Image Comics from Diamond Distributors for April 24 2013

IMAGE COMICS

FEB130400 A DISTANT SOIL #39 [DIG] $3.50

FEB130401 CLONE #6 [DIG] $2.99

DEC120558 DARKNESS #112 (MR) [DIG] $2.99

FEB138443 EAST OF WEST #1 2ND PTG $3.50

FEB130440 EAST OF WEST #2 [DIG] $3.50

FEB130441 END TIMES OF BRAM & BEN #4 (MR) [DIG] $2.99

FEB130444 FIVE WEAPONS #3 [DIG] $3.50

FEB130449 INVINCIBLE #102 [DIG] $2.99

FEB130422 INVINCIBLE HC VOL 08 ULTIMATE COLLECTION [DIG] $39.99

FEB138467 JUPITERS LEGACY #1 BLANK SKETCH CVR (MR) $2.99

FEB130379 JUPITERS LEGACY #1 CVR A QUITELY (MR) [DIG] $2.99

FEB130380 JUPITERS LEGACY #1 CVR B HITCH (MR) $2.99

FEB130381 JUPITERS LEGACY #1 CVR C JOHNSON (MR) $2.99

FEB130382 JUPITERS LEGACY #1 CVR D NOTO (MR) $2.99

FEB130452 LOST VEGAS #2 CVR A LEE [DIG] $3.50

FEB130453 LOST VEGAS #2 CVR B SHALVEY $3.50

DEC120522 MANHATTAN PROJECTS #11 [DIG] $3.50

FEB130408 MIGHTY SKULLKICKERS #1 CVR A HUANG & ZUB [DIG] $3.50

FEB130409 MIGHTY SKULLKICKERS #1 CVR B STEVENS $3.50

FEB130403 MORNING GLORIES #26 (MR) [DIG] $1.00

JAN130507 MORNING GLORIES TP VOL 04 TRUANTS $14.99

FEB138440 NOWHERE MEN #1 5TH PTG $2.99

FEB130411 NYCC SEJIC SGN TRIPTYCH $30.00

NOV120588 WHISPERS #5 (MR) [DIG] $2.99

FEB130473 WITCH DOCTOR MALPRACTICE #6 [DIG] $2.99

Comics, Magazines and Books from Diamond Distributors for April 24 2013

PREVIEWS PUBLICATIONS
MAR130001 PREVIEWS #296 MAY 2013 [DIG/P+] $4.50
MAR130004 PREVIEWS #296 MAY 2013 CUSTOMER ORDER FORM PI

FREE COMIC BOOK DAY
JAN130068 FCBD 2013 COMM ARTIST JIM CHEUNG SILVER T/S XXL $17.99

COMICS & GRAPHIC NOVELS
FEB131196 ALICE I/T COUNTRY OF HEARTS MY FANATIC RABBIT GN VOL 02 $11.99

FEB131057 ANIMAL LAND GN VOL 07 $10.99

FEB131058 ARISA GN VOL 10 $10.99

FEB130820 BART SIMPSON COMICS #82 $2.99

FEB131070 BELA LUGOSI TALES FROM GRAVE #3 (RES) $3.99

FEB130727 BETTY & VERONICA DOUBLE DOUBLE DIGEST #212 (NOTE PRICE) [DIG/P+] $5.99

OCT121033 BIONIC WOMAN #9 $3.99

FEB131197 BLACK BUTLER TP VOL 13 $11.99

FEB131198 BUNNY DROP GN VOL 08 $13.99

FEB131019 CAPTAIN PUGWASH COMIC BOOK COLL $14.99

DEC121189 COURTNEY CRUMRIN SPEC ED HC VOL 03 $24.99

JAN130818 CRAWLING SKY #3 [DIG] $3.99

JAN131264 CRIMSON EMPIRE CIRCUMSTANCES TO SERVE A NOBLE GN VOL 01 $13.99

FEB130862 DEATHMATCH #5 MAIN COVERS [DIG] $3.99

FEB130865 DEATHMATCH TP VOL 01 $9.99

NOV121156 DF AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #700 LEE SGN ED $399.99

