Comics and Magazines from Diamond Distributors for June 15 2011

COMICS

APR110861 28 DAYS LATER #24 $3.99

APR111056 AL WILLIAMSON ARCHIVES SC VOL 02 $19.95

MAR111243 AMNESIA LABYRINTH GN VOL 02 (MR) $10.99

MAR111153 ANYAS GHOST GN $15.99

APR110785 ARCHIE & FRIENDS #156 $2.99

APR110786 ARCHIE & FRIENDS DOUBLE DIGEST #6 $3.99

MAR111154 ASTRONAUT ACADEMY ZERO GRAVITY GN $9.99

MAR111092 BAD TEACHERS EQUATION GN VOL 01 (MR) $19.95

MAR111098 BLUE SHEEP REVERIE GN VOL 04 (MR) $12.95

MAR111091 BORDER GN VOL 01 (MR) $12.95

MAR111096 BUTTERFLY O/T DISTANT DAY GN (MR) $12.95

MAR111244 CERTAIN SCIENTIFIC RAILGUN GN VOL 01 $10.99

JAN111144 CORNBOY GN $12.99

FEB110791 CROSSED PSYCHOPATH #3 (OF 6) (MR) $3.99

FEB110792 CROSSED PSYCHOPATH #3 (OF 6) TORTURE CVR (MR) $3.99

FEB110793 CROSSED PSYCHOPATH #3 (OF 6) WRAP CVR (MR) $3.99

APR110896 DARKWING DUCK #13 $3.99

MAR111127 DF AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #657 ROMITA SR SGN ED $69.99

MAR111125 DF FANTASTIC FOUR #587 EPTING SGN ED $29.99

MAR111124 DF FANTASTIC FOUR #587 QUESADA SGN ED $69.99

DEC100946 DF FANTASTIC FOUR #588 STAN LEE SGN ED PI

FEB111028 DF GRIMM MYTHS & LEGENDS #4 EXC CVR $10.00

MAR111119 DF KIRBY GENESIS #0 ROSS EXC CVR $10.00

FEB111021 DF TRUE BLOOD TAINTED #3 EXC CVR $9.99

FEB111020 DF VAMPIRELLA #1 MIDTOWN EXC CVR $10.00

MAR111112 DF VAMPIRELLA SCARLET LEGION #1 CAMPBELL RED EXC $8.99

APR110924 DUSK SOCIETY CAMPFIRE GN $11.99

APR110811 EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT IRIS VOL 2 #0 CVR A FRANCISCO $2.50

APR110812 EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT IRIS VOL 2 #0 CVR B GUNNELL $2.50

