Rasetsu the Final Volume

I read Rasetsu, Vol. 9

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

Library Wars the Phony Do-Gooders

I read Library Wars: Love & War, Vol. 5

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

Leroy Douresseaux on HATE ANNUAL #9

HATE ANNUAL #9
FANTAGRAPHICS BOOKS

CARTOONIST: Peter Bagge
COLORS: Joanne Bagge
28pp, Color, $4.95

It’s one of my favorite times of the year, whenever it is that it happens during the year. It’s time for our annual dose of Hate because the new Hate Annual is out!

Hate Annual #9 opens to find Buddy Bradley and his wife, Lisa Leavenworth-Bradley, enjoying the American dream… or some off-kilter, but nonetheless sweet version of it. In “Heaven,” Buddy is a thriving businessman with Buddy & Jay’s Scrap Metal Emporium, a business he owns with his pal, Jay. Lisa is happy (or as happy as she is capable of being) and their son, Harold, is a thriving, red-bloodied American boy.

Next up is “Hell,” which depicts a trip to Seattle to visit Lisa’s parents. They find Alzheimer’s disease, cancer, perverted relatives, swinging neighbors, a shady “brother,” and more dysfunction than the law should allow. Plus, Bagge takes on the modern state of the state in “The Home of the Brave,” and he gives readers the all-you-need-to-know about Belgium in “Stuff I Know About Belgium.”

Readers needing their Peter Bagge and/or Hate fix will always get it, to some degree, in the Hate Annual. Hate Annual #9, however, is one of the better editions, and that’s probably because of what Bagge presents here. “Heaven” and “Hell” appeases by giving us a peak at what’s going on in Buddy’s life right now, but we also get a hefty narrative that gives us something akin to the classic madness that was Buddy and Lisa’s life in Seattle.

“Heaven” is fluffy and sweet, and I must admit to being happy that Buddy is happy and doing fairly well. “Hell” offers what Bagge has always been good at – character writing. He can nail down a character in just a few panels, so even bit players can have a major impact in shaping the story. The “Hell” installment of Buddy and Lisa Bradley’s adventures is simply good stuff and makes me miss Hate even more.

Meanwhile, Bagge’s sharp wit and knack for social commentary and criticism (one of the hallmarks of the original Hate) is evident in “The Home of the Brave.” In eight single-panel cartoons, Bagge skewers the attitudes born of our past decade of hatreds and fears. Bagge can spin satirical gold and poke fun at our national nightmare as well as people paid much more than him for doing it (John Stewart, Stephen Colbert).

A

June Reads You

Happy Juneteenth!  Welcome to I Reads You, my blog about the things I read (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).

