next Two Volumes of Naruto Will Be Digital Before They Will Be Print

VIZ MEDIA DEBUTS TWO LATEST NARUTO VOLUMES AHEAD OF PRINT COUNTERPARTS ON VIZMANGA.COM AND THE VIZ MANGA APP FOR iPAD, iPHONE AND iPOD TOUCH

November Digital Manga Update Also Sees Debut of Natsume Ono’s RISTORANTE PARADISO And GENTE, As Well As Updates to 17 Popular Series

VIZ Media continues to lead the digital manga (graphic novel) revolution with a variety of new titles just announced for November that are available to read online on VIZManga.com and also for digital download on the VIZ MANGA App for the Apple iPad™, iPhone™ and iPod™ touch.

Among the notable new releases will be the two latest editions of NARUTO – Volumes 54 and 55 – which will be made available on VIZ Media’s digital platforms several months in advance of their print counterparts. This is part of the SHONEN JUMP DIGITAL WARP, a speed-up of selection titles to bring North American readers up-to-date with Japanese releases to prepare fans for the debut of the digital WEEKLY SHONEN JUMP ALPHA in January 2012.

NARUTO Vol. 54 · Rated ‘T’ for Teens · Available Today!
Viaduct to Peace: Naruto and his team engage in an intense battle with the Akatsuki organization as both sides seek the power to determine the future of their land. Internecine fighting weakens the Akatsuki, but will their dark forces sideline Naruto?! Print edition debuts on January 3rd, 2012.

NARUTO Vol. 55 · Rated ‘T’ for Teens · Available November 21st
The Great War Begins: Evil masterminds Kabuto and Madara instigate a skirmish with Naruto and friends on Turtle Island. The Allied Shinobi Forces prepare to attack, but are they ready for Kabuto's horde of reanimated dead ninja?! Print edition debuts on March 6th, 2012.

November also sees the debut of two titles from the critically acclaimed Natsume Ono. RISTORANTE PARADISO weaves a story around the lives of the staff of a restaurant in Rome, and in the follow-up manga, GENTE, continues to follow the character’s romances, heartaches, hopes and dreams.

RISTORANTE PARADISO · Rated ‘T+’ for Older Teens · Available Now!
At the age of 21, Nicoletta travels to Rome to find her mother, Olga, who abandoned her long ago. Nicoletta finds her at Casetta dell'Orso, a charming little restaurant owned by Olga's husband. The staff of bespectacled gentlemen welcomes Nicoletta warmly, but Olga's reception is not so pleasant. Olga has never told her husband that she ever had children--and he must never know.

GENTE Vol. 1 · Rated ‘T+’ for Older Teens · Available November 14th
Buona sera! Welcome to Casetta dell'Orso, a quaint little restaurant in the heart of Rome. The food's delicious, but the handsome staff of bespectacled gentlemen is the real draw. Follow these dashing men home and witness their romances, heartaches, hopes and dreams in this delightfully whimsical continuation of Natsume Ono's beloved RISTORANTE PARADISO.

Additions to 17 popular VIZ Media series are scheduled for November, with over 30 new manga volumes scheduled to make their digital debut. Updates include the rock-and-roll romantic drama of AI ORE and the courtly royal intrigue of THE STORY OF SAIUNKOKU, as well as the supernatural adventure of BLEACH, the ongoing high seas pirate fun of ONE PIECE, and the kinetic sci-fi action depicted in new weekly chapters of NEON GENESIS EVANGELION.

New VIZ Media manga volumes launching include:

November 7th:
BLEACH Vol. 32
DENGEKI DAISY Vol. 6
NARUTO Vol. 54
NEON GENESIS EVANGELION Chapter 14
OISHINBO Vol. 4
ONE PIECE Vols. 54 & Vol. 55
OURAN HIGH SCHOOL HOST CLUB Vol. 12
RISTORANTE PARADISO Vol. 1

November 14th:
AI ORE Vol. 3
BLACK BIRD Vol. 11
BLEACH Vol. 33
CLAYMORE Vol. 19
D. GRAY-MAN Vol. 21
FUSHIGI YUGI: GENBU KAIDEN Vol. 8
GENTE Vol. 1
KEKKAISHI Vol. 17
NEON GENESIS EVANGELION Chapter 15
ONE PIECE Vol. 56
RUROUNI KENSHIN Vol. 26

November 21st:
BLEACH Vol. 34
GENTE Vol. 2
NARUTO Vol. 55
ONE PIECE Vol. 57
NATSUME’S BOOK OF FRIENDS Vol. 9
NEON GENESIS EVANGELION Chapter 16
SATURN APARTMENTS Vol. 4
THE STORY OF SAIUNKOKU Vol. 5

November 28th:
BLEACH Vol. 35
GENTE Vol. 3 – Final Volume!
INUYASHA VIZ Big Vol. 6 – Exclusive to the VIZ Manga App for iPad!
KEKKAISHI Vol. 18
NEON GENESIS EVANGELION Chapter 17
ONE PIECE Vol. 58
RUROUNI KENSHIN Vol. 27

VIZ Media’s digital manga platform allows for universal access for fans for reading manga from their iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, and now, VIZManga.com for desktop/laptop computers and Android-powered devices with built-in web browsers. With one account, registered users are able to view their purchases across even more devices than ever.