DEC121093 DF WOM DEJAH THORIS #24 RISQUE DAVILA CVR $19.99

DEC121184 DOUBLE FINE ACTION COMICS TP VOL 01 $19.99

DEC121185 DOUBLE FINE ACTION COMICS TP VOL 02 $19.99

FEB131199 DOUBT OMNIBUS GN VOL 01 $18.99

JAN131268 DPD DOKTORMENTOR JAIL BABE SURGEON #10 (MR) $9.95

FEB131169 FLOWERS OF EVIL GN VOL 05 (MR) $10.95

DEC120920 FREELANCERS #5 MAIN CVRS [DIG] $3.99

FEB131207 GFT UNLEASHED #1 A CVR NUNES (MR) $5.99

FEB131208 GFT UNLEASHED #1 B CVR TYNDALL (MR) $5.99

FEB131209 GFT UNLEASHED #1 C CVR SEJIC (MR) $5.99

FEB131210 GFT UNLEASHED VAMPIRES ETERNAL #1 A CVR SPAY (MR) $3.99

FEB131211 GFT UNLEASHED VAMPIRES ETERNAL #1 B CVR CAFARO (MR) $3.99

FEB131212 GFT UNLEASHED VAMPIRES ETERNAL #1 C CVR RUFFINO (MR) $3.99

JAN130816 GOLD DIGGER #149 [DIG] $3.99

JAN131244 HARVEY HORRORS CHAMBER OF CHILLS SLIPCASE ED VOL 04 $113.99

FEB131087 HELHEIM #2 (MR) $3.99

JAN130797 HT FAKE MOON LANDING EXPOSING MYTHS HC $16.95

FEB131116 INDIGO PRIME ANTHROPOCALYPSE GN (MR) $24.99

FEB131200 IS THIS A ZOMBIE GN VOL 04 (MR) $11.99

FEB130938 JENNIFER BLOOD #26 (MR) $3.99

FEB131018 JERUSALEM STORY OF CITY GN $24.99

NOV120944 JOAN OF ARC FROM THE ASHES #4 (MR) $3.50

JAN131251 JUDGE DREDD DIGEST TP JUDGE CHILD (MR) $11.00

FEB131171 KNIGHTS OF SIDONIA GN VOL 02 $12.95

JAN130854 KNUCKLES THE ECHIDNA ARCHIVES TP VOL 04 $9.99

DEC120801 LAST ZOMBIE #1 THE END [DIG] $3.99

MAR130991 MARBLE SEASON HC $21.95

FEB130927 MASKS #6 $3.99

JAN131255 MEAN TEAM GN (MR) $22.99

FEB130674 MEATHAUS TP #8 HEADGAMES $14.95

FEB131201 MELANCHOLY OF HARUHI SUZUMIYA GN VOL 15 $11.99

JAN130805 MIRIAM #1 (MR) $4.95

FEB131120 NEOZOIC TRADERS GAMBIT #1 $3.50

FEB130781 NIGHT O/T LIVING DEAD AFTERMATH #7 (MR) $3.99

FEB130783 NIGHT O/T LIVING DEAD AFTERMATH #7 GORE CVR (MR) $3.99

FEB130782 NIGHT O/T LIVING DEAD AFTERMATH #7 WRAP CVR (MR) $3.99

FEB131202 PANDORA HEARTS GN VOL 15 $11.99

FEB130675 PEANUTBUTTER & JEREMY BEST BOOK EVER TP $14.95

FEB130830 PEANUTS VOL 2 #8 [DIG] $3.99

JAN130801 PRINCELESS VOL 2 #2 $3.99

NOV121122 QUEEN SONJA #35 $3.99

FEB130663 RACHEL RISING #16 [DIG/P+] $3.99

FEB130682 ROGUES #1 (MR) $3.99

JAN131039 SHADOW #12 $3.99

FEB131168 SHADOWMAN (VU) TP VOL 01 BIRTH RITES $9.99

FEB131105 SO LONG SILVER SCREEN HC $22.95

JAN130957 STEED AND MRS PEEL ONGOING #7 [DIG] $3.99

JAN131002 TAROT WITCH OF THE BLACK ROSE #79 13TH ANN PHOTO CVR (MR) $15.00

JAN131003 TAROT WITCH OF THE BLACK ROSE #79 DLX ED (MR) $19.99

FEB131080 THEA STILTON HC VOL 01 SECRET WHALE ISLAND $9.99

FEB130808 WHO IS AC GN $14.99

FEB130809 WHO IS AC HC GN $21.99

DEC121296 X 3-IN-1 ED TP VOL 05 $19.99

MAGAZINES
JAN131248 2000 AD PACK MAR 2013 $21.00

FEB131245 COMIC SHOP NEWS #1349 PI

DEC121346 DC BATMAN AUTOMOBILIA FIG COLL MAG #4 BATMAN FOREVER MOVIE B $20.00

FEB131272 DIABOLIQUE #15 $9.98

FEB131255 DOCTOR WHO SPECIAL #34 $11.99

JAN131422 FANGORIA #323 $9.99

MAR131499 GIRLS AND CORPSES MAGAZINE SPRING 2013 (MR) $8.95

JAN131249 JUDGE DREDD MEGAZINE #334 $12.25

FEB138327 OFFICIAL MOVIE MAGAZINE MARVEL IRON MAN 3 $9.99

JAN130738 PHINEAS AND FERB MAGAZINE #17 $4.99

BOOKS
