Naruto: Team Asuma, Reunited

I read Naruto, Vol. 56

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

Leroy Douresseaux Reviews: MARKSMEN Volume 1

MARKSMEN VOLUME 1
IMAGE COMICS/BENAROYA PUBLISHING

CREATORS: Michael Benaroya, David Baxter, and Dave Elliot
STORY: David Baxter and Dave Elliot
SCRIPT: David Baxter
PENCILS: Javier Aranda
FINISHES: Gary Leach
COLORS: Jessica Kholinne and Benny Maulana
LETTERS: Bebe Giraffe
ADDITIONAL ART: Tomm Coker (series cover); Nam Kim and Matthew Dalton (end papers)
COVER: Javier Aranda and Gary Leach with Jessica Kholinne
ISBN: 978-1-60706-486-2; paperback
192pp, Color, $15.99 U.S.

Produced by Benaroya Publishing, Marksmen is a six-issue miniseries set in a post-apocalyptic America. It presents a world where everything seems to have gone wrong: a financial meltdown with a global domino effect, civil war, mass riots, looting on a large scale, opportunistic vigilantism, exodus from the cities, starvation, and even cannibalism.

Image Comics just released Marksmen Volume 1, a trade paperback collecting all six issues of the series with additional material. That includes “The Future in Our Sights,” an essay about the world of Marksmen and also two-pages of character designs. Hugo Award-winning science fiction author, Vernor Vinge (A Fire Upon the Deep, 1992) provides an afterword.

Created by Michael Benaroya, David Baxter, and Dave Elliot, Marksmen is dystopian science fiction. It is set 60 years after a global financial meltdown led to a civil war that splintered the United States into warring fiefdoms. Most of the action takes place in and around New San Diego (NSD), a technocratic utopia that offers the last bastion of peace and prosperity for those that live within its walls. Sgt. Drake McCoy, NSD’s best protector, is one of a select group known as the Marksmen, a defensive force descended from the Navy SEALs. The Marksmen defend the city from the numerous human threats that exist in the wasteland outside New San Diego’s walls.

Now, there is a new threat. The oil rich Lone Star State is sending a powerful army to steal New San Diego’s technological secrets. Arriving ahead of them is a renegade group of former Lone Star State denizens. One of them is Joe Percival, a former NSD with ties to Drake’s father, Admiral Leo McCoy, and his mother, Dr. Sharon Heston, the NSD’s head scientist. Will Percival and his son, Sean, have anything that can help Drake and the NSD stop the Lone Star Rangers? Or are the Rangers’ charismatic leader, The Duke, and resident religious fanatic, Deacon Glenn, really unstoppable?

There is not much to say about Marksmen other than to say that it is a damn good read. On Monday, May 14, I received a review copy from Benaroya Publishing. I read the first two chapters on Tuesday, May 15. On Wednesday, May 16, I practically devoured Chapters 3 to 6 and I wanted more. Marksmen is like Black Hawk Down meets Mad Max, but Marksmen’s villains are scarier than the bad guys in either of those movies.

This is a well-thought out future scenario. Writer David Baxter offers some sharp commentary on the real world social, political, and financial situations happening right now that could lead to a situation similar to the one presented in Marksmen. Then, Baxter turns it into a breathtaking science fiction and military action thriller. It is more popcorn fun than most Hollywood heavy hitter action flicks, and it is scarier because this story’s basis is grounded in the current disquieting reality.

On the storytelling end, the art by Javier Aranda (pencils) and Gary Leach (finishes) is good, but Aranda’s pencils don’t display the polished quality of a veteran artist. Composition and the layout of some of the panel interiors is a little off. However, Aranda has the ability to create drama and tension that grabs the reader, and he has a knack for visualizing both physical and non-physical conflict. This is why Marksmen keeps hitting the mark.

Readers looking for credible comic book action thrillers will want Marksmen Volume 1 for repeated readings.