The free VIZ Manga App continues to be the top app for reading manga on iOS devices and features a rapidly growing library of the most popular manga series in the world, currently offering over 45 series and nearly 500 volumes, with new additions and free Chapter 1 previews added weekly.

For more information, please visit VIZManga.com or www.VIZ.com/apps.

Jack Davis in NYC in December to Promote Books

NEW YORK WELCOMES MAD LEGEND JACK DAVIS IN DECEMBER

One of America’s most beloved and best known cartoonists, Jack Davis, will make a series of extremely rare appearances in New York City and Brooklyn in early December, to promote his new art book, JACK DAVIS: DRAWING AMERICAN POP CULTURE (published by Fantagraphics Books). A living legend, these personal appearances will be a once-in-a-lifetime op- portunity to meet one of medium’s greatest practicioners.

On Thursday, Dec. 1 at 7PM, Davis will appear at New York’s renowned Strand Bookstore, in conversation with Fanta- graphics Books Publisher Gary Groth. The event will feature the world premiere of JACK DAVIS: DRAWING AMERICAN POP CULTURE.

On Friday, Dec. 2 at 6PM, Davis will be in attendance for an exhibition of his original art at the Scott Eder Gallery in Brooklyn.

On Saturday, Dec. 3, Davis will appear with Fantagraphics at the Brooklyn Comics & Graphics Festival, signing copies of JACK DAVIS: DRAWING AMERICAN POP CULTURE throughout the day and participating in a panel discussion with Gary Groth about his life and career (exact times t.b.a.).

Jack Davis arrived on the illustration scene in the euphoric post-war America of the late 1940s when consumer society was booming and the work force identified with commercial images that reflected this underlying sense of confidence and American bravado. Advertising agencies were looking for new ways to tap a rich and expanding market, and there was a vast array of media that needed illustrations. Davis’ animated and exuberant images possessed a sense of spontaneous energy that proved to have universal appeal in every medium he worked in.

Beginning with his masterful pen and ink cartooning at EC Comics, he quickly forged a reputation as one of the most versa- tile artists in comics, drawing humor, horror, and war stories. In Harvey Kurtzman’s MAD, especially, Davis made a mark as a master of caricature, composition, and wild, anarchic crowd scenes, practically vibrating with energy.

After stints at MAD, Trump, and Humbug — three humor magazines that defined the satirical zeitgeist of the ’50s — Davis went on to become the most successful commercial illustrator of his generation, illustrating movie posters, magazine articles, magazine fiction, LP jackets, and more.

JACK DAVIS: DRAWING AMERICAN POP CULTURE is a gigantic, unparalleled career- spanning retrospective, between whose hard covers resides the greatest collection — in terms of both quantity and quality — of Jack Davis’ work ever assembled!

For more information and a preview, please visit www.fantagraphics.com/artofjackdavis

Listing information:

Thursday, Dec. 1, 7PM:
WHO: Jack Davis (with Gary Groth) WHAT: Q&A and book signing WHERE: The Strand Bookstore, 12th & Broadway, New York, NY

Friday, Dec. 2, 6PM:
WHO: Jack Davis WHAT: Exhibition of Original Art and Artist’s Reception WHERE: Scott Eder Gallery, 18 Bridge St. 2-I, Brooklyn, NY

Saturday, Dec. 3, 12PM-9PM:
WHO: Jack Davis WHAT: The Brooklyn Comics & Graphics Festival WHERE: Our Lady of Mr. Carmel Church, 275 N. 8th St., Brooklyn, NY

DC Comics from Diamond Distributors for November 9 2011

DC COMICS

SEP110202 ALL NEW BATMAN THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD #13 $2.99

