Comics and Magazines from Diamond Distributors for May 23 2012

COMICS

MAR120819 ACOLYTE CHRONICLES #1 $3.99

MAR120756 ARCHIE #633 $2.99

MAR120837 BART SIMPSON COMICS #71 $2.99

JAN120833 BEST OF SONIC THE HEDGEHOG HC $24.99

MAR120917 BEST SHOT IN THE WEST ADVENTURES OF NAT LOVE GN $19.99

FEB121059 BIG NATE WHAT COULD POSSIBLY GO WRONG TP $9.99

JAN120910 BILL GATES CO FOUNDER OF MICROSOFT ONE SHOT $7.99

FEB121145 BOYS ONLY HOW TO SURVIVE ANYTHING GN $6.99

SEP111126 BUCK ROGERS IN 25TH CENTURY DAILIES HC VOL 06 1936-1938 $49.99

MAR120792 CALIGULA HC VOL 01 (MR) $27.99

MAR120793 CALIGULA HC VOL 01 SIGNED ED (MR) $34.99

MAR120791 CALIGULA TP VOL 01 (MR) $19.99

JAN120793 CAVEWOMAN MUTATION #2 $3.75

FEB120729 CAVEWOMAN MUTATION #2 BUDD ROOT SP ED PI

MAR121192 CLINT 2.0 #1 (MR) $6.99

MAR120802 CROSSED BADLANDS #6 (MR) $3.99

MAR120803 CROSSED BADLANDS #6 TORTURE CVR (MR) $3.99

MAR120804 CROSSED BADLANDS #6 WRAP CVR (MR) $3.99

FEB121077 DELTORA QUEST GN VOL 06 $10.99

DEC111338 DILBERT TEAMWORK MEANS YOU CANT PICK SIDE TP $12.99

MAR120733 DINO DUCK PREHYSTERICAL GN $6.99

JAN121192 DUNGEON ZENITH SET VOL 1-3 $39.99

FEB120826 ELRIC THE BALANCE LOST #10 $3.99

FEB128242 FANBOYS VS ZOMBIES #1 (2ND PTG) (PP #1018) $1.00

MAR128148 FANBOYS VS ZOMBIES #2 (2ND PTG) (PP #1020) $3.99

MAR120773 FATHOM KIANI VOL 2 #2 CVR A NOME $3.50

MAR120774 FATHOM KIANI VOL 2 #2 CVR B RYAN $3.50

JAN120781 FEMFORCE #159 $9.95

DEC110834 FLASH GORDON INVASION O/T RED SWORD TP (RES) $19.99

NOV110743 FLASH GORDON VENGENCE OF MING GN $12.99

NOV111165 GFT PRESENTS NEVERLAND HOOK #5 A CVR SEJIC $2.99

NOV111166 GFT PRESENTS NEVERLAND HOOK #5 B CVR CAPPROTTI $2.99

FEB121146 GIRLS ONLY HOW TO SURVIVE ANYTHING GN $6.99

DEC111174 GOLDEN AGE WESTERN COMICS HC $24.95

DEC111025 GREEN HORNET #25 $3.99

MAR120848 HELLRAISER #14 (MR) $3.99

FEB121119 HOLLIDAY GN (MR) $19.99

JAN121110 INTERIORAE TP $19.99

MAR120859 IRREDEEMABLE #37 $3.99

DEC111184 JUDGE DREDD CRUSADE TP $16.99

MAR120761 JUGHEADS DOUBLE DIGEST #181 $3.99

FEB120960 KEVIN SMITH BIONIC MAN #9 $3.99

FEB121072 KNIGHTS OF THE DINNER TABLE #186 $5.99

DEC118186 LADY MECHANIKA #2 CVR G 2ND PTG (PP #1009) $3.99

FEB120733 LIO STILL ANOTHER LIO COLL ZOMBIES NEED LOVE TOO TP $12.99

MAR120967 LORD OF THE JUNGLE ANNUAL #1 (MR) $4.99

FEB121167 MAKESHIFT MIRACLE HC VOL 01 GIRL FROM NOWHERE $19.99

FEB128232 PRINCESS OF MARS ILLUSTRATED CLASSICS GN (PP #1017) $15.95

FEB120984 QUEEN SONJA TP VOL 03 COMING OF AGE $19.99

FEB128203 RICH JOHNSTONS CAPTAIN AMERICAN IDOL #1 (2ND PTG) (PP #1018) $3.99

FEB128204 RICH JOHNSTONS SCIENTHORLOGY #1 (2ND PTG) (PP #1018) $3.99

MAR121002 ROBERT JORDAN WHEEL OF TIME EYE O/T WORLD #25 $3.99

DEC110853 SOULFIRE VOL 3 #8 CVR A FABOK $3.50

DEC110854 SOULFIRE VOL 3 #8 CVR B BENITEZ $3.50

MAR120771 STAN LEES MIGHTY 7 #2 $2.99

NOV110991 STEVE DITKO ARCHIVES HC VOL 03 MYSTERIOUS TRAVELER $39.99

JAN120904 STORM RIDER #1 $3.99

FEB120736 STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE TP VOL 01 BERRY FUN $14.99

