Dark Horse Comics from Diamond Distributors for May 16 2012

DARK HORSE COMICS

MAR120040 BPRD HELL ON EARTH DEVILS ENGINE #1 (OF 3) $3.50
JAN120106 BRIDE OF THE WATER GOD TP VOL 11 $9.99
FEB120079 CLASSIC MARVEL CHARACTERS FF #5 DR DOOM $49.95
MAR120037 CONAN THE BARBARIAN #4 $3.50
JAN120122 DOMO QEE SERIES 4 PI
JAN120120 EERIE ARCHIVES HC VOL 10 $49.99
JAN128084 HELLBOY TP VOL 02 WAKE THE DEVIL (6TH PTG) $17.99
JAN120077 PARADOX ENTERTAINMENT PRESENTS KULT TP $12.99
MAR120033 RESET #2 (OF 4) $3.50
MAR120015 STAR WARS DAWN O/T JEDI FORCE STORM #4 $3.50

Image Comics from Diamond Distributors for May 16 2012

IMAGE COMICS

MAR120470 ACTIVITY #6 $3.50
JAN120577 ARTIFACTS FOIL VAR SILVESTRI SGN COMPLETE SET $500.00
MAR120410 DANCER #1 $3.50
MAR120479 DANGER CLUB #2 $2.99
MAR120480 DARKNESS #103 (MR) $2.99
MAR128079 FATALE #1 5TH PTG (MR) $3.50
MAR120483 GLORY #26 $2.99
FEB100414 HARDCORE #1 $2.99
MAR100466 HARDCORE #1 TOP COW STORE ED $10.00
MAR120487 HELL YEAH #3 $2.99
MAR120490 MANHATTAN PROJECTS #3 $3.50
DEC110561 MONDO #2 (OF 3) (MR) $4.99
MAR120499 SAGA #3 (MR) $2.99
MAR128105 THIEF OF THIEVES #1 3RD PTG $2.99
MAR120506 THIEF OF THIEVES #4 $2.99