SEP110133 BATGIRL #3 $2.99

SEP110127 BATMAN AND ROBIN #3 $2.99

AUG110246 BATMAN STREETS OF GOTHAM TP VOL 02 LEVIATHAN $17.99

SEP110132 BATWOMAN #3 $2.99

SEP110176 DC COMICS PRESENTS BATMAN BAD #1 $7.99

AUG110249 DCU ONLINE LEGENDS TP VOL 01 $19.99

SEP110154 DEATHSTROKE #3 $2.99

SEP110151 DEMON KNIGHTS #3 $2.99

SEP110148 FRANKENSTEIN AGENT OF SHADE #3 $2.99

SEP110137 GREEN LANTERN #3 $2.99

SEP110172 GREEN LANTERN SUPER SPECTACULAR #3 $7.99

SEP110153 GRIFTER #3 $2.99

SEP110136 HUNTRESS #2 (OF 6) $2.99

SEP110166 LEGION LOST #3 $2.99

SEP110112 MISTER TERRIFIC #3 $2.99

SEP110123 PENGUIN PAIN AND PREJUDICE #2 (OF 5) $2.99

SEP110150 RESURRECTION MAN #3 $2.99

JUL110279 RETURN TO PERDITION HC (RES) (MR) $19.99

JUL110281 ROAD TO PERDITION 2 ON THE ROAD TP NEW ED (RES) (MR) $14.99

JUL110280 ROAD TO PERDITION TP NEW ED (RES) (MR) $14.99

JUN110356 SAGA OF THE SWAMP THING HC BOOK 06 (MR) $24.99

JUL110276 SPY VS SPY BY PROHIAS OMNIBUS HC $49.99

SEP110157 SUICIDE SQUAD #3 $2.99

SEP110118 SUPERBOY #3 $2.99

AUG110259 SUPERMAN LAST STAND OF NEW KRYPTON TP VOL 01 $17.99

SEP110231 UNWRITTEN #31 (MR) $2.99

SEP110230 VERTIGO RESURRECTED MY FAITH IN FRANKIE #1 (MR) $7.99

Marvel Comics from Diamond Distributors for November 9 2011

MARVEL COMICS

SEP110676 AVENGERS FOREVER TP NEW PTG $29.99

SEP110529 AVENGERS ORIGINS VISION #1 $3.99

SEP110536 AVENGING SPIDER-MAN #1 WITH FREE DIGITAL CODE $3.99

SEP110687 AVENGING SPIDER-MAN BY JOE MADUREIRA POSTER $8.99

SEP110505 BATTLE SCARS #1 (OF 6) $2.99

SEP110566 BLACK PANTHER MOST DANGEROUS MAN ALIVE #525 $2.99

SEP110683 ESSENTIAL SGT FURY TP VOL 01 $19.99

JUN110717 FANTASTIC FOUR BY JOHN BYRNE OMNIBUS HC VOL 01 $125.00

JUN110718 FANTASTIC FOUR BY JOHN BYRNE OMNIBUS HC VOL 01 DM VAR ED $125.00

SEP110499 FEAR ITSELF #7 POINT TWO $3.99

SEP110568 GHOST RIDER #5 $2.99

SEP110664 INCREDIBLE HULKS HEART OF MONSTER TP $16.99

SEP110517 JOHN CARTER OF MARS WORLD OF MARS #2 (OF 5) $3.99

SEP110511 JOURNEY INTO MYSTERY #631 $2.99

SEP110613 MAGNETO NOT A HERO #1 (OF 4) $2.99

SEP110533 NEW AVENGERS #18 $3.99

SEP110670 NEW X-MEN BY GRANT MORRISON GN TP BOOK 07 $14.99

SEP110516 NORTHANGER ABBEY #1 (OF 5) $3.99

SEP110665 OZ WONDERFUL WIZARD OF OZ TP $24.99

SEP110496 POINT ONE #1 $5.99

SEP110667 POWER MAN AND IRON FIST COMEDY OF DEATH TP $16.99

SEP110621 PUNISHERMAX #19 (MR) $3.99

SEP110669 PUNISHERMAX BULLSEYE TP (MR) $19.99

SEP110666 SPIDER-MAN MATTERS OF LIFE AND DEATH TP $19.99

SEP110520 ULTIMATE COMICS SPIDER-MAN #4 $3.99

SEP110614 UNCANNY X-FORCE #17 $3.99

SEP110686 VENOM BY JOHN TYLER CHRISTOPHER POSTER $8.99

SEP110597 WOLVERINE #18 XREGG $3.99

SEP110603 X-MEN LEGACY #258 $2.99

IDW Publishing from Diamond Distributors for November 9 2011

IDW PUBLISHING

SEP110316 30 DAYS OF NIGHT ONGOING #2 $3.99

AUG110390 BAJA GN $19.99

AUG110372 CRAWL TO ME #4 (OF 4) $3.99

AUG110345 DUNGEONS & DRAGONS DRIZZT #3 (OF 5) $3.99

SEP110285 GODZILLA GANGSTERS AND GOLIATHS TP $19.99

SEP110311 HP LOVECRAFT THE DUNWICH HORROR #2 (OF 4) $3.99

SEP110255 JACK AVARICE IS THE COURIER #2 (OF 5) $3.99

SEP110314 JURASSIC PARK DANGEROUS GAMES #3 (OF 5) $3.99

AUG110397 KILL SHAKESPEARE TP VOL 02 $19.99

APR110382 SPIKE #1 (OF 8) EVOLUTION OF SPIKE CON EXCLUSIVE PI

APR110384 STAR TREK KHAN RULING IN HELL #1 CON EXCLUSIVE $4.00

AUG118128 STAR TREK LEGION OF SUPERHEROES #1 (OF 6) 2ND PTG (PP #992) $3.99

SEP110293 STAR TREK LEGION OF SUPERHEROES #2 (OF 6) $3.99

JUL110311 STAR TREK MOVIE UNIVERSE BOX SET $39.99

AUG118103 TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES ONGOING #2 3RD PTG (PP #991) $3.99

