#IReadsYou Review: TIME BOMB #3

TIME BOMB #3

 

RADICAL PUBLISHING

CREATORS/WRITERS: Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray

ART: Paul Gulacy
COLORS: Rain Beredo
LETTERS: John J. Hill
COVER: Paul Gulacy and Rain Beredo
56pp, Color, $4.99

Time Bomb is a science fiction comic book created and written by Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray (Jonah Hex, Power Girl) and drawn by still-going-strong industry veteran, Paul Gulacy. The series opens in the year 2012 and finds that the human race has 72 hours to live! Why? The Omega Bomb, a relic of Nazi Germany, was accidentally launched, unleashing a horrible virus.

Jack McCrea, team leader; Ken Weinhauser, tech-ops specialist; Peggy Medina, deadly science expert; and Christian Grainger, strategist are four specialists assigned by the New World Order to save the world. They are sent back in time and their target is the day before the bomb was discovered, in an attempt to prevent the disaster. However, the Time Bomb sends them back seven decades earlier and drops them in the heart of Germany towards the end of World War II.

In Time Bomb #3, the mission to save the world comes to an explosive conclusion. Jack and a lovely double agent are imprisoned in the underground bunker where the Omega Bomb sits. Jack is also about to learn the shocking true identity of the Omega Bomb’s sinister creator. Meanwhile, Ken, Peggy, and Christian make an attempt to rescue Jack, but their own freedom is also in jeopardy. And a legendary player enters the game.

One can praise Time Bomb for being consistently good, but what it was consistent at was being freaking good. If I could describe the speed at which I read this to driving, that comparison would be that I read Time Bomb #3 at breakneck speed. It’s easily one of the very best comic books of the year, and it is certainly way better as an action comic book than many films were as action movies. Also, with his excellent art for this series, Paul Gulacy proves that after four decades drawing comic books, he is still at the top of his game, which is above many other artists’ games.

A+

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New Shonen Jump Not Quite the Old Shonen Jump

VIZ MEDIA’S SHONEN JUMP MAGAZINE EVOLVES FOR 2011 WITH A FRESH NEW LOOK AND EXPANDED PRINT AND ONLINE CONTENT

 

North America’s Most Popular Manga Monthly Begins The Year With Plenty Of New Upgrades Fans Won’t Want To Miss

VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), one of the entertainment industry’s most innovative and comprehensive publishing, animation and licensing companies, announces the relaunch of its popular SHONEN JUMP monthly manga (graphic novel) magazine, and also grows the publication’s online presence. Beginning with the January 2011 issue, available now from retailers, SHONEN JUMP magazine welcomes the new decade with a fresh, contemporary look, and expanded print and web content.

As part of this upgrade, the magazine also launches several new subscriber-only initiatives on the SHONEN JUMP website at: www.ShonenJump.com. Among these features will be digital subscriber-only premiums and content, as well as the debut of a brand new manga series, NURA: RISE OF THE YOKAI CLAN (rated ‘T’ for Teens) that will be serialized online. This will be SHONEN JUMP’s first title to be serialized digitally on ShonenJump.com.

For its print counterpart, SHONEN JUMP, which continues to be the best-selling manga anthology in North America, debuts 2 new series - the science fiction thriller, PSYREN, and fan favorite YU-GI-OH! 5D’S. As a special treat to both current and new readers, the January 2011 issue will also include a free YU-GI-OH! trading card, The Winged Dragon of Ra, printed with the autograph of original YU-GI-OH! creator Kazuki Takahashi. These titles join other current monthly SHONEN JUMP series, BLEACH, NARUTO and ONE PIECE.

Manga previews are a cornerstone of SHONEN JUMP coverage and this will continue with newly expanded sneak peeks, both online and in print, starting with massive online manga previews of popular series TORIKO and BAKUMAN｡. VIZ Media also plans to deliver plenty of fan appreciation throughout 2011 with a variety of contests, sweepstakes and inside information about the exciting and ever-changing world of manga and anime.

