Comics and Magazines from Diamond Distributors for December 14 2011

COMICS

SEP110850 28 DAYS LATER TP VOL 06 HOMECOMING $12.99

OCT110897 7 WARRIORS #2 (OF 3) (MR) $3.99

JUL110825 A TALE OF SAND HC $29.95

JUL111161 AIRBOY PRESENTS AIR VIXENS #1 (RES) $3.50

SEP111281 ARATA THE LEGEND TP VOL 08 $9.99

OCT110806 ARCHIE #627 (ARCHIE MEETS KISS PT 1) VAR CVR $2.99

SEP110756 ARCHIE & FRIENDS DOUBLE DIGEST #11 $3.99

SEP110755 ARCHIE CYBER ADVENTURES TP $9.95

SEP111217 ATOMIC ROBO GHOST OF STATION X #4 (OF 6) $3.50

OCT111271 BAMBOO BLADE TP VOL 11 $11.99

SEP111229 BLOOD ALONE GN VOL 05 (NOTE PRICE) $11.99

OCT111205 BONNIE LASS #4 (OF 4) $2.99

MAY110819 CYCLOPS #7 (MR) $3.95

JUN111018 DANGER GIRL ARMY OF DARKNESS #4 $3.99

JUL111073 DF WARLORD OF MARS DEJAH #12 RED RISQUE EXC CVR $14.99

AUG111394 DILBERT HOWS THAT UNDERLING THING WORKING TP $12.99

OCT111224 DRY SPELL GN $14.95

SEP110749 EVERLAST HC $19.95

SEP110857 FARSCAPE TP VOL 06 COMPULSIONS $12.99

SEP110985 GARTH ENNIS COMPLETE BATTLEFIELDS TP VOL 01 (MR) $24.99

SEP110716 GEARHEARTS STEAMPUNK GLAMOR REVUE #1 $3.99

SEP110715 GOLD DIGGER CHRISTMAS SP #5 $3.50

AUG110996 GREEN HORNET TP VOL 03 IDOLS $16.99

JUN111032 GREEN HORNET YEAR ONE TP VOL 02 BIGGEST OF ALL GAME $19.99

JUL111309 GRIMM FAIRY TALES THE LIBRARY #3 A CVR MYCHAELS $2.99

JUL111310 GRIMM FAIRY TALES THE LIBRARY #3 B CVR BONK $2.99

OCT111273 HIGURASHI WHEN THEY CRY GN VOL 16 ATONEMENT ARC PT 2 $11.99

SEP111288 HOUSE OF FIVE LEAVES TP VOL 05 $12.99

SEP110871 INSURRECTION V3.6 TP $14.99

OCT110920 IRREDEEMABLE #1 ARTIST EDITION $3.99

JUL111062 ITS A GOOD LIFE IF YOU DONT WEAKEN TP (O/A) (MR) $24.95

SEP111283 ITSUWARIBITO GN VOL 04 $9.99

SEP110762 JUGHEADS DOUBLE DIGEST #176 $3.99

OCT111274 K ON GN VOL 04 $11.99

SEP111282 KEKKAISHI GN VOL 29 $9.99

AUG110807 KILLING PICKMAN HC (RES) (MR) $24.95

OCT111003 KIRBY GENESIS SILVER STAR #2 $3.99

SEP111130 KNIGHTS OF THE DINNER TABLE #181 $5.99

JUL110982 MACBETH CAMPFIRE GN $9.99

SEP111284 MAOH JUVENILE REMIX TP VOL 08 $9.99

OCT111276 MAXIMUM RIDE TP VOL 05 $12.99

SEP111178 MISS DONT TOUCH ME SET VOL 1-2 $27.99

SEP110949 MOST DANGEROUS GAME SAT MORNING B FAST CEREAL COLL $18.00

OCT111119 MUSH SLED DOGS WITH ISSUES GN $17.99

FEB111066 MY FAVORITE MARTIAN COMP SERIES HC VOL 01 $49.99

SEP111289 NAOKI URASAWA 20TH CENTURY BOYS GN VOL 18 $12.99

SEP111269 NATSUMES BOOK OF FRIENDS TP VOL 10 $9.99

SEP111263 NO LONGER HUMAN VOL 02 $10.95

AUG111130 OMEGA PARADOX #1 $2.99

OCT110925 OPERATION BROKEN WINGS 1936 #2 (OF 3) (MR) $3.99

JAN111157 PAT LEE WIDOW WARRIORS TP $16.99

AUG111188 PENDULUM GN (MR) $7.95

SEP110912 READING COMICS POSTCARD BOOK $11.95

MAR111070 RED SONJA #60 $3.99

OCT110940 ROGER LANGRIDGES SNARKED #3 $3.99

SEP111196 SALT WATER TAFFY GN VOL 05 $5.99

OCT111120 SAME DIFFERENCE SPECIAL ED HC $16.99

MAR110858 SECRET HISTORY BOOK 17 (MR) $5.95

SEP110754 SIGH HC $10.95

SEP111277 SLAM DUNK GN VOL 19 $9.99

OCT110896 SPONGEBOB COMICS #6 $2.99

OCT110837 STITCHED #2 (MR) $3.99

OCT110838 STITCHED #2 GORE CVR (MR) $3.99

OCT110839 STITCHED #2 WRAP CVR (MR) $3.99

JUL110835 STORYTELLER HC $19.95

OCT111270 TEZUKAS PRINCESS KNIGHT GN VOL 02 $13.95