Dark Horse Comics from Diamond Distributors for November 9 2011

DARK HORSE COMICS

SEP110019 BALTIMORE CURSE BELLS #4 $3.50

JUN110049 BETTIE PAGE CHERRY RED CIGARETTE CASE $29.99

JUN110050 BETTIE PAGE CHERRY RED HEART COMPACT $16.99

SEP110016 BTVS SEASON 9 FREEFALL #3 JEANTY VAR CVR $2.99

SEP110015 BTVS SEASON 9 FREEFALL #3 MORRIS CVR $2.99

SEP110036 DOLLHOUSE EPITAPHS #5 (OF 5) PHIL NOTO CVR $3.50

JUL110028 GOON TP VOL 05 WICKED INCLINATIONS 2ND ED $16.99

SEP110030 KULL THE CAT & THE SKULL #2 (OF 4) $3.50

SEP110024 ORCHID #2 CARNEVALE CVR $3.50

SEP110009 PC CAST HOUSE OF NIGHT #1 (OF 5) JENNY FRISON REG CVR $1.00

JUL110048 STAR WARS DARTH VADER & THE LOST COMMAND HC $24.99

MAY118376 STYLE SCHOOL TP VOL 01 (NEW PTG) $16.99

SEP110011 THE OCCULTIST #1 (OF 3) STEVE MORRIS REG CVR $3.50

Image Comics from Diamond Distributors for November 9 2011

IMAGE COMICS
MAY110496 ARTIFACTS #11 (OF 13) CVR A HAUN $3.99
MAY110497 ARTIFACTS #11 (OF 13) CVR B CHRISTOPHER $3.99
SEP110416 MISSION TP $14.99
SEP110478 PIGS #3 (MR) $2.99
SEP110387 PILOT SEASON ANONYMOUS #1 $3.99
SEP110428 REED GUNTHER TP VOL 01 $14.99
SEP110489 WALKING DEAD WEEKLY #45 (MR) $2.99
MAY110540 WITCHBLADE #149 $3.99

Comics and Magazines from Diamond Distributors for November 9 2011

PREVIEWS PUBLICATIONS
AUG110009 PREVIEWS HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE 2011 PI