Comics and Magazines from Diamond Distributors for May 16 2012

COMICS

FEB120896 100 MONTHS HC GN $29.95

MAR120884 ADVENTURE TIME #4 $3.99

MAR120758 ARCHIE DOUBLE DIGEST #229 $3.99

FEB121067 ARE YOU MY MOTHER A COMIC DRAMA HC $22.00

MAR120998 ARMY OF DARKNESS ONGOING #4 $3.99

FEB121141 ATOMIC ROBO REAL SCIENCE ADV #2 $2.75

MAR121180 BEST OF ENEMIES HIST OF US & MIDDLE EAST RELATIONS HC VOL 01 $24.95

MAR121212 BOONDOCK SAINTS HC LTD ED $34.99

FEB121149 BUT I REALLY WANTED TO BE AN ANTHROPOLOGIST GN $24.95

FEB120997 CASTLE MANGO GN VOL 01 $12.95

JAN120795 CAVEWOMAN MUTATION #2 DEVON MASSEY SP ED PI

JAN121214 COLDEST CITY HC $19.99

FEB121116 CROGANS LOYALTY HC $14.99

DEC111186 DEAD OR ALIVE #4 (OF 4) $3.50

FEB121009 DF THE SHADOW #1 FRANCAVILLA EXC CVR $14.99

FEB121100 FAIRY TALES OF OSCAR WILDE HC VOL 01 NEW PTG $17.99

FEB121098 FAIRY TALES OF OSCAR WILDE HC VOL 05 HAPPY PRINCE $16.99

FEB121099 FAIRY TALES OF OSCAR WILDE SC VOL 01 NEW PTG $9.99

JAN120911 FEMALE FORCE CARRIE FISHER ONE SHOT $3.99

MAR121230 FLOWERS OF EVIL GN VOL 01 $10.95

JAN120797 GOLD DIGGER #138 $3.99

MAR121294 GRIMM FAIRY TALES #73 A CVR SEJIC (MR) $2.99

MAR121295 GRIMM FAIRY TALES #73 B CVR QUALANO (MR) $2.99

JAN120912 JOHN SAULS GOD PROJECT #2 (MR) $3.99

MAR120762 JUGHEAD #213 $2.99

MAR121083 KAMEN GN $9.95

MAR120911 LADY DEATH ORIGINS CURSED #2 (OF 3) (MR) $3.99

MAR120912 LADY DEATH ORIGINS CURSED #2 (OF 3) SULTRY CVR (MR) $3.99

MAR120913 LADY DEATH ORIGINS CURSED #2 (OF 3) WRAP CVR (MR) $3.99

FEB121139 LEVIATHAN GN (S&S ED) $16.99

DEC110887 MISADVENTURES OF ADAM WEST ONGOING #3 $3.99

MAR121116 MISS ANNIE BOOK 02 ROOFTOP CAT $6.95

JAN120905 NINJAS VS ZOMBIES BUNDLE #1-6 $14.99

MAR120939 NINJETTES #4 (MR) $3.99

DEC111028 NOWHERE MAN #3 (OF 4) $3.99

JAN121251 PHAZER WAR O/T INDEPENDENTS CROSSOVER #2 $3.99

MAR120869 PLANET OF THE APES #14 $3.99

FEB120706 PRINCELESS TP VOL 01 $14.95

FEB120999 PRIVATE TEACHER GN VOL 03 (MR) $12.95

JAN120917 QUATERMAIN #4 $3.99

AUG110789 RICHIE RICH DIGEST GN VOL 02 PURSUIT OF PESOS $6.99

FEB121079 SAILOR MOON TP KODANSHA ED VOL 05 $10.99

FEB120996 SAMEJIMA KUN & SASAHARA KUN GN (MR) $12.95

FEB121201 SATURN APARTMENTS TP VOL 04 $12.99

FEB121200 SATURN APARTMENTS TP VOL 05 $12.99

JAN120813 SCOUTS DRAFTED GN $6.99

MAR121140 SECRET HISTORY OF DB COOPER #3 $3.99

MAR120924 SHADOW #2 $3.99

MAR120839 SIMPSONS COMICS #190 $2.99

MAR121144 SIXTH GUN #22 $3.99

MAR120769 SONIC UNIVERSE #40 $2.99

FEB120995 STARRY SKY GN VOL 01 $12.95

MAR120876 STEED AND MRS PEEL #5 (OF 6) $3.99

MAR128149 SUPURBIA #1 (OF 4) (3RD PTG) (PP #1020) $3.99

FEB121000 TYRANT FALLS IN LOVE GN VOL 06 (MR) $12.95

MAR120822 URSA MINOR #1 (MR) $3.50

MAR120879 VALEN OUTCAST #6 MAIN CVRS $3.99

FEB120934 VAMPIRELLA VS DRACULA #4 $3.99

FEB120953 VOLTRON #5 $3.99

MAR120893 WORDGIRL GN VOL 04 FASHION DISASTER $7.99

MAGAZINES
FEB121239 ALTER EGO #108 $8.95
MAR121326 ALTER EGO #109 $8.95
FEB121241 BACK ISSUE #56 $8.95
OCT111320 DC SUPERHERO CHESS FIG COLL MAG #3 ROBIN WHITE BISHOP $16.00
FEB121297 FILMFAX #130 $9.95
MAR121398 LOCUS #616 $6.95
DEC111341 MEGAMI MAR 2012 $16.60
MAR121375 MONSTER BASH #15 $8.99
DEC111342 NEWTYPE MAR 2012 $16.00
DEC111353 SHADOW 80TH ANNIV 4PK COMMEMORATIVE COLLECTION $39.95

We Were There: Nanami Can't Give Up

I read We Were There, Vol. 14

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

Leroy Douresseaux Reviews: SAMURAI’S BLOOD VOLUME 1

SAMURAI’S BLOOD VOLUME 1
IMAGE COMICS/BENAROYA PUBLISHING

CREATORS: Michael Benaroya and Owen Wiseman
SCRIPT: Owen Wiseman
PENCILS: Nan Kim
INKS: Matthew Dalton
COLORS: Sakti Yuwono of Imaginary Friends Studios
LETTERS: John Aitken
COVER: Jo Chen
ISBN: 978-1-60706-488-6; paperback
172pp, Color, $14.99 U.S.