“Paying careful attention to all the input from our loyal fans, the SHONEN JUMP team has revamped the magazine, keeping what devotees already know and love and adding in more awesome stuff than before!” says Christopher Boily, Editor-in-Chief. “The world of media and comics is changing and we’re excited to explore the opportunities that now exist for the magazine and our manga. New series like NURA and PSYREN will fit in right alongside NARUTO and BLEACH to create the best manga mix we’ve ever had, both in print and online. And the new look and feel of the magazine is exactly what our fans have been asking us for!”

For more information on SHONEN JUMP Magazine and other Shonen Jump titles, please visit http://www.shonenjump.com/.

Mark Texeira Sketchbook Now Available

Press release:

 

"Mark Texeira: Nigthmares and Daydreams" Sketchbook

 

From Master Illustrator, Mark Texeira, take a journey on the dark side as we explore many of Mark's covers and sketches with a decidedly "bent" viewpoint--from his creator-owned character Pscythe, to monsters and babes--full of brawn and beauty-- this is volume doesn't repeat any art appearing in any other retrospective. A must have for any fan of fine art! And, who knows, you might even find a few of the cast showing up in your own slumberland. Great for Halloween and Beyond!

Artist(s): Mark Texeira
Bio notes: Renee Witterstaetter
Hardcover Full Color 48 Pages

Signed Edition:ISBN: 978-1-4507-1734-2
$39.99

Sketch Edition:ISBN: 978-1-4507-1735-9
$150.
(Featuring an original sketch by Mark Texeira)

I Reads You Review: KUROZAKURO, VOL. 1

Creators: Yoshinori Natsume with Camellia Nieh (translation)

Publishing Information: VIZ Media, B&W, paperback, 200 pages, $9.99 U.S., $12.99 CAN

Ordering Numbers: ISBN: 978-1-4215-3659-0 (ISBN-13)

Rated “T+” for “Older Teen”

Kurozakuro is a shonen manga from Yoshinori Natsume, the creator of the manga, Togari, and the writer/artist of Batman: Death Mask. Kurozakuro is about a boy who is bullied in school until fate brings him strange, new, and even dangerous powers.

In Kurozakuro, Vol. 1, readers meet Mikito Sakurai, the school punching bag for all the delinquents on campus, who also manage to enrich themselves with Mikito’s allowance. The gentle and easygoing high school student does not feel like a victim, but soon, his tormentors will be his victim. After swallowing a mysterious orb, Mikito meets Zakuro, a strange kid who offers to grant Mikito’s most heartfelt desire. When he chooses being stronger, Mikito inadvertently changes his life, but he also endangers his own life and the lives of all those around him.

This will sound strange, but the whole time I read Kurozakuro I kept thinking about Steve Ditko. It is as if Natsume borrowed from Ditko comics or were inspired by them. The trials and tribulations of Mikito as a bullied kid are reminiscent of Stan Lee and Steve Ditko’s Peter Parker of The Amazing Spider-Man, especially the early issues. The swallowing of the orb to gain powers is similar to Ditko’s DC Comics’ character, The Creeper, as is the design of the ogre child, Zakuro. The parts of the story that take place in Mikito’s dreams and the design of the ogres recall the visuals and graphics Ditko used in his Doctor Strange comics.

Beyond that, this is an excellent monster and quasi-superhero comic. It’s fun to read, and it has this dark, urban fantasy vibe this is quite attractive. Right now, it seems like a shonen manga to watch.

A-

Image to Release Comic Based on Metal Band, The Kill Corps

THE KILL CORPS SENT TO HELL IN 2011

Metal Band Debuts Comic Book And Album

SoCal metal band The Kill Corps is set to unleash its powerful debut album on Virgin Records in the summer of 2011. In bloody juxtaposition, they will bring their incendiary music to comics with the release of THE KILL CORPS, a one-shot from Image Comics that will hit shelves in March 2011.

Inspired by the music of The Kill Corps, a seasoned team of comic pros is behind the book: Award-winning comics scribe JIM KRUEGER (Earth X, X-Men) pens the enthralling tale, while Eisner Award winner BEN TEMPLESMITH (CHOKER, 30 Days of Night) and Society of Illustrator Award winner DENNIS CALERO (Cowboys & Aliens, Legion of Superheroes) provide the art and cover.