COMICS
JUL111043 BAD TEACHERS EQUATION GN VOL 02 (OF 5) (MR) $19.95

JUL111044 BORDER GN VOL 02 (MR) $12.95

SEP110972 BOYS TP VOL 09 BIG RIDE $24.99

SEP110813 CALIGULA #4 (OF 6) AUXILIARY CVR (MR) $3.99

MAY110877 CAPTAIN SWING #1-4 BAG SET (RES) (MR) $15.99

AUG111203 CHARLEYS WAR HITLERS YOUTH HC $19.95

AUG110842 CHRONICLES OF WORMWOOD LAST BATTLE HC (MR) $27.99

AUG110841 CHRONICLES OF WORMWOOD LAST BATTLE TP (MR) $19.99

AUG110921 COLLECTIBLY MAD DLX HC ED $150.00

SEP110811 CROSSED PSYCHOPATH #3 (OF 7) SAN DIEGO (MR) $5.99

SEP110812 CROSSED WISH YOU WERE HERE ASHCAN GORE CVR (MR) $5.99

AUG110926 DARKWING DUCK #18 $3.99

AUG111170 DE PROFUNDIS HC $19.95

SEP110892 DECISION 2012 BARACK OBAMA #1 $3.99

JUL111078 DF VAMPIRELLA #11 REIS RED EXC CVR $8.99

JUL111071 DF WARLORD OF MARS DEJAH #7 RED RISQUE EXC CVR $14.99

SEP110924 DISNEYS HERO SQUAD SC VOL 01 SAVE THE WORLD $9.99

AUG111092 DOMINION GN (MR) $19.95

AUG110929 DUCKTALES #6 $3.99

SEP111097 EXTRAORDINARY ADVENTURES ADELE BLANC SEC HC VOL 02 $24.99

JUL110775 FEMFORCE #157 $9.95

MAY110984 GARTH ENNIS JENNIFER BLOOD #6 (MR) $3.99

JUL111305 GFT PRESENTS NEVERLAND HOOK #1 A CVR ARTGERM $2.99

JUL111306 GFT PRESENTS NEVERLAND HOOK #1 B CVR GARZA $2.99

AUG111147 GODZILLA KINGDOM OF MONSTERS #1 NDC EX ED $9.99

JUL110776 GOLDEN AGE GREATS SPOTLIGHT VOL 07 RR WESTERN MOVIE HERO $29.95

JUN111056 GREAT PLACE HIGH SCHOOL GN VOL 03 S COUNCIL (MR) $12.95

JUL111311 GRIMM FAIRY TALES #65 (MR) $2.99

JUL110930 HELLRAISER #7 (MR) $3.99

SEP110862 HELLRAISER MASTERPIECES #1 (MR) $3.99

JUN111241 INTREPID ESCAPEGOAT #2 (OF 3) CURSE O/T BUDDHAS TOOTH $3.99

AUG111001 JIM BUTCHER DRESDEN FILES FOOL MOON PART 1 HC $24.99

AUG110820 JUGHEADS DOUBLE DIGEST #175 $3.99

SEP110986 KIRBY GENESIS SILVER STAR #1 $3.99

SEP110782 KNIGHTINGAIL #1 $3.99

SEP110955 LADY DEATH (ONGOING) #6 TRUE QUEEN (MR) $9.99

SEP110956 LADY DEATH (ONGOING) #7 AUXILIARY (MR) $3.99

SEP110957 LADY DEATH ORIGINS ANNUAL #1 STARSTRUCK CVR (MR) $9.99

JUL111030 LAST PHANTOM ANNUAL $4.99

SEP111158 LILY RENEE ESCAPE ARTIST GN $7.95

JUL111247 LOOSE ENDS #3 (OF 4) (MR) $3.99

AUG110822 MEGA MAN #7 $2.99

JUL111251 MEGA MAN GIGAMIX TP VOL 03 (OF 3) $13.95

SEP110937 MICKEY MOUSE ON QUANDOMAI ISLAND TP $9.99

JUN111052 MR TIGER AND MR WOLF GN (MR) $12.95

SEP110704 NOVO GN VOL 05 CYCLES $14.95

JUN111053 ONLY SERIOUS ABOUT YOU GN VOL 01 (OF 2) $12.95

SEP110890 OPERATION BROKEN WINGS 1936 #1 (OF 3) (MR) $3.99

JUN111051 PRIVATE TEACHER GN VOL 01 (MR) $12.95

SEP110728 PUSS IN BOOTS MOVIE PREQUEL GN $6.99

AUG110745 RACHEL RISING #3 $3.99

DEC100919 RED SONJA #58 $3.99

AUG111121 RETURN O/T MONSTERS BLACK BAT VS DRACULA $3.99

AUG111122 RETURN O/T MONSTERS DOMINO LADY VS MUMMY $3.99

AUG111124 RETURN O/T MONSTERS SPIDER VS WEREWOLF $3.99

JUN111047 ROBERT JORDAN WHEEL OF TIME EYE O/T WORLD #16 $3.99

JUL111314 SALEMS DAUGHTER HAUNTING #3 A CVR CHA (MR) $2.99

JUL111315 SALEMS DAUGHTER HAUNTING #3 B CVR REYES (MR) $2.99

JUN111054 SEVEN DAYS GN VOL 02 (OF 2) FRIDAY SUNDAY $12.95

JUL111233 SIMON & KIRBY HC LIBRARY CRIME $49.95

AUG110749 SNOWED IN ONE SHOT $3.99

SEP110916 SPACE WARPED #5 (OF 6) $3.99

AUG111002 TERMINATOR ROBOCOP KILL HUMAN #4 (OF 4) $3.99

AUG111232 TEZUKAS PRINCESS KNIGHT GN VOL 01 $13.95

SEP111162 TINTIN HARDCOVER BOXED SET (O/A) $150.00

AUG111234 TWIN SPICA GN VOL 10 $10.95

SEP110958 WAR GODDESS #1 AUXILIARY CVR (MR) $3.99

SEP110917 WORDGIRL GN VOL 02 INCREDIBLE SHRINKING ALLOWANCE $7.99

APR110803 WULF #4 $2.99

JUL111045 YAKUZA CAFE GN (MR) $12.95

AUG111093 ZOMBIES THAT ATE THE WORLD HC (MR) $24.95

MAGAZINES
SEP111399 DOC SAVAGE DOUBLE NOVEL #52 $14.95
SEP111343 HI FRUCTOSE MAGAZINE QUARTERLY #21 $6.95
AUG111411 MONSTER ATTACK TEAM #8 $7.50
JUL111414 SFX SPECIAL #52 ZOMBIES $17.99
SEP111400 SHADOW DOUBLE NOVEL #54 $14.95
SEP111402 STAR WARS FIG COLL MAG #40 MILLENIUM FALCON $14.00
AUG111417 SUPERNATURAL SOUVENIR SPECIAL $14.99

I Reads You Review: LOVE AND ROCKETS: New Stories #3

LOVE AND ROCKETS: NEW STORIES #3
FANTAGRAPHICS BOOKS

WRITERS: Gilbert Hernandez, Jaime Hernandez
ARTISTS: Gilbert Hernandez, Jaime Hernandez
COVER: Jaime Hernandez
ISBN: 978-1-60699-379-8; paperback
104pp, B&W, $14.99 U.S.