MAR110930 FAME RYAN REYNOLDS $3.99

MAR110931 FEMALE FORCE AYN RAND $3.99

APR111250 GFT MYTHS & LEGENDS #6 $2.99

APR111251 GFT MYTHS & LEGENDS #6 $2.99

MAR110838 GOLD DIGGER #129 $3.99

MAR111060 GREEN HORNET #16 $3.99

APR110875 INCORRUPTIBLE TP VOL 04 $16.99

APR110933 KIRBY GENESIS #1 $3.99

MAR111097 KIZUNA GN VOL 03 DLX ED (MR) $19.95

APR110919 LADY DEATH (ONGOING) #1 BAD WATERS $9.99

APR110916 LADY DEATH (ONGOING) #6 (MR) $3.99

APR110917 LADY DEATH (ONGOING) #6 WRAP CVR (MR) $3.99

MAR111155 LEVEL UP GN $15.99

APR110882 MALIGNANT MAN #3 (OF 4) $3.99

MAR111094 MEN OF TATTOOS GN (MR) $12.95

APR110906 MICKEY MOUSE #309 $3.99

JAN110990 NIGHT O/T LIVING DEAD #1-5 BAG SET (MR) $19.99

MAR110935 ORBIT STEPHEN KING (ONE SHOT) $3.99

FEB110982 PATRICIA BRIGGS MERCY THOMPSON MOON CALLED #7 $3.99

APR110839 PENNY FOR YOUR SOUL #7 (OF 7) (MR) $3.50

MAR111093 RABBIT MAN TIGER MAN GN VOL 01 (MR) $12.95

APR110977 RED SONJA BLUE ONE SHOT $4.99

APR110857 SIMPSONS COMICS #179 $2.99

MAR111216 SIXTH GUN TP VOL 02 $19.99

APR110799 SONIC UNIVERSE #29 $2.99

APR110886 STAN LEE SOLDIER ZERO #9 $3.99

DEC100723 TO FIGHT W/ MONSTERS ONE-SHOT (MR) $3.99

MAR111329 TORIKO GN VOL 05 $9.99

APR110946 VAMPIRELLA MASTERS SERIES TP VOL 04 VISIONARIES $16.99

APR110954 WARLORD OF MARS DEJAH THORIS #4 $3.99

APR110749 WELCOME TO ODDVILLE HC $14.95

FEB111037 XENOZOIC COMPLETE COLL TP NEW PTG $39.95

MAGAZINES
APR111728 COLOR INK DIY ART PERIODICAL VOL 10 $10.00
MAR111407 DR WHO INSIDER MAGAZINE #3 $6.99
FEB111277 DR WHO MAGAZINE #434 $8.99
MAR111422 RUE MORGUE MAGAZINE #112 $9.95
APR111148 STAR WARS CLONE WARS MAGAZINE #5 $4.99

Naruto the (Fan Film) Movie

The Comic Book Bin posted this popular Naruto fan film: http://www.comicbookbin.com/fanfilm587.html

Afterschool Charisma: Attack of the Clones

I read Afterschool Charisma, Vol. 3

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

Leroy Douresseaux on CONAN: ISLAND OF NO RETURN #1

CONAN: ISLAND OF NO RETURN #1 (OF 2)
DARK HORSE COMICS

WRITER: Ron Marz
PENCILS: Bart Sears
INKS: Randy Elliot
COLORS: Mark Roberts
LETTERS: Troy Peteri
COVER: Michael Kutsche
32pp, Color, $3.50

I have not read a new Conan comic book since 1994 when I read Conan vs. Rune (Marvel Comics). Since then, I’ve read a few original Conan works by the character’s creator, Robert E. Howard, including Howard’s only full-length Conan novel, The Hour of the Dragon (1935). Now, I’ve just read a comic book that makes me want to return to reading Conan the way I did as I teenager – monthly.

Conan: Island of No Return is a two-issue miniseries from Dark Horse Comics. According to the publisher, it is an interlude to the main series, Conan: Road of Kings.

As Conan: Island of No Return #1 begins, Conan the Cimmerian (Barbarian and Thief) has just been fired as a bodyguard for… dereliction of duty? On the run from a cadre of guards, the half-sisters, Brenna and Venya, who are also thieves aid Conan. They just so happen to be in need of a strong back to help them with an upcoming treasure hunt.

Their destination is a small, jagged island and an abandoned cliff-top castle, where the treasure hoard of the late Prince Mikkinos lies deep in the bowels of the ruins of his palace. In order to help the sisters, not only must Conan scale sheer cliffs, but he must also deal with a haunted island.

While it may be a brief interlude to the main Conan storylines (as well being a break from the main series for the publisher), Conan: Island of No Return is an action-packed short story. It offers what many Conan tales usually have – beautiful women, haunted treasure spots, and Conan on a heist with shifty allies, plus it is a rippin’ read.

The script, written by Ron Marz, is efficient and powerful, with each panel a sharp jab that keeps this fast moving tale… well, moving fast. Bart Sears’ sinewy pencils capture the sharp edges in both plot and character motivation, as well as encapsulating Conan’s brawny physique and cat-like grace. Randy Elliot’s heavy inks have mixed results over Sears’ art and the coloring is merely acceptable, while Michael Kutsche’s cover is quite good. I can’t wait for the conclusion.

A-

Bakuman Yearbook and Photobook

I read Bakuman., Vol. 5

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

Valiant Entertainment Hires Former Wizard and Marvel Employees

VALIANT EXPANDS MANAGEMENT TEAM; PREVIOUS WIZARD PRESIDENT BECOMES PUBLISHER AND CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED FORMER MARVEL EDITOR BECOMES EXECUTIVE EDITOR

Company Taps Highly Accomplished Industry Figures Fred Pierce and Warren Simons

New York, NY, June 9, 2011 – Valiant Entertainment, the character-based entertainment company with more than 1,500 characters in its library, today announced the further expansion of its management team. Former Wizard Entertainment President Fred Pierce has been appointed Publisher and critically acclaimed former Marvel Editor Warren Simons has been appointed Vice President - Executive Editor of Valiant. They join Peter Cuneo, the former Marvel CEO and Vice Chairman, who was recently appointed Chairman of Valiant.

During a distinguished career in the comic book industry, Pierce has served as a senior leader of two major companies guiding them to huge success during his tenure. He was a key member of the management team of the original Valiant as Vice President of Operations and Manufacturing during its period of unprecedented growth. At Valiant, he was actively involved in all aspects of the company and was instrumental in building it into the third largest company in the industry after only Marvel Entertainment and DC Entertainment until its successful sale to video game company Acclaim Entertainment in 1994.