A-

Review: MEGACONTEMPLATIONS: a fragmenta fable

MEGACONTEMPLATIONS: A FRAGMENTA FABLE
CANDLE LIGHT PRESS

WRITER/ARTIST: John Ira Thomas
32pp, (8.4” x 10.9”) Color, $9.00

Writer, editor, and publisher John Ira Thomas has published several graphic novels through Candle Light Press, the small publishing house he owns with a few friends. For the last few years, he has published, Fragmenta, a series of magazines/books (mooks) offering readers a look at his creative process. The fourth Fragmenta, Megacontemplations: a fragmenta fable, is a bit different.

Over three decades ago, young Mr. Thomas was in Sunday school, when he was asked to making a drawing that reflected what he and his classmates had learned that day. What Li’l John Ira drew would be considered blasphemous or rude if drawn by an adult, but from the point of view of a child, the drawing is both cute and startling. [Clink on the link below to get a large-sized view of the original drawing – Page 1].

Years later, he drew a second image, somewhat related to the first, for his frequent collaborator and friend, the superb comic book artist and illustrator, Jeremy Smith. [Clink on the second link below to see a large-sized view of that second drawing.] The new page took the inspiration of the childhood drawing (apparently the Holy Bible – 2 Kings 17:26) and moves the idea in another direction.

At the 2012 MegaCon, Thomas decided to see what else could happen in this story he started over 30 years earlier. So, this is my interpretation. The god of a particular king goes into a lion’s body, but later the lion is redeemed while the god falls (or falls injured). The light emanating from the lion sets in motion the selfish acts of the Grey Kings and thus, begins another journey – to redemption and the healing of a god or to self-induced destruction.

Megacontemplations leaves the readers to their own mental devices. It is like a picture book for adults, but drawn in a faux-crude, childlike style, and it reminds me of a handmade book or comic. It is a fable that reads like micro-sized high fantasy wearing the short pants of children’s literature: Tolkien arm wrestles Lewis on Aesop’s turf.

You might say that Megacontemplations is one of those evil books that “puts ideas in your head.” Reading it sparked my imagination and sent it on flights of fancy. You can’t ask more of that from a book, and if you can, it’s because you don’t like to read.

A-

Visit the CLP store: http://candlelightpress.com/frag4.html
http://www.candlelightpress.com/