OCT121383 DIAN HANSONS HISTORY OF PIN UP MAGAZINES SLIPCASED ED (MR) $39.99

JAN131380 MARK RYDEN GAY 90S HC $39.95

DEC121356 OF COMICS & MEN CULTURAL HIST AMERICAN COMIC BOOKS SC $35.00

JAN131335 PEPITA INOUE MEETS GUADI HC VOL 01 $24.99

FEB131204 SPICE AND WOLF NOVEL VOL 08 TOWN OF STRIFE I $11.99

DEC121400 STAR TREK CLASSIC QUOTES NEXT GENERATION HC (RES) $12.95

FEB131310 STAR TREK HOW TO SPEAK KLINGON HC $16.95

FEB131252 SUPERMAN COLLECTIBLE FIGURINE & PENDANT KIT $9.95

FEB131253 SUPERMAN GLOWING KRYPTONITE & BOOK KIT $9.95

FEB131315 VADERS LITTLE PRINCESS HC $14.95

JAN131988 WARHAMMER 40K BLOOD OF ASAHEIM HC $24.99

Bokurano: Ours - Operation Yoshishi

I read Bokurano: Ours, Vol. 8

I posted a review at the ComicBookBin (which has free smart phone apps and comics).

Book Review: THE LAST DAYS OF KRYPTON

THE LAST DAYS OF KRYPTON
IT BOOKS/HarperCollins – @ItBooks

AUTHOR: Kevin J. Anderson
COVER: Don Sipley
ISBN: 978-0-06-221985-5; paperback (December 4, 2012)
430pp, B&W, $15.99 U.S.

Superman created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Schuster

Written by author Kevin J. Anderson, The Last Days of Krypton is a 2007 prose novel that is based on DC Comics’ Superman mythology. The book, originally published in hardcover by HarperEntertainment, is the never-before told story of the last few years of Krypton, the planet upon which Superman was born as the baby named Kal-El. This past December (2012), It Books published The Last Days of Krypton in a paperback edition.

The Last Days of Krypton opens in the laboratory of Jor-El, Krypton’s most revered scientist and the man who would become Superman’s father. Jor-El’s research and inventions are groundbreaking and cutting-edge. However, Krypton has a conservative, backward-looking, ruling body known as the Kryptonian Council, located in the capitol city of Kandor. For ages, the Council believes that all the necessary inventions have already been created. New science, they believe, is dangerous.

Jor-El usually relinquishes most of his creations and inventions to the Commission for Technology Acceptance in Kandor, which is headed by the ambitious Dru-Zod. Zod is supposed to destroy dangerous inventions, but he has plans of his own. He is embittered because he has not been appointed to the Council seat that he believes is rightfully his.

Jor-El puts aside his disappointments with the Council and with Zod’s commission, as he turns his attention to a young woman he meets. She is Lara, an accomplished artist, historian, and aspiring writer, and the woman who would become Superman’s mother. Jor-El and Lara are like-minded and kindred spirits and seemed destined for marriage.

As Jor-El and Lara’s happiness grows, a horrifying incident occurs. An android called the Brain Interactive Construct (a.k.a Brainiac) attacks Kandor. The diabolical Zod (destined to be the future enemy of Superman known as General Zod) uses Brainiac’s actions to seize power. Although he is initially blind to Zod’s true ambitions, Jor-El joins his brother, Zor-El, who is the mayor of fabled Argo City, in an attempt to save Krypton, both from Zod and from impending disasters.