Love and Rockets: New Stories is the third incarnation of the comic book series, Love and Rockets. Created by brothers Gilbert Hernandez and Jaime Hernandez (with brother Mario occasionally contributing), Love and Rockets is, in my learned opinion, the best American comic book ever.

Published by Fantagraphics Books, New Stories is a reboot of this phenomenal comic book as an annual, graphic novel-length package that resembles both a comic book and a literary magazine (designed with bookstores in mind). First published in 2010, Love and Rockets: New Stories #3 offers fives stories: two by Gilbert and three by Jaime.

New Stories #3 opens with “Scarlet by Starlight” by Gilbert. This 36-page story focuses on three humans exploring alien terrain. It seems as if these humans live on the same planet as this strange jungle world, but are from a civilized area. They are studying a family of furry creatures. One of them, the female named Scarlet, bears a striking resemblance to Rosalba “Fritz” Martinez (Gilbert’s High Soft Lisp character). When one of the humans begins a relationship with Scarlett, trouble ensues. Gilbert’s second story, “Killer * Sad Girl * Star is related to “Scarlet by Starlight” and stars Dora “Killer” Rivera.

For his three stories, Jaime returns to the lives of his “Locas” cast. The main story is the two-part “The Love Bunglers” and finds Maggie and Ray out on the town for Ray’s art exhibition. They talk about the crazy world of dreams, and Maggie asks Ray for a huge (and shocking) favor. The third story is “Browntown” a new installment in Jaime’s beloved “little kids” flashback series (albeit a darker, more grown up take on that series). Ten-year-old Maggie (called by her birth name, Perla) and her family move away from Hoppers to a desert ghost town called “Browntown.” Perla discovers an ugly family secret and her brother, Calvin, deals with a predatory bully.

The first two issues of Love and Rockets: New Stories offered the usual idiosyncratic comix for which Los Bros – Gilbert Hernandez and Jaime Hernandez – are known. Indeed, Gilbert is at his eccentric best with the two perplexing tales here. Well, they’re perplexing until you realize that this quote: “It always comes down to what people are willing to accept and what they aren’t, huh?” is the thematic spine of Gilbert’s two stories.

Jaime eschews idiosyncratic for comics that could be called modern fiction. “The Love Bunglers” explores how bedtime dreams and their dreams which are ambitions or wishes are expressions of fears and longings. There are two pages (the giant flower sequence) in “The Love Bunglers Part One” that express fear and longing with lovely poetic art.

Readers and admirers, myself included, often think of Gilbert as the better writer of the two brothers and Jaime as the better artist. With only a few exceptions, Gilbert has been the best writer in American comic books over a three decade period. No one has produced more beautiful art for black and white comics the way Jaime has over that same period, a period in which he has been the best comic book artist in North America.

“Browntown” is one of the stories in which Jaime shows that he can write as well as draw comic books better than most and as good as the very best. It’s a riveting story of teen angst, marital infidelity, and sexual abuse that unveils a world that adults can’t or won’t see – a world in which children try to manage adult and real world tribulations on their own.

“Browntown” is an incredible story with a sense of realism and gravity unseen in most comic books. “Browntown” alone makes Love and Rockets: New Stories #3 one of the best comic books of 2010.

A+

Dogs: Bullets and Carnage: Cage and Puppies

I read Dogs, Vol. 6 (Dogs (Viz Media))

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

Review: LOVE AND ROCKETS: New Stories #2

LOVE AND ROCKETS: NEW STORIES #2
FANTAGRAPHICS BOOKS

WRITERS: Gilbert Hernandez, Jaime Hernandez
ARTISTS: Gilbert Hernandez, Jaime Hernandez
COVER: Gilbert Hernandez
ISBN: 978-1-60699-168-8; paperback
104pp, B&W, $14.99 U.S.

Love and Rockets: New Stories is the third incarnation of Love and Rockets, the best American comic book ever. Published by Fantagraphics Books, New Stories is a reboot of this phenomenal comic book as an annual, graphic novel-length package.

Love and Rockets: New Stories #2 offers the usual idiosyncratic comix of Los Bros – Gilbert Hernandez and Jaime Hernandez. Gilbert offers two stories – one a tale of disaffected youth and the other a surreal pantomime comix novella. Jaime offers the concluding, 50-page second half of “Ti-Girls Adventures,” an uproarious, off-kilter version of the Silver Age superhero story.

The star of “Sad Girl” (which was apparently previewed in Fantagraphics’ 2009 Free Comic Book Day sampler) is Dora Rivera, a bombshell actress and brooding youth nicknamed “Killer.” Killer carries around her a web of jealousy, gossip, notoriety and mystery that she seems to take with a stiff upper lip and an understated joy. She draws attention for two reasons. First, Killer appeared in a still unreleased movie which is a remake of “an old art house production” and which may also be a porn movie. The second attention grabbing bit of gossip about Killer is her on-again, off-again relationship with her unnamed boyfriend.