FEB120889 TAROT WITCH OF THE BLACK ROSE #66 DOUBLE DLX ED (MR) $21.99

APR120986 TIME FOR FRANK AND HIS FRIEND GN $14.95

JAN121003 VAMPIRELLA #17 $3.99

DEC110981 WARLORD OF MARS DEJAH THORIS #12 (MR) $3.99

FEB120990 ZORRO RIDES AGAIN TP VOL 01 $19.99

MAGAZINES
MAR121368 DIABOLIQUE #10 $9.98
APR121399 FANGORIA #314 $9.99
JAN121413 HOBBY JAPAN APR 2012 PI
MAR121373 HORRORHOUND #35 $6.99
JAN121348 ILLUSTRATION MAGAZINE #37 $15.00
MAR121312 JUXTAPOZ #137 JUN 2012 $5.99
MAR121316 LEES TOY REVIEW #220 SPRING ISSUE $6.95
FEB121280 RUE MORGUE MAGAZINE #122 $9.95
FEB121806 WHITE DWARF #388 PI

Review: X 3-IN-1 EDITION, VOL. 2

X 3-IN-1 EDITION, VOL. 2
VIZ MEDIA

CREATORS: CLAMP
Story and Script and Book Design: Nanase Ohkawa
Art/Cover Illustration: Mokona Apapa
Art Direction: Mick Nekoi
Art Assistance: Satsuki Igarashi
TRANSLATION: Lillian Olsen
LETTERS: Annaliese Christman
ISBN: 978-1-4215-4041-2; paperback, Rated “T+” for “Older Teen”
584pp, B&W with some color, $19.99 U.S. $22.99 CAN

CLAMP (or Clamp) is an all-female manga artist group and studio. The group began in the mid-1980s as a self-publishing collective of amateur artists. The group’s first professional work, RG Veda, apparently was started when the creators were still amateurs. Some of their best known titles are Cardcaptor Sakura, Chobits, and xxxHolic.

Originally entitled, X/1999, X is a shojo manga created by CLAMP. The series, which debuted in 1992, follows a young man who must deal with the fact that his destiny will determine the fate of humanity and the Earth. VIZ Media is currently publishing the series in their omnibus 3-in-1 editions, which collect three original Japanese volumes in one large-sized paperback volume or graphic novel.

The series centers on Kamui Shiro, a powerful young esper. Hinoto, a young blind woman, is Japan’s greatest seer, and she has foretold the end of the world. Kamui is at the center of this prophecy. There are two competing forces battling over Earth. The Dragons of Earth (The Seven Angels) believe that the conflict between man and nature cannot be resolved peaceful, so man, as destroyers, must be destroyed. The Dragons of Heaven (The Seven Seals) believe that the conflict between man and nature can be resolved peacefully. Hinoto hopes to win Kamui, who possesses tremendous arcane powers, to the side of the Dragons of Heaven. Kamui just wants to protect the two people most important to him, brother and sister, Fuma and Kotori Monou.

As X: 3-in-1 Edition, Vol. 2 (which reprints Japanese Vols. 4-6) begins, Sorata Arisugawa and Yuzuriha Nekoi, two of the Seven Seals, accompany Kamui to see Hinoto in her lair beneath the Diet Building in Tokyo. Hinoto has a lot to tell Kamui, but is she telling him the entire truth about his destiny? Seishiro Sakurazuka, one of the Seven Angels who previously attacked Kamui, confronts him again. The Dragons of Earth plot to protect their stolen prize, one of the Sacred Swords. Kamui is reunited with Kotori and her brother Fuma, and Fuma has something important to tell Kamui.

Once again, I am brief in my summary of this second volume of X: 3-in-1 Edition. Of course, there is so much more to the contents of this volume – subplots, flashbacks, big reveals, and new characters galore.

X is clearly an early work by CLAMP. It is not as polished as their later works, but the creators’ passion for this project is glaring and makes for a live-wire reading experience. There are times when the images, graphics, and visual storytelling just pounded my imagination. CLAMP packs pages with explosions of energy, debris, flowers, tones-upon-tones, and various effects. This is emotional and psychological in nature more than it is straight linear storytelling, but it is fun to read.

B+

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