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.