Samurai’s Blood is a six-issue miniseries produced by Benaroya Publishing and published by Image Comics in 2011. Created by Michael Benaroya and Owen Wiseman, the series is set in Japan. The story takes place during the early Edo period in the middle of the 17th Century and follows three teenagers’ quest for revenge. The entire series is collected in a trade paperback, Samurai’s Blood Volume 1, and includes a short story set in the world of Samurai’s Blood written by Wiseman, who wrote the script for the series.

Samurai’s Blood begins when an embittered noble, Lord Gakushi, first betrays his daimyo, Sanjo Dewa, and then, goes on a rampage to destroy the Sanjo Clan. He also kills Sanjo Goro, but three clan members escape. Two of them are Goro’s son Junichi (or “Jun”) and his sister, Mayuko (or “Yuko”). The third is a young man named Kajiro Katashi, who is the son of one of Goro’s retainers. Kajiro plans to marry Yuko, and he is also training to become a samurai.

Leaving their mountain village of Eiwa, the three eventually reach the city of Yamagata, where they plot revenge against Gakushi and his second-in-command, the evil Araku. They take on new identities. Jun becomes Kaio Fukuyama and Kajiro becomes Haniya Toshimitsu. Their path to vengeance, however, fits all the stereotypes about paths to vengeance. It is fraught with peril; it is long and winding. It is filled with so many sidetracks and tributaries that these teenagers may lose themselves before they gain any of what they want.

The first issue of Samurai’s Blood that read was issue #2. Back then, one of the things that immediately stood out to me was how dense and layered the storytelling was. Not only was there a lot of dialogue, but there were also many captions and some of those contained philosophical expositions about the way of the samurai.

The script for this entire series, written by Owen Wiseman, is convoluted and confused, but I don’t mean that as a criticism. This is a well-written graphic novel in which strong characters are the spine that joins bloody fight scenes with intense and dramatic confrontations of the non-killing sort to create a unified whole.

I call this convoluted and confused because those words describe what becomes of the characters’ lives and their journey. I think Wiseman gets that revenge is an end, and that everything between the beginning (the declaration that one is seeking revenge) and the end is either shadowy or certainly more complex than it might appear. Beginning the quest is easy, but it is far easier to lose oneself in the disorder and uncertainty. One must solve the mysteries and see through obstructions to get to the end (revenge). The surprise of Samurai’s Tale is that there are so many surprises and changes that by the end, you will likely not see the characters the way you did in the first issue.

Wiseman’s tale is told in beautiful art by Nam Kim (pencils) and Matthew Dalton (inks) that superbly captures the drama and the violence in an energetic graphic style. Their art resembles Joe Madureira’s art during his tenure on Uncanny X-Men back in the mid-1990s. Kim and Dalton take Wiseman’s potent storytelling and turn it into melodramatic splendor – the Joe Mad thing is a bonus for me.

A

Negromancer at the Movies with "Dark Shadows"

On Friday, I saw the Tim Burton/Johnny Depp Dark Shadows.  I reviewed it at my movie blog, Negromancer, which you can read here.

The gist of it is that I really like Depp as Barnabas Collins, but otherwise, the movie is something of a clunker.

Brian Bolland Headed to 2012 Baltimore Comic-Con

Baltimore Comic-Con Spearheads New "British Invasion" with Addition of Brian Bolland

The Baltimore Comic-Con is proud to announce the addition of British comic legend Brian Bolland to the growing line-up of guests for this year's show, taking place September 8-9, 2012 at the Baltimore Convention Center.

Bolland, best known for his meticulously detailed line work, is one of the artists who helped define Judge Dredd for the British anthology series 2000 AD. In 1982, Bolland spearheaded what has become known as the "British Invasion" of the American comic industry, blowing open the doors for some the most prolific creators from across the pond to showcase their work throughout the States.

Bolland's cover work for such DC Comics titles as Animal Man, The Invisibles, and Wonder Woman defined the look and feel of these books through the late-'80s and early-'90s. His most recent work includes Cover Story: The DC Comics Art of Brian Bolland, which hit stores last September, and covers for DC Comics' Dial H, one of the titles in the second wave of books from the New 52, which hit stores this past week.