Saturn Apartments: Eggs and Fried Chicken

I read Saturn Apartments, Vol. 5

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

DC Comics from Diamond Distributors for May 16 2012

DC COMICS

FEB120259 BATMAN BRUCE WAYNE THE ROAD HOME TP $17.99

MAR120197 BATWOMAN #9 $2.99

MAR120199 BIRDS OF PREY #9 (NIGHT OF THE OWLS) $2.99

MAR120231 BLUE BEETLE #9 $2.99

MAR120171 CAPTAIN ATOM #9 $2.99

MAR120202 CATWOMAN #9 (NIGHT OF THE OWLS) $2.99

FEB120248 CATWOMAN TP VOL 01 THE GAME $14.99

FEB120307 COVER GIRLS OF THE DCU RAVEN STATUE (RES) $100.00

MAR120172 DC UNIVERSE PRESENTS #9 $2.99

FEB120290 DEADENDERS TP (MR) $29.99

FEB120285 FABLES TP VOL 01 LEGENDS IN EXILE NEW ED (MR) $12.99

FEB120311 GREEN LANTERN ANIMATED SERIES HAL JORDAN MAQUETTE (RES) $125.00

FEB120254 GREEN LANTERN BRIGHTEST DAY TP $19.99

MAR120210 GREEN LANTERN CORPS #9 $2.99

JAN120301 GREEN LANTERN HC VOL 01 SINESTRO $22.99

MAR120266 GREEN LANTERN THE ANIMATED SERIES #2 $2.99

MAR120278 HELLBLAZER #291 (MR) $2.99

MAR128090 JUSTICE LEAGUE #4 3RD PTG $3.99

MAR120159 JUSTICE LEAGUE #9 $3.99

MAR120162 JUSTICE LEAGUE #9 COMBO PACK $4.99

MAR120232 LEGION OF SUPER HEROES #9 $2.99

MAR120203 NIGHTWING #9 (NIGHT OF THE OWLS) $2.99

MAR120201 RED HOOD AND THE OUTLAWS #9 (NIGHT OF THE OWLS) $2.99

MAR120283 SAUCER COUNTRY #3 (MR) $2.99

FEB120296 SCALPED #58 (MR) $2.99

JAN120312 SECRET SOCIETY OF SUPER VILLAINS HC VOL 02 $39.99

MAR120239 SHADE #8 (OF 12) $2.99

MAR120183 SUPERGIRL #9 $2.99

MAR120164 WONDER WOMAN #9 $2.99

Marvel Comics from Diamond Distributors for May 16 2012

MARVEL COMICS

MAR128094 AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #682 2ND PTG VAR DELLOTTO ENDS (PP #1019) $3.99

MAR128095 AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #683 2ND PTG DELLOTTO VAR (PP #1019) $3.99

MAR120568 AMAZING SPIDER-MAN ENDS OF EARTH #1 $3.99

MAR120538 AVENGERS #26 AVX $3.99

MAR120545 AVENGERS ACADEMY #30 AVX $2.99

MAR120582 AVENGERS BLACK WIDOW STRIKES #2 (OF 3) $2.99

MAR120647 AVENGERS CONTEST TP $16.99

MAR128092 AVENGERS VS X-MEN #0 (OF 12) 3RD PTG CHO VAR (PP #1019) $3.99

MAR120534 AVENGERS VS X-MEN #4 (OF 12) AVX $3.99

MAR120528 AVX VS #2 (OF 6) $3.99

MAR120609 DAREDEVIL #13 $2.99

MAR120663 DEADPOOL MAX PREM HC SECOND CUT $24.99

MAR120596 FANTASTIC FOUR #605.1 $2.99

MAR120630 FURY MAX #2 (MR) $3.99

MAR120676 GENERATION HOPE END OF A GENERATION TP $15.99

MAR120552 HULK SMASH AVENGERS #3 (OF 5) $2.99

MAR120591 INCREDIBLE HULK #7.1 $2.99

MAR120590 INVINCIBLE IRON MAN #517 $3.99

MAR120578 JOHN CARTER GODS OF MARS #3 (OF 5) $2.99

MAR120682 MARVEL UNIVERSE VS WOLVERINE TP $14.99

MAR120664 MOON KNIGHT BY BENDIS AND MALEEV PREM HC VOL 02 $24.99

MAR128096 NEW AVENGERS #24 2ND PTG DEODATO AVX (PP #1019) $3.99

MAR120643 NEW AVENGERS BY BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS PREM HC VOL 03 $29.99

MAR120603 NEW MUTANTS #42 EXILED $2.99

MAR120692 NEW MUTANTS CLASSIC TP VOL 07 $29.99

MAR120633 SECRET SERVICE #2 (OF 7) (MR) $2.99

MAR120613 THUNDERBOLTS #174 $2.99

MAR120539 UNCANNY X-MEN #12 AVX $3.99

MAR120567 VENOM #18 $2.99

MAR120587 WINTER SOLDIER #5 $2.99

MAR120681 WOLVERINE AND BLACK CAT CLAWS 2 TP $14.99

MAR120622 X-FACTOR #236 $2.99

IDW Publishing from Diamond Distributors from May 16 2012

IDW PUBLISHING

MAR120386 30 DAYS OF NIGHT 10 BLOODY YEARS TREASURY ED $9.99
MAR120398 COMPLETE CHESTER GOULDS DICK TRACY HC VOL 13 $39.99
FEB120401 JURASSIC PARK DANGEROUS GAMES HC $24.99
DEC110426 LAST UNICORN HC DLX ED $50.00
JAN120434 LOCKE & KEY CLOCKWORKS #6 (OF 6) $3.99