“Sad Girl” is not a story about Luba, Gilbert’s signature character, but Killer certainly has Luba’s prodigious chest, and her aura is Luba-like. Like many stories set in the world of Luba, this is a tawdry, oblique, mini-soap opera. It’s weird and haunting and has a touch of the L.A. youth scene that was a staple of early Love and Rockets comics. “Sad Girl” engages, but that is what Gilbert’s work does. Both eccentric and literate, his comics grab the reader, even the ones that ultimately go nowhere, and “Sad Girl” ultimately goes nowhere.

“Hypnotwist” is a 39-page wordless story that follows an unnamed, leggy redhead on her weird journey into a dreamlike night. It is a night filled with bizarre and shady characters and a series of women that just might be unhappy future versions of her. “Hypnotwist” is like Alice in Wonderland slammed into that strange afterlife dimension in the film Beetlejuice (1988). I just wrote that Gilbert’s work is eccentric and literate; “Hypnotwist” is firmly eccentric. It is visually interesting, if for no other reason than Gilbert’s amazingly imaginative and splendidly drawn compositions.

Jaime’s “Ti-Girls Adventures” is divided into two, 25-page sections that begin and end New Stories #2. The lead character, Boot Angel, learns more lessons about being a super-heroine, including that it is a hard and dangerous rather than glamorous life. Along the way, she ends up in the middle of fight between battling super women, both villains and heroes. The big showdown involves Penny Century and unexpectedly takes place in classic L&R character, Maggie’s tiny one-bedroom apartment. We even get a history of the Ti-Girls organization and an explanation of super powers a.k.a. “the Gift.”

I never forget how fun it is to read a Jaime Hernandez comic book. I think that he has consistently been the best comic book artist in North America (or at least on the shortlist) for the last quarter century. He hasn’t lost a step in his drawing hand (or on the drawing side of his brain). He remains a master of black and white comic book art – the best since the late Alex Toth.

What did surprise me was how enjoyable “Ti-Girls Adventures” was, simply because it was silly and crazy, but also thoughtful like an old Stan Lee-scripted Spider-Man story. This is quasi-superhero storytelling that is so unique that it would probably be considered too outsider when compared to current superhero comics. However, the kind of energy, thinking, and imagination Jaime put into the visual storytelling (both script and art) in “Ti-Girls Adventures’” has largely been unseen since the heyday of Stan Lee/Jack Kirby Marvel.

Love and Rockets: New Stories #2 reminds us, as the first issue did, that comic books from the Hernandez Brothers are always a welcome thing. A year may be a long wait, but when it comes to Los Bros’ coolness and greatness, time is neutral. I can always reread this and enjoy it just as much as I did the first time.

A-

Kurozakuro: The Final Volume

I read Kurozakuro, Vol. 7

I posted a review at the Comic Book Bin.

Review: LOVE AND ROCKETS: New Stories #1

LOVE AND ROCKETS: NEW STORIES #1
FANTAGRAPHICS BOOKS

WRITERS: Gilbert Hernandez, Jaime Hernandez, Mario Hernandez
ARTISTS: Gilbert Hernandez, Jaime Hernandez
COVER: Jaime Hernandez
ISBN: 978-1-56097-951-7; paperback
104pp, B&W (with some color), $14.99 U.S.

Love and Rockets: New Stories #1 is the third incarnation of Love and Rockets, the best American comic book ever, rebooting this phenomenal comic as an annual graphic novel length package. Why do this? The publisher, Fantagraphics Books, has been gearing their business towards book and graphic novel publishing since the 1990s, and like Fantagraphics acclaimed anthology, Mome, this book/literary magazine format is designed for bookstore shelves and sales.

Other than the format change, everything is the same; cartoonist brothers Gilbert Hernandez and Jaime Hernandez will continue to create their unique comics visions, with brother Mario Hernandez collaborating with Gilbert as a writer on a story or two.

Along with Howard Chaykin’s American Flagg, Love and Rockets was the most influential comic book to come out of independent comic book publishing in the early 1980s. The magazine-sized comic book, featuring the work of brothers Gilbert, Jaime, and (sometimes) Mario Hernandez, ran for 50 issues, ceasing publication in 1996. The title returned as Love and Rockets, Volume II in 2001, running for 20 issues until 2007.