"We are delighted to have Brian Bolland attending this year's show," said Marc Nathan, show promoter of the Baltimore Comic-Con. "His influence on both the world of British and American comics continues to be felt through his eye-catching composition gracing the covers of DC Comics."

In addition to Bolland, other confirmed guests for the show including: Laura & Michael Allred (Madman, iZombie); Greg Capullo (Batman, Spawn); Tommy Castillo (Grimm Fairy Tales); Cliff Chiang (Wonder Woman); Frank Cho (Avengers vs. X-Men, Liberty Meadows); Steve Conley (Bloop webcomic www.bloopstree.com); Amanda Conner (Before Watchmen: Silk Spectre); Lar deSouza (Looking For Group, Least I Could Do); Dan Didio (O.M.A.C.); Garth Ennis (The Shadow, Hellblazer, Preacher, The Boys); Rich Faber (Roboy Red); David Finch (Batman: The Dark Knight); John Gallagher (Buzzboy); Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez (Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman); Keith Giffen (Superman, OMAC, Green Arrow); Gene Ha (Justice League); Larry Hama (G.I. Joe, Wolverine, The 'Nam); Cully Hamner (Action Comics); Dean Haspiel (Billy Dogma, ACT-I-VATE, Trip City); Jamal Igle (KISS, Supergirl, The Ray); J.G. Jones (Wanted, Doc Savage); Barry Kitson (Captain America, Iron Man, Fantastic Four); Scott Kurtz (PvPonline.com); David Mack (Kabuki); Ron Marz (Artifacts, Voodoo); Bob McLeod (DC Comics Presents: Wonder Woman); Mark Morales (Avengers vs. X-Men); Jimmy Palmiotti (All-Star Western); David Petersen (Mouse Guard); Brian Pulido (Lady Death); Frank Quitely (All Star Superman, Batman & Robin); John Romita, Jr. (Avengers Vs. X-Men); Don Rosa (Uncle Scrooge); Stuart Sayger (Infestation 2: 30 Days of Night One-Shot); Walter Simonson (Thor, Legion of Super-Heroes, Avengers); Ryan Sohmer (Looking For Group, Least I Could Do); Scott Snyder (Batman, Severed, Swamp Thing); Brian Stelfreeze (ICE); Karl Story (Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 9); Peter Tomasi (Batman and Robin); Billy Tucci (A Child Is Born, Shi); Matt Wagner (Tower Chronicles, Mage, Grendel); Mark Waid (Daredevil, Incorruptible, Irredeemable); and Bernie Wrightson (Frankenstein).

In the coming weeks, look for more announcements from the Baltimore Comic-Con. We are looking forward to highlighting our guests, the Harvey Awards, industry exclusives, and programming. The latest developments can always be found on our website, Twitter, and Facebook pages.

This year's Baltimore Comic-Con will be held September 8-9, 2012. Convention hours are Saturday 10 AM to 6 PM and Sunday 10 AM to 5 PM. The ceremony and banquet for the Harvey Awards will be held Saturday night, September 8th.

Please take a moment to help us spread this message using the social media links embedded, reposting, or retweeting!

Contact Information
Please use the following e-mail addresses to contact the Baltimore Comic-Con:

press@baltimorecomiccon.com - for any general press inquiries or to be added to our PR distribution

promoter@baltimorecomiccon.com - for requesting exhibitor, publisher, and Artist Alley applications

registrar@baltimorecomiccon.com - for inquiries about submitted registrations

harveys@baltimorecomiccon.com - for the Harvey Awards ceremony and banquet

general@baltimorecomiccon.com - for general Baltimore Comic-Con inquiries


About The Baltimore Comic-Con
The Baltimore Comic-Con is celebrating its 13th year of bringing the comic book industry to the Baltimore and Washington D.C. area. With a guest list unequaled in the industry, the Baltimore Comic-Con will be held September 8-9, 2012. For more information, please visit http://www.baltimorecomiccon.com/.

About The Harvey Awards
The Harvey Awards are one of the comic book industry's oldest and most respected awards. With a history of over 20 years, the last 7 in conjunction with the Baltimore Comic-Con, the Harveys recognize outstanding achievements in over 20 categories. They are the only industry awards nominated and selected by the full body of comic book professionals. For more information, please visit http://www.harveyawards.org/.