Following Valiant’s sale to Acclaim, Pierce was appointed President and COO of Wizard Entertainment, the leading comic and pop culture magazine and convention company.

While leading Wizard for 14 years in this position, Pierce helped grow the company from a single entertainment magazine to a line of entertainment magazines, each of which was dominant in their respective industries, including Wizard, ToyFare, InQuest and Anime Insider. He was also responsible for starting Wizard World conventions in a number of locations, such as Chicago (the second largest comic and pop culture convention behind the San Diego Comic Con), Los Angeles, Philadelphia and Dallas. Pierce guided the company into profitability in his first two years and then led a decade of unrivaled growth before leaving Wizard in 2008 to join printing company The Ensig Group as President. He now joins Valiant as Publisher.

“Fred is a highly successful publisher who played an important role in Valiant’s history. I’m pleased to have him back at Valiant to give him the special opportunity to rebuild the legacy he helped create,” said Jason Kothari, CEO of Valiant Entertainment.

“Valiant has been quietly putting the key building blocks in place for a major reemergence in the entertainment industry. I’m very excited to be a part of it,” said Fred Pierce. “I’m proud of what we accomplished at the original Valiant and the opportunity to be back allows me to come full circle, making this very important to me.”

One of the most critically acclaimed editors in the industry, Warren Simons is an expert at revitalizing classic characters to large creative and commercial success in today’s market. During his seven years at Marvel, he relaunched or edited some of the industry’s most iconic characters and titles, including The Invincible Iron Man, Spider-Man, Thor, Daredevil, and The Immortal Iron Fist. Simons’ books were frequently best-sellers and were nominated for 11 Eisner Awards and 10 Harvey Awards.

Simons played a major role in discovering new creative talents and revitalizing some of Marvel’s most prominent characters, including overseeing the relaunch of The Invincible Iron Man, the 2009 Eisner award-winner for Best New Series, and the relaunch of Thor, the 2009 Eisner nominee for Best Ongoing Series. Simons oversaw the comic book redesign of Thor in advance of the hit Marvel Studios movie.

“I’m excited to announce Warren as Valiant’s Executive Editor,” said Jason Kothari. “Warren is an expert at revitalizing classic characters and has a tremendous track record of creating books that are both award-winning and best-selling. He is the creative force that will ensure the new Valiant Universe is a sophisticated superhero universe that will powerfully resonate with today’s extremely intelligent readership, whether they are familiar with Valiant or not.”

“I’m excited to have been chosen for this important position,” said Warren Simons. “The Valiant characters are one of the most beloved universes of characters ever created and have the potential to be icons like Iron Man, Thor and others of that class. I look forward to working alongside some incredibly talented creators and amazing colleagues to help rebuild Valiant into a world-class creative company again.”

Simons and Pierce join a Valiant management team that recently announced investors Peter Cuneo and Gavin Cuneo of private investment company Cuneo & Company, LLC and co-founder Dinesh Shamdasani on the Board of Directors. Gavin Cuneo, Principal of Cuneo & Co., was an investment banker with Bank of America Merrill Lynch and spent over ten years working in investment banking and investment management. He was appointed to Valiant’s Board of Directors.

“We are pleased to have such accomplished industry figures as Fred and Warren on our management team,” said Director Gavin Cuneo. “Their additions further our goal to attract the best business and creative talent for Valiant’s return.”

Chairman Peter Cuneo added, “The nucleus for Valiant is strong and growing. We look forward to updating you as we continue to progress towards our return in 2012.”


About Valiant Entertainment
Valiant Entertainment is a character-based entertainment company that owns and controls some of the most cherished comic characters ever created across all media, including films, television, video games, new media, publishing, and consumer products. Since their creation in 1989, Valiant characters have sold 80 million comic books and have been the basis of a number of successful video game franchises. Valiant’s extensive library includes over 1,500 characters, such as X-O Manowar, Bloodshot, Harbinger, Shadowman, and Ninjak. Visit http://www.valiantentertainment.com/.

Happy Loving Day

Loving Day is an unofficial holiday and annual celebration held on June 12, which is the anniversary of the 1967 United States Supreme Court decision Loving vs. Virginia which struck down anti-miscegenation laws.  Anti-miscegenation laws criminalized interracial marriage and sometimes also sex between members of two different "races."

The plaintiffs in Loving vs. Virginia were a black woman, Mildred Delores Jeter Loving, and her husband, Richard Perry Loving, a white man.  The defendant was the state of Virginia because of its Racial Integrity Act of 1924, which criminalized marriages between white and non-white persons.  It's kind a funny to write about this considering that we have in Barack Obama, a "biracial" child of a white woman and a black (African) man.

So today, let's remember that love doesn't always care about quantities of melanin.