SEP111316 THEATER #3 A CVR RUFFINO (MR) $3.99

SEP111317 THEATER #3 B CVR LEISTER (MR) $3.99

SEP111279 TORIKO GN VOL 07 $9.99

OCT111279 ULTIMATE 7 #3 (OF 12) (MR) $3.99

SEP111291 UNFORGIVING #2 $3.99

SEP111230 VAMPIRE CHEERLEADERS GN VOL 02 $10.99

SEP110769 VERONICA #210 (VERONICA PRESENTS KEVIN KELLER #4) $2.99

SEP110770 VERONICA #210 (VERONICA PRESENTS KEVIN KELLER #4) VAR CVR $2.99

SEP110724 VERY ZOMBIE CHRISTMAS #3 $3.50

AUG111210 VIETNAM JOURNAL TP VOL 08 BRAIN DEAD HORROR $17.99

AUG110937 WAR GODDESS #4 (MR) $3.99

AUG110939 WAR GODDESS #4 GORE CVR (MR) $3.99

AUG110938 WAR GODDESS #4 WRAP CVR (MR) $3.99

AUG111005 WAREHOUSE 13 #3 $3.99

AUG110968 WARLORD OF MARS #13 $3.99

AUG118056 WOM DEJAH THORIS #5 ADAMS MARS RED RISQUE REORDER CVR $3.99

AUG118058 WOM DEJAH THORIS #7 GARZA EARTH BLUE RISQUE REORDER CVR $3.99

JUN111183 ZOMBIES VS CHEERLEADERS #4 $3.99

OCT111054 ZORRO RIDES AGAIN #6 (OF 12) $3.99

MAGAZINES
AUG111349 DR WHO MAGAZINE #440 $9.99
OCT111305 JUXTAPOZ #132 $5.99
JUL111405 MEGAMI OCT 2011 #66 $16.60
SEP111237 STAR WARS CLONE WARS MAGAZINE #9 $4.99
SEP111394 SUPERNATURAL MAGAZINE #29 NEWSSTAND ED $6.99
SEP111395 SUPERNATURAL MAGAZINE #29 PX ED $6.99

Itsuwaribito: Behind the Miracle

I read Itsuwaribito 4 / Name Your Link

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

20th Century Boys: Cross-Counter

I read 20th Century Boys 17 / Name Your Link

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

I Reads You Review: 20TH CENTURY BOYS, VOL. 16

Creators: Naoki Urasawa with Takashi Nagasaki and Akemi Wegmüller (English adaptation)
Publishing Information: VIZ Media, paperback, B&W, 208 pages, $12.99 (US), $14.99 CAN, £8.99 UK
Ordering Numbers: ISBN: 978-1-4215-3534-0

Rating: “T+ for Older Teens”

20th Century Boys is a science fiction adventure series from famed manga creator, Naoki Urasawa. The story begins with Kenji Endo, a hardworking and honorable young man who runs his family’s small business (a convenience store). In 1997, Kenji discovers a series of ominous incidents that follow “The Book of Prophecy,” a ridiculous scenario Kenji and his friend made up as children in the early 1970s.

A bizarre religious cult called the Friends and their leader, the “Friend,” are behind a plot that leads to December 31, 2000. Called “Bloody New Year’s Eve,” this day sees the world brought to the brink of destruction. Fourteen years later, Neo Tokyo is a thriving multiethnic metropolis until the Friends ruin it and the world.

Naoki Urasawa’s 20th Century Boys, Vol. 16 (entitled Beyond the Looking Glass) opens on a flashback as we see pivotal moments from Kenji and his pals’ childhood. However, they are seen from the point of view of the boy who would become the Friend.

Then, the narrative moves forward to the third year of the Friendship Era. A killer virus has decimated the world’s population. Tokyo has been quarantined behind a giant wall patrolled by the Friend’s secret police and the Global Defense Forces. The story focuses on Tokyo teens, Sanae and her brother, Katsuo. They have given shelter to an injured man who hides in a shack near their home, and his name is Otcho AKA Shogun.