Marking the first time a band and music will be unveiled within a comic, the book will see release in two formats. The 32-page version includes a download code for the band's first single, "Save Me." The expanded 48-page version includes a download code for the four-track self-titled EP ("Save Me," "Sticks and Stones," "Crash Burn Die," and "Cannibal Romance"), concept art, and bonus images from Templesmith and Calero.

The band's ferocious debut from Virgin/EMI delivers brain-crushing drumming and mind-numbing guitar riffage, providing the soundtrack to The Kill Corps' blood-soaked tales. The vicious story behind the comic is born from The Kill Corps' notorious live show experience and gut-punishing debut album. Calero adds, "The Kill Corps' music is a demon straight from hell, snuggling up against you, wanting to tell you a secret, then screaming in your ear."

THE KILL CORPS follows a team of mercenaries who unwillingly become the instruments of destruction in an evil deity's plot to dominate mankind. Transported to a war-torn Hell dimension, the team must fight their way through every brutal era in human history to gain their freedom and save humanity.

"I rarely get the opportunity to go as dark and crazy as I did on Kill Corps," explains Krueger. "If I were you, I would check this out with an extra pair of pants handy, ‘cause it'll scare the $#!+ out of you!"

THE KILL CORPS, a full-color one-shot from Image Comics, will be on shelves March 16, 2011, in two formats: a 32-page version for $2.99 that features a download code for the band's first single and a 48-page version for $5.99 that features a download code for the band's four-song EP.

The Kill Corps' single and self-titled four-song EP will also be available for purchase separately from the comic book beginning March 15, 2011, on iTunes, Amazon and all other DSPs.


Image Comics is a comic book and graphic novel publisher founded in 1992 by a collective of best-selling artists. Image has since gone on to become one of the largest comics publishers in the United States. Image currently has five partners: Robert Kirkman, Erik Larsen, Todd McFarlane, Marc Silvestri and Jim Valentino. It consists of five major houses: Todd McFarlane Productions, Top Cow Productions, Shadowline, Skybound and Image Central. Image publishes comics and graphic novels in nearly every genre, sub-genre, and style imaginable. It offers science fiction, romance, horror, crime fiction, historical fiction, humor and more by the finest artists and writers working in the medium today. For more information, visit http://www.imagecomics.com/.

House of Five Leaves History

I read House of Five Leaves, Vol. 2

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

I Reads You Review: TONOHARU: PART TWO

Creator: Lars Martinson

Publishing Information: Pliant Press, hardcover, 2-color, 160pp, $19.95 (US)

Ordering Numbers: ISBN: 978-9801023-3-8 (ISBN-13)

Tōnoharu is a graphic novel series written and illustrated by Lars Martinson. The series follows the adventures of Daniel “Dan” Wells, a young American college graduate who moves to rural Japan to work as an assistant English teacher. Although there are other “foreigners” in the village of Tōnoharu, where Dan lives and works at the local school, he has a difficult time connecting with this expatriate community. Dan eventually meets Constance, a young American woman he likes very much, but she teaches in another town and seems to already have a boyfriend.

As Tōnoharu: Part Two opens, Dan has settled into his life as an assistant junior high school teacher. However, language and cultural barriers have isolated Dan from those around him, and his hopes for a relationship with Constance are dashed when he meets her boyfriend (of sorts), John Darley. Dan’s social life gets a big shakeup when he befriends Steven, an American working in Japan as an accountant. Steven is something of a Casanova, but with his encouragement, Dan does begin a relationship with another woman. Are these new relationships beneficial or detrimental?

While his narrative seems, on the surface, to be a quiet, sedate drama, Martinson makes sure that Tōnoharu burns on the fuel of relationship drama. Scenes that begin quietly suddenly pop with conflict and confrontation or even the exaltations of lovemaking. Martin finds energy simply in the humanity of his characters.

Martinson tells this story in graphics that he composes with tight crosshatching, art that can be compared to woodblock prints. It creates a texture that accentuates this narrative’s subdued emotional power. Tōnoharu’s unabashed love of human drama and relations, however, isn’t subdued, which is why Tōnoharu: Part Two, like the first book, is both a unique and engaging read.

A-