In The Last Days of Krypton, author Kevin J. Anderson offers appealing characters and a narrative full of compelling plotlines. Jor-El and Lara, as the parents of baby Kal-El the future Superman, are naturally attractive to the readers. Anderson does not rely on that, instead creating characters the readers will want to know. Who are they? What are their hopes, dreams, and fears? What kind of parents will they be?

Anderson also creates and constructs other characters that he brings fully to life. Dru-Zod, who becomes General Zod, is definitely part of the quartet of co-leads, which includes Jor-El, Zor-El, and Lara, that drives this novel. With his colossal ambitions, quicksilver personality, and stormy nature, Zod could be the lead in a novel of his own.

Anderson turns Krypton’s halcyon days of peace and plenty into the waning days of world of oblivious people. This world has multi-faceted political troubles, a few external threats, and an internal menace that is a ticking, time bomb. I found myself reading just to see which disaster would ultimately do-in the mythical Krypton.

In some ways, The Last Days of Krypton is an old-school science fiction novel. Its ambitions are not directly about the affect of science on a world or even speculative about a possible future. It is a quasi-planetary romance set on a faraway alien world and is also reflective of the sci-fi infused fantasy that was the nature of many of DC Comics’ publications in the 1950s and 60s. This is a novel for comic book readers and for fans of Superman, simply because Kevin J. Anderson really makes Krypton live again. That is why The Last Days of Krypton feels like a part of Superman proper.

B+

http://youritlist.com/

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux

Book Review: ENEMIES AND ALLIES

ENEMIES & ALLIES
IT BOOKS/HarperCollins – @ItBooks

AUTHOR: Kevin J. Anderson
COVER: Alex Ross
ISBN: 978-0-06-221380-8; paperback (December 4, 2012)
336pp, B&W, $15.99 U.S.

Superman created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Schuster; Batman created by Bob Kane

Enemies & Allies is a 2009 hardcover novel starring Superman and Batman. Written by author Kevin J. Anderson (The Last Days of Krypton), the novel depicts the first encounter between Batman and Superman. In December 2012, It Books, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, released a paperback edition of Enemies & Allies.

With a story seemingly inspired by DC Comics’ Elseworlds imprint, Enemies & Allies is set in the late 1950s. The Dark Knight of Gotham City and The Man of Steel of Metropolis, the two iconic heroes that have appeared in many DC Comics’ titles, join forces to save the world. A shadowy vigilante named Batman haunts the streets of Gotham, while the police hunt him. In Metropolis, Superman is a comforting presence, there to make the impossible rescues when first responders cannot.

High above both cities, however, the first human made satellite, Sputnik, the creation of the USSR, orbits the planet. This small metal sphere symbolizes the state of the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union. Bruce Wayne (Batman’s secret identity) and his company, Wayne Enterprises, battle for military contracts to arm and supply the USA, competing with the military-industrial empire of Metropolis’ Lex Luthor and his LuthorCorp.

Meanwhile, at the Metropolis newspaper, the Daily Planet, reporters Clark Kent (Superman’s secret identity), Lois Lane, and Jimmy Olsen chase big stories. Lois Lane has discovered a sinister conspiracy involving Lex Luthor, and follows a trail of dead LuthorCorp employees. Clark and Jimmy race across country to investigate a rumored UFO crash, and Clark, who was born on another planet, is desperate to learn if this flying saucer means that he isn’t the lone alien visitor on this planet.

These separate missions lead to Batman and Superman crossing paths for the first time. This moment will change their lives, and maybe save the world.

Many people (including some comic book artists I’ve encountered) have described comic book writers as frustrated screenwriters and/or novelists. The prolific author Kevin J. Anderson, with his large bibliography, obviously isn’t frustrated, at least not the way some comic book creators are. Free of the need to write “literary” superheroes to prove himself, Anderson writes a damn good novel. Enemies & Allies is Superman and Batman as well written as the characters have ever been.

Anderson presents something of a fresh take on these beloved comic book characters. Enemies & Allies depicts a youthful Clark Kent, a thoughtful man, a good man, and a good friend to his coworkers. He shyly pines for Lois Lane, a sistah doing if for herself and letting absolutely no one stand in the way of her being the best she can be. Clark also learns to be a friend to the Daily Planet’s exuberant photographer, Jimmy Olsen, making him a partner rather than a sidekick or little brother. Anderson plays Superman as having a heart as big as the world, but the young hero struggles with how and when he should use his powers. How he can best help people or when he should let them help themselves is something to which he gives much thought.