I’ve long since run out of words to praise manga creator Naoki Urasawa. I love his intricate plots, and 20th Century Boys is like a warehouse of intricate plots and is a veritable subplot-o-rama. I assume that there are many ideas about why Urasawa’s storytelling is so successfully spellbinding I tend to think (cause I’ve changed my mind a few times about this) that 20th Century Boys, like his other comics, is successful because of Urasawa’s ability to make every character with a speaking role – from smallest to largest – relevant in the reader’s eyes. Not every character contributes something that is momentous, but that contribution is relatively important to the time in which he or she contributes it or perhaps, to a past or future moment. And this manga still jumps off the page like a summer potboiler.

A+

I Reads You Review: AVENGING SPIDER-MAN #1

"Need another Spidey title like you need a hole in your head"

AVENGING SPIDER-MAN #1
MARVEL COMICS

WRITER: Zeb Wells
ARTIST: Joe Madureira
COLORS: Ferran Daniel
LETTERS: VC’s Joe Caramagna
COVER: Joe Madureira and Aron Lusen (Variant coves by Humberto Ramos and Edgar Delgado; J. Scott Campbell and Edgar Delgado; and Joe Quesada, Danny Miki, and Richard Isanove)
32pp, Color, $3.99 U.S.
Rated T+

The new Spider-Man comic book series, Avenging Spider-Man, acts as the latest Spider-Man team-up title. The most famous is Marvel Team-Up, which first ran from the 1972 to 1985 (Vol. 1). There is an “afterword” in the back of Avenging Spider-Man, in which editor Stephen Wacker writes that this new title is going to be a star creator-oriented comic book that will feature oddball comic book characters, as well as popular characters as guest stars.

The star creators to start this are writer Zeb Wells (a star?) and artist Joe Madureira (still a star, but likely not as bright as he was back in the 90s). The team-up joins Spider-Man and the Red Hulk.

As Avenging Spider-Man #1 opens, Spider-Man and his Avenger teammates are battling A.I.M. and a giant A.I.M.Bot. Meanwhile, New York City Mayor J. Jonah Jameson has just shot the starter pistol to begin the New York City Marathon. The marathoners, however, immediately find their progress impeded by an invasion of diminutive yellow monsters. Hopping a ride to NYC on the back of the Red Hulk, Spider-Man finds himself arriving just in time to lose to the invaders – even with the Hulk’s help?!

Back in the mid-1990s, penciller Joe Madureira (also known as Joe Mad) and inker Tim Townsend formed one of the best (if not the best) art teams working in superhero comics. Maduriera’s anime and manga influenced style were transformed into solid comic book art by Townsend, an inker with a master illustrator’s touch. Madureira’s art did not suffer much when he left Marvel for Wildstorm Productions and Image Comics to produce his creator-owned title, Battle Chasers (published under Wildstorm’s Cliffhanger imprint). By the beginning of the 21st century, however, Madureira had left comics to work in the video game industry.

Joe Mad returned to comics in 2007 for The Ultimates 3 from Marvel Comics, but his art was no longer inked by Townsend or inked at all for that matter. Now, Madureira’s art was colored directly from the pencils. For me, it left much to be desired. As best as I can tell, Madureira’s is producing the art for Avenging Spider-Man the same as he did for The Ultimates.

It is not that I think Mad’s art here isn’t good. I do think that compared to the work he did on Uncanny X-Men with Townsend inking, this Avenging Spider-Man art is inferior, at least in terms of style and draftsmanship. However, I still admire Mad’s compositional and design skills. Some other artists may stretch out stories with splash pages or pages composed of big panels simply because those pages are more attractive to sell as original art. Mad uses splash pages and big panels to create a heightened sense of the dramatic or convey the power of action, force, movement, etc. The way Mad positions characters and objects in panels and the “camera” angles he uses reflect what Stan Lee preached in his How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way (co-authored with John Buscema).

As for the story: it’s mediocre. I’m amazed that Marvel and DC Comics can still get away with producing remarkably mediocre material, the kind of toad burger product that would spell doom for a publisher not financed by a multi-national media corporation. I’m surprised at the mediocrity because I remember when Zeb Wells first showed up on the comics scene; he was supposed to be some kind of golden boy. Is that golden as in piss gold?

My grade reflects my still-alive love of Joe Mad, but the grade should be lower because of the story.

C

[This comic book includes a preview of Avengers: X-Sanction #1 by Jeph Loeb and Ed McGuinness.]

P.S. I’m going to buy a copy of Avengers: X-Sanction #1 just to rag on it. The five pages that are previewed here are just lousy. I’d really be disappointed if it turned out to be good, thus denying me some fun.