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

DC Comics from Diamond Distributors for June 1 2011

DC COMICS

APR110172 ADVENTURE COMICS #527 $2.99

APR110160 BATMAN BEYOND #6 $2.99

APR110189 DC COMICS PRESENTS SUPERMAN INFESTATION #1 $7.99

APR110144 DC UNIVERSE ONLINE LEGENDS #9 $2.99

APR110101 FLASHPOINT #2 $3.99

APR110110 FLASHPOINT ABIN SUR THE GREEN LANTERN #1 (OF 3) $2.99

APR110106 FLASHPOINT BATMAN KNIGHT OF VENGEANCE #1 (OF 3) $2.99

APR110108 FLASHPOINT SECRET SEVEN #1 (OF 3) $2.99

APR110112 FLASHPOINT THE WORLD OF FLASHPOINT #1 (OF 3) $2.99

MAR118259 GREEN LANTERN #64 2ND PTG (WAR OF GL) $2.99

MAR118263 GREEN LANTERN CORPS #58 2ND PTG (WAR OF GL) $2.99

MAR118261 GREEN LANTERN EMERALD WARRIORS #8 2ND PTG (WAR OF GL) $2.99

MAR110403 GREEN LANTERN MOVIE HAL JORDAN BUST $85.00

MAR110402 GREEN LANTERN MOVIE SINESTRO BUST $85.00

NOV100299 GREEN LANTERN REBIRTH COLLECTORS SET $45.00

OCT100342 HEROES OF THE DCU BLACK LANTERN BATMAN BUST $70.00

APR110241 HOUSE OF MYSTERY #38 (MR) $2.99

APR110250 IZOMBIE #14 (MR) $2.99

APR110176 JONAH HEX #68 $2.99

APR110225 LOONEY TUNES #199 $2.99

FEB110210 PLANETARY BATMAN DELUXE HC $22.99

APR110226 SCOOBY DOO WHERE ARE YOU #10 $2.99

APR110181 SECRET SIX #34 $2.99

APR110184 STATIC SHOCK SPECIAL #1 $2.99

MAR110390 STUCK RUBBER BABY SC NEW EDITION (MR) $17.99

APR110167 SUPERBOY #8 $2.99

MAR110347 SUPERMAN NEW KRYPTON TP VOL 04 $17.99

APR110252 SWEET TOOTH #22 (MR) $2.99

APR110183 WEIRD WORLDS #6 (OF 6) $3.99

MAR110315 WONDER WOMAN #611 $2.99

FEB110205 WONDER WOMAN HC VOL 01 ODYSSEY $22.99

Marvel Comics from Diamond Distributors for June 1 2011

MARVEL COMICS

APR110595 AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #663 $3.99

APR110632 ASTONISHING X-MEN #39 $3.99

APR110576 AVENGERS ACADEMY #14 POINT ONE $2.99

APR110604 AVENGERS THOR CAPTAIN AMERICA OFF INDEX MU #14 $3.99

DEC100649 CAPTAIN AMERICA SERVE AND PROTECT PREM HC $24.99

DEC100650 CAPTAIN AMERICA SERVE AND PROTECT PREM HC DM VAR ED 65 $24.99

MAR110770 CAPTAIN BRITAIN HC VOL 01 BIRTH OF LEGEND $39.99

APR110668 CRIMINAL LAST OF INNOCENT #1 (OF 4) (MR) $3.50

APR110559 DARK TOWER GUNSLINGER BATTLE OF TULL #1 (OF 5) $3.99

APR110736 DEADPOOL CLASSIC TP VOL 05 $29.99

APR110739 ESSENTIAL X-FACTOR TP VOL 01 NEW ED $19.99

APR110534 FEAR ITSELF #3 (OF 7) FEAR $3.99

APR110544 FEAR ITSELF DEEP #1 (OF 4) FEAR $2.99

APR110546 HERC #4 FEAR $2.99

APR110625 HEROES FOR HIRE #8 $2.99

APR110586 HULK #34 $2.99

MAR118209 INVINCIBLE IRON MAN #503 2ND PTG LARROCA VAR FEAR (PP #969) $3.99

MAR110794 IRON MAN WAR OF IRON MEN TP $16.99

MAR110695 MARVEL ZOMBIE CHRISTMAS CAROL #1 (OF 5) $3.99

APR110622 MOON KNIGHT #2 $3.99

DEC100644 NEW AVENGERS HC VOL 06 $29.99

APR110732 OSBORN TP EVIL INCARCERATED $16.99

APR110562 OZMA OF OZ #7 (OF 8) $3.99

APR110626 SHIELD #1 $3.99

APR110599 SPIDER-MAN POWER COMES RESPONSIBILITY #3 (OF 7) $3.99

APR110690 THOR TP THUNDERSTRIKE $24.99

APR110554 THUNDERBOLTS #158 FEAR $2.99

APR110657 UNCANNY X-FORCE #11 $3.99

APR110654 WOLVERINE HERCULES MYTHS MONSTERS AND MUTANTS #4 (OF 4) $2.99

APR110649 X-23 #11 $2.99

APR110659 X-FACTOR #220 $2.99

APR110642 X-MEN #12 $3.99

APR110641 X-MEN GREAT POWER #1 $4.99

APR110697 X-MEN TO SERVE AND PROTECT TP $14.99

IDW from Diamond Distributors for June 1 2011

IDW PUBLISHING

APR110354 30 DAYS OF NIGHT NIGHT AGAIN #2 (OF 4) $3.99

APR110371 DOCTOR WHO CLASSICS #5 SEVENTH DOCTOR $3.99

APR110343 GI JOE VOL 2 ONGOING #2 $3.99

APR110303 JURASSIC PARK TP DEVILS IN THE DESERT $17.99

APR110389 SUICIDE FOREST TP $17.99

APR110313 TRANSFORMERS ONGOING #20 $3.99

APR110376 WYNONNA EARP YETI WARS #2 $3.99