Jaime launches Love and Rockets: New Stories with a super-hero yarn. A serialized graphic novel, Ti-Girls Adventures Number 34 doesn’t focus on signature Jaime character, Maggie, but on Maggie’s neighbor, Angel, and Maggie’s longtime friend, the celebrated Penny Century. Penny has finally realized her longtime dream of acquiring superpowers, but at a terrible personal cost. As Penny rampages through the galaxy, half mad with grief, a motley and varied group of eccentric female superheroes plot to stop her. Angel, herself a superhero, acts as the narrative’s center, with supporting characters: the screwy Russian badass babe, Alarma Kraktovilova (another neighbor of Maggie’s), Golden Girl, and Espectra. The latter two were members of the Ti-Girls, a 1960s and 70s superhero group formed by women who were rejected from other teams.

The epic-length 50-page Ti-Girls Adventures Number 34 (apparently the first half of this story) recalls Jaime’s early work, as seen in the original Love and Rockets. Those comix were a combination of screwball, B-movie science fiction and two-fisted Jack Kirby-style superhero action with a side of comedy. The difference here is that the potential Jaime showed then as an illustrator has been met, surpassed, and then some. This graphic novel does drag a little, but Jaime’s ability to mix genuine human emotion with kooky fantasy, both in his razor-sharp dialogue and supreme black and white drawings, surpasses any lapses in pace. The subtle shifts in Espectra’s facial expressions and her body language are like a tapestry revealing the mental and spiritual state of late middle-aged woman who has seen better days. Jaime’s achievement in Espectra is the way he can also show how steady and resolute she is in a very crazy world. She’s still a hero even if her life has seen better days.

Gilbert Hernandez is creative and prolific, and sometimes explodes on comic book fans with a flurry of releases across multiple publishers over the period of a year or so. Here, he also returns, in a sense, to his early work. Gilbert has always tackled deeper spiritual, philosophical, and societal issues in his work, but the seven stand-alone stories here recapture the rawness or perhaps a sense of newness of the first few years of his Love and Rockets work. Like the old, this new material is a mixture of B-movie sci-fi comedy, stoicism, surrealism, and social farce.

“Papa” is a turn-of-the-century story involving a traveling businessman (which reads like Cormac McCarthy). “The New Adventures of Duke and Sammy” features a pair of stage comics who are a cheap copy of Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis in a story that’s like one of those corny Three Stooges sci-fi/fantasy movies. Of all these stories, the best is “Chiro El Indio,” written by Mario. It deals with a lowdown attempt to steal some valuable land belonging to a crazy Indian couple. “Chiro” reads like it could be turned into one of those great Latin American movies that foreign film fans and Oscar love so much (Y Tu Mama Tambien).

This isn’t stellar work by the Hernandez Brothers, considering the chunky body of stellar work that they’ve produced over a quarter century. What is good about Love and Rockets: New Stories, however, is that it throws readers and fans a curve. Just what are Los Bros. going to do now? By going back to their early styles, in essence, they’ve allowed themselves a re-launch or at least a chance to throw many surprises at our expectations. Whatever they choose to do, it’ll still be the most interesting comics coming from America’s most literate, experimental, and adventurous comic book creators.

A-

Small Press Art Show at Fantagraphics Bookstore November 12th

Short Run exhibition at Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery on November 12th

Features small press comics and art by emerging regional artists.

In this age of ubiquitous digital media and gadget fatigue, it’s refreshing to find a community of artists working with their hands to produce tactile works of art on paper. Such is the case with the young cartoonists in the Short Run exhibition at Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery in Seattle. This art party on Saturday, November 12 from 6:00 to 9:00 PM follows the Short Run Small Press Fest at the Vera Project at the Seattle Center earlier that day.

The Short Run art show, curated by Kelly Froh, features original comix art, illustration and book works by Max Clotfelter, Patrick Keck, Martine Workman, Elaine Lin, Jason T. Miles, Chris Cilla, Andrice Arp, Tim Root, Billis Helg, Marc Palm, Eroyn Franklin, Tom Van Deusen, Tim Miller, Tory Franklin, Jesse Reklaw, Sean Christensen, and Erin Tanner. A selection of publications by these, and other local artists, will also be available.

The public is invited to meet these remarkable artists at a festive reception on Saturday, November 12 at 6:00 PM. Entertainment will be provided by DJ/musician “Brainfruit.” This event coincides with the colorful Georgetown Art Attack featuring visual and performing arts presentations throughout the historic arts community.

Listing Information:
SHORT RUN: Small Press Fest After-Party & Art Show

Featuring artwork from Max Clotfelter, Patrick Keck, Martine Workman, Elaine Lin, Jason T. Miles, Chris Cilla, Andrice Arp, Tim Root, Billis Helg, Marc Palm, Eroyn Franklin, Tom Van Deusen, Tim Miller, Tory Franklin, Jesse Reklaw, Sean Christensen, and Erin Tanner. Curated by Kelly Froh

Saturday, November 12, 6:00 – 9:00 P M. Show continues through December 10, 2011

Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery. 1201 S. Vale Street (at Airport Way S.) Seattle. 206.658.0110. Open daily 11:30 to 8:00 PM, Sundays until 5:00 PM