"One Piece" in Shonen Jump Digital Warp

VIZ MEDIA KICKS OFF DECEMBER WITH DIGITAL MANGA SPEED UP FOR ONE PIECE

Latest Update For VIZManga.com And The VIZ Manga App For iPad, iPhone And iPod Touch Includes Limited Time Volume 1 20% Off Promotion Starting December 7th

VIZ Media delivers a festive dose of digital sparkle as the 2011 Holiday Season begins with the latest update of manga (graphic novels) titles available on VIZManga.com and for digital download on the VIZ MANGA App for the Apple iPad®, iPhone® and iPod® touch.

The SHONEN JUMP DIGITAL WARP started for ONE PIECE, with the release of Vol. 59, available the same day the print version debuted, along with the digital first of ONE PIECE Vol. 60. This will be quickly followed by the digital first debut of ONE PIECE Vols. 61-62 on December 12th. The SHONEN JUMP DIGITAL WARP is a ‘speed-up’ of selected titles to bring U.S. readers up-to-date with Japanese releases and prepare for the January 2012 launch of VIZ Media’s WEEKLY SHONEN JUMP ALPHA, North America’s only near-simultaneous digital manga magazine.

The SHONEN JUMP DIGITAL WARP also continues for Masashi Kishimoto’s hit ninja series NARUTO, with Volume 56 now available, and for Tite Kubo’s supernatural action saga, BLEACH, with Volume 52 debuting on December 12th. NARUTO Vols. 54-55 and BLEACH Vols. 49-51, are also available now, ahead of the print editions.

December 7th also saw the kick-off of a special limited time promotion that makes all Volume 1 manga titles available for up to 20% off (regular prices range from $4.99 to $9.99). This offer will run until midnight PST on December 12th.

Other notable December digital manga highlights include the release on December 12th of fifth and final volume of Kaori Yuki’s GRAND GUIGNOL ORCHESTRA, as well as Vol. 4 of Shunju Aono‘s I’LL GIVE IT MY ALL TOMORROW. Both editions hit one day ahead of their print counterparts’ release.

Eiichiro Oda’s high seas pirate adventure, ONE PIECE (rated ‘T’ for Teens), is one of the best selling manga series of all time. As a child, Monkey D. Luffy dreamed of becoming King of the Pirates. But his life changed when he accidentally gained the power to stretch like rubber…at the cost of never being able to swim again! Years, later, Luffy sets off in search of the "One Piece," said to be the greatest treasure in the world...

ONE PIECE Vol. 59
After risking everything he had to save his brother, Luffy faces his biggest tragedy. Whitebeard will make one last stand against the Navy forces, but when the epic pirate war finally comes to an end, the entire world will be shaken!

ONE PIECE Vol. 60
With the epic Paramount War now over, the scene shifts back to when a young Luffy first met Ace. Luffy, Ace and their friend Sabo get into all types of trouble as they grow up in a tumultuous time.

ONE PIECE Vol. 61
Determined to become stronger and challenge the toughest seas in the world, Luffy and his crew decide to go into training. When they finally reunite years later, they will meet brand new enemies and adventures!

ONE PIECE Vol. 62
Luffy and the Straw Hat crew board their trusted ship and head under the sea towards Fish-man island. However, getting in their way will be fierce pirates, underwater volcanoes, and a humongous sea creature!

Additional manga volumes launching the first part of December include:

Available Now:
BLEACH Vols. 36-37
DENGEKI DAISY Vol. 7
NARUTO Vol. 56 – Digital first!
NEON GENESIS EVANGELION Chapter 18
NURA: RISE OF THE YOKAI CLAN Vol. 6
OISHINBO Vol. 5
ONE PIECE Vols. 59-60 – Digital first for Vol. 60!
OURAN HIGH SCHOOL HOST CLUB Vol. 13
TORIKO Vol. 7

December 12th:
BAKUMAN Vol. 8
BLEACH Vol. 52 – Digital first!
BLUE EXORCIST Vol. 5
FUSHIGI YUGI: GENBU KAIDEN Vol. 9
GRAND GUIGNOL ORCHESTRA Vol. 5 – Final volume!
I’LL GIVE IT MY ALL TOMORROW Vol. 4
KEKKAISHI Vol. 19
NEON GENESIS EVANGELION Chapter 19
ONE PIECE Vols. 61 & 62 – Digital first!
RUROUNI KENSHIN Vol. 28 – Final volume!

VIZ Media’s multiple digital manga platforms allow for universal access to read manga from an iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, and now, on VIZManga.com for desktop/laptop computers as well as 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 and features a rapidly growing library of the most popular manga series in the world. Over 45 series and 500+ volumes are currently available, with new additions and free Chapter 1 previews added weekly.

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

Maoh Juvenile Remix: Testing Powers

I read Maoh Juvenile Remix 8 / Name Your Link

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