Anderson doesn’t portray Bruce Wayne as merely a mask that Batman wears, although both as billionaire and as hero, both identities are on a mission; nor does Anderson portray Batman as grim and gritty. Rather, Batman is a brilliant, determined man – a Dark Knight for a gothic city weighed down by despair and corruption, but the hero is not a dark, obsessed man.

Anderson’s take on Lex Luthor is also interesting. Luthor may be the planet’s biggest brain, and he has an uncanny knack for adapting other people’s technological and scientific innovations for his purposes. On the other hand, he is so beset by vanity, greed, and envy that he is like an adversary out of C.S. Lewis’ Mere Christianity or a comical knave envisioned by a great satirist.

Through these representations of classic characters – portrayals that are familiar, but offered from a fresh perspective, Anderson composes a novel that is a character drama wearing the accessories of pulp fiction. Enemies & Allies is full of weird sci-fi fun, cliffhangers galore, and the epic battles we expect from our superheroes and super-villains, but it is also simply a good book with winning characters. My highest recommendation is to demand “Encore!”

Enemies & Allies has that same spirit of joy and wonder that Richard Donner’s 1978 film, Superman: The Movie, has. Readers who liked that film will certainly enjoy Enemies & Allies.

A-

http://youritlist.com/

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux

The Story of Saiunkoku: Final Volume and Side Stories

I read The Story of Saiunkoku, Vol. 9

I posted a review at the ComicBookBin.

Review: 21ST CENTURY BOYS Volume 2

21ST CENTURY BOYS, VOL. 2
VIZ MEDIA – @VIZMedia

WRITER: Naoki Urasawa with Takashi Nagasaki
ARTIST: Naoki Urasawa
ENGLISH ADAPTATION: Akemi Wegmüller
LETTERS: Freeman Wong
ISBN: 978-1-4215-4327-7; paperback (March 2013); Rated “T+” for “Older Teen”
200pp, B&W, $12.99 U.S., $14.99 CAN, £8.99 UK

Naoki Urasawa’s epic 20th Century Boys comes to an end with the second volume of 21st Century Boys.

The war is over. The “Friend,” leader of the worldwide cult known as the “Friends,” is dead. But has peace really come to Tokyo, after the world was on the brink of destruction? Many mysteries concerning the Friend remain, such as the Friend’s true identity. Are any of his diabolical plans still in motion? The answers may be in the memories of Kenji Endo, the returning hero and the Friend’s sworn enemy. 20th Century Boys has concluded. Welcome to 21st Century Boys.

Naoki Urasawa’s 21st Century Boys, Vol. 2 (entitled 20th Century Boy) is the final volume of the series. It opens in the Friends’ virtual reality game. Working with United Nations Forces, Kenji Endo entered the game, which is mostly a simulation of Kenji and his friends’ childhood neighborhood. Kenji’s goal is to learn the secrets behind the Friend’s final plot – an anti-proton bomb that can apparently destroy the world.

Meanwhile, Kanna (Kenji’s niece), Yukiji, Chono, and Maruo race to help Kendo. Yukiji, the woman Kendo has loved since they were children, and Kanna, however, are about to endanger themselves in their attempt to help Kenji. Can he save them and the world before it’s too late? And why does he keep going back into the Friends’ virtual reality game? The answers are in Kenji’s memories.

Whodunit? What is the face behind the mask? Who is pulling the strings? After reading two other fantastic Naoki Urasawa manga (Monster, Pluto), I get it, or I think I do. The fun in reading Urasawa and the greatness of his work are found in the journey. It’s the threat, the conflict, the desires and goals, the plot, the subplots, the cast of thousands, the action, the mystery, the surprises, the stunning revelations, the cameos, and the narrative. The bad guy is lost in all of that, at least after awhile.

Naoki Urasawa’s manga are just as fantastically conceived and executed as the work produced by the top names in comic books from American publishers. Alan Moore, Neil Gaiman, Frank Miller, and Grant Morrison: Urasawa’s manga are just as good (if not better, hmm?) than these creators’ most famous works. The last volume has been published, but Naoki Urasawa’s 20th Century Boys and 2lst Century Boys will be fresh to new readers looking for great comic books. People who have already read the books may return to the Boys and find things they missed.

As we close out this great series, I must say again that comic book readers who want great comics want 20th Century Boys and 21st Century Boys.

A

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux