A Devil and Her Love Song: Birth of a Devil

I read A Devil and Her Love Song, Vol. 10

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

I Reads You Review: L.A. Banks' MINION

MINION (Book 1 of The Vampire Huntress Legend Series)
ST. MARTIN’S PRESS – @StMartinsPress

AUTHOR: L.A. Banks
ISBN: 978-0-312-98701-5; mass market paperback (May 4, 2004)
320pp, B&W, $7.99 U.S., $9.99 CAN

Minion is a 2003 dark fantasy and vampire novel from the late author, L.A. Banks (the penname of Leslie Esdaile Banks).  A paperback original, Minion was first published in a trade paperback edition (2003) and later, in a mass market edition (2004).

Minion is the first book in Banks’ series, The Vampire Huntress Legend Series (VHL).  This twelve-book series centers on a young woman born to fight in a never-ending struggle between good and evil, the most constant and dangerous evil being vampires.

Twenty-year-old Damali Richards is a spoken word artist and the top act for Warriors of Light Records, but there is more to both Damali and her record company.  Damali hunts vampires and demons, and Marlene Stone, the owner of Warrior of Light Records, is Damali’s mother-seer, protector, and part of Damali’s Guardian team.

At night, Damali and the Guardians do their best work, but lately, times have been difficult.  A new group of apparently rogue vampires have been killing Guardians and artists associated with Warriors of Light, and Damali and her team know that these killings are out of the ordinary.  Instead of neat puncture marks on the neck to show where blood was drained from the body, these bodies have been mutilated, with the throats ripped out.

Blood Music, a rival organization, has also seen some of its artists killed.  Blood Music’s owner, Carlos Rivera, a rising young crime lord, comes to believe that the attacks are personal when some of the people closest to him are found savagely murdered.  Damali decides that she must infiltrate Blood Music in order to get more answers about the attack, but her mission is complicated by the fact that she and Carlos were once engaged in a serious romantic relationship.  The force behind these attacks, however, is a seductive vampire with a connection to Damali’s past.

I was walking around a local Dollar General store when I saw a spinner rack of paperback books.  Dollar General and other discount stores sell “remaindered books,” which are books steeply marked down from their original cover price by the publisher, distributor, and bookstore as a way of liquidating them.  I was shocked to see a mass market edition of Minion.  I had first learned of L.A. Banks several years ago in an article about African-American authors of fantasy (or fantasy authors of color), and since then, I wanted to read something by her.

Well, a dollar store bargain gave me my chance, and I’m glad I read Minion, although I was sad to learn that Banks had died since the time I had first heard of her.  Minion is more than simply an imaginative story.  Banks practically creates a new mythology of the vampire, connecting that monster of our nightmares to a larger evil called The Dark Realms.  Considering the well-worn sub-genre that is vampire fiction, Minion comes across as fresh and new.  It is probably one of the most inspired vampire novels since Anne Rice’s Interview with a Vampire was first published in 1976.

However, Minion is not a self-contained novel, so much as it is a primer into the world of Damali Richards (who is “The Neteru,” a human who is born every thousand years to fight the Dark Realms).  In a way, Minion is the first chapter in a dark fantasy serial.  There are many fantasy book series, such as the Harry Potter books, but each Potter novel is a self-contained story with a beginning, middle, and end, while also being part of a larger narrative.  Minion is the novel as an out-sized first chapter in a serial that happens to be comprised of books rather than episodes.

That makes Minion kind of strange.  It has a beginning, but after that, the story just moves along, with Banks introducing all these crazy, but interesting ideas.  After awhile, I got the idea that Minion was entirely about the beginning, and no middle, let alone ending was in sight.

But I’m ready to read more.  Banks’ colorful prose, peppered with “urban” idioms and sparkling African-American sass and vernacular, is a candied treat.  Her inventiveness, however, takes Minion beyond being a “Black thing.”  Banks seems to have taken New Line’s Blade movies, the Buffy the Vampire television series, and Anne Rice’s gothic fiction and blended them into a new thing.  This new thing takes place on the streets, in the back alleys, and in clubs and other venues of live music (like raves).  Minion opens a new place for lovers of vampire fiction to play, and I want to be there.

A-

http://www.vampire-huntress.com/

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux

The text is copyright © 2013 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog for syndication rights and fees.

I Reads You Review: All Star Batman and Robin, the Boy Wonder #1

ALL STAR BATMAN & ROBIN, THE BOY WONDER #1
DC COMICS – @DCComics

WRITER: Frank Miller
PENCILS: Jim Lee
INKS: Scott Williams
COLORS: Alex Sinclair
LETTERS: Jared K. Fletcher
36pp, Color, $2.99 U.S., $4.00 CAN (September 2005)

I only read a few issues of All Star Batman & Robin, the Boy Wonder, but I have been thinking about it, on and off, for the last year or so.  Why?  It’s best not to dig too deep.

Thanks to Mile High Comics’ constant stream of deep-discount sales, I was able to get another copy of All Star Batman & Robin, the Boy Wonder #1.  [I don’t know what happened to the first copy I had.].  I can’t remember how much or if I liked it the first time I read it back in 2005.  I do remember not liking issue #2.  This time, however, I really enjoyed reading #1.

As you may remember, All Star Batman & Robin, the Boy Wonder, written by Frank Miller and drawn by Jim Lee, was the first series to be launched in 2005 under DC Comics’ then new “All Star” imprint.  This imprint was to feature comic book miniseries produced by writers and artists who were renowned in the American comic book industry.  Each series would feature stories that take place outside DC Universe continuity and would also retell the history (in part) of a prominent DC Universe character, while being set in its own continuity and in a separate universe  [Yes, I know; this is all fan jargon].

All Star Batman & Robin, the Boy Wonder #1 opens with a splash page of young Dick Grayson of the circus acrobatic team, The Flying Graysons.  Then, the story moves to the swanky Gotham City apartment of intrepid, sex-pot reporter, Vicki Vale.  Alfred Pennyworth calls to inform her that she has a date with millionaire Bruce Wayne.  Wayne takes Vale to the circus, and she wonders why Wayne admits to keeping an “eye’ on young Dick.  It culminates in a double homicide and an extended action scene involving a car chase and The Batman.

Frank Miller has apparently described All Star Batman & Robin, the Boy Wonder as being set in the same universe as his Bat-magnum opus, Batman: The Dark Knight Returns.  Actually, Miller’s dialogue reads like something he wrote for Sin City – tongue-in-cheek and sharp-edged.  I see characters in this series as dark, arrogant and/or supremely confident – depending on how I interpret a scene.  Once again, this is more Sin City than Batman.

The joy of All Star Batman & Robin, the Boy Wonder #1 is Jim Lee’s pencil art.  With Scott Williams’s dexterous yet precise inks and Alex Sinclair’s gleaming, neon-like colors, Lee is doing his version of Frank Miller, Klaus Janson, and Lynn Varley’s art for Batman: The Dark Knight Returns.

Lee began cleaning up his compositions of inconsequential crosshatching and other extraneous line work beginning with his twelve-issue run on Batman (entitled “Hush”) back in 2002.  He began to focus more on page design and the graphic design within each panel.  The result was better looking art.

Here, Lee captures the stylish sensibilities of early Batman comic books, a mixture of newspaper comic strip art and pulp fiction illustration, with art deco flourishes.  Lee seems to be having fun with All Star Batman & Robin, the Boy Wonder #1, and I’m having fun reading it.  I look forward to reading #2, again.

A-

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux

The text is copyright © 2013 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog for syndication rights and fees.

Review: SKYWARD #1

SKYWARD #1
ACTION LAB ENTERTAINMENT – @ActionLab

CARTOONIST: Jeremy Dale
COLORS: Steve Downer
LETTERS: Thom Zahler
COVER: Jeremy Dale with Laura Martin
EDITOR: Kelly Dale
32pp, Color, $3.99 (July 2013)

Action Lab Entertainment recently began publishing a fantasy comic book series, entitled Skyward.  It is created, written, and drawn by Jeremy Dale, who apparently first began self-publishing Skyward a few years ago.

Skyward #1 (“The Genesis of Exodus”) introduces a boy named Quinn.  He lives in the kind of medieval-like age which is the setting for many epic fantasy and high-fantasy stories.  As Skyward begins, Quinn is fishing with his dog, Jack, and his father, Corin, a massive muscular man with a Conan the Cimmerian body type.

On the way home, Quinn and Corin are involved in an incident, which they don’t realize portends doom.  Father and son return to their pastoral home and hearth, where Taryn, Quinn’s mother and Corin’s wife, awaits them.  But Corin’s past is not far behind.

In a recent piece for the Comic Book Bin, columnist Philip Schweier offered an article entitled, “Comics for 45-Year-olds.”  In part, Schweier examines the term “all ages” and what it means when used to describe a target audience, in particularly readers of comic books.  “Comics for 45-Year-olds” is one of those “must-read” articles, and it is also an “evergreen,” meaning that it will be relevant to comic book readers, the marketplace, and the industry for some time to come.

One particular paragraph stood out for me, as it encapsulates the last four decades of comic book publishing in the United States.  The following line from that paragraph is relevant to my review of Skyward #1:  There was a time when comic books were truly all ages, read and enjoyed by 10-year-olds, 15-year-olds, 20-year-olds and older.

[Read the article here]

Skyward #1 is the kind of comic book that can be read and enjoyed by anyone from 10-years-old to 110-years-old.  There are many things to like about this comic book, for instance, a noisy dog named Jack as a character that fully participates in the narrative.  I also like that when it comes to Corin and Quinn, Dale offers a twist on the idea of the call to the quest.

Dale’s art with Steve Downer’s color gives the story the graphic or visual impression of watching an animated film.  In fact, reading Skyward #1 reminded me of those happy feelings I had as a child watching Ralph Bakshi’s animated feature film, The Hobbit (an adaptation of Tolkien’s novel, of course).

This early in the series, Dale is still finding his way as a storyteller and is working out a few kinks.  Still, it is clear that Skyward is heading in the right direction.  Readers looking for a stand-out fantasy that everyone can read will want to try Skyward.

A-

www.actionlab.com
www.jeremy-dale.com

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux

The text is copyright © 2013 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog for syndication rights and fees.

Yaoi Review: BLUE MORNING Volume 2

BLUE MORNING, VOL. 2
SUBLIME – @SuBLimeManga

CARTOONIST: Shoko Hidaka
TRANSLATION: Jocelyne Allen
LETTERS: NRP Studios
COVER: Shoko Hidaka with Shawn Carrico
ISBN: 978-1-4215-5553-2; paperback (August 2013) Rated “M” for “Mature”
202pp, B&W, $12.99 U.S., $14.99 CAN, £8.99 UK

Blue Morning is a yaoi manga graphic novel series from creator Shoko Hidaka.  Credited as “Shouko Hidaka,” she authored Restart, a manga set in the world of male models.  Yaoi manga is a subset of boys’ love manga (BL) and features explicit depictions of sex between male characters.

Akihito Kuze is the heir to the viscount-ship of his late father, Akinao Kuze.  After the death of his father, Akihito, at the age of 10, moves into the Kuze mansion.  There he meets the Kuze family’s very capable butler, Tomoyuki Katsuragi, who is tasked with raising Akihito.  By the time he is 17-year-old, Akihito finds himself relentlessly drawn to Katsuragi, but frustrated by the distance between them.

Blue Morning, Vol. 2 opens with a flashback.  Akinao Kuze, who is still living at the time, assigns a large number of books for reading and study to Katsuragi, his prodigy of sorts.  Whatever plans that Kuze has for his young protégé are put on hold with the announcement that a male Kuze child has been born.

Back in the present, Akihito has physically consummated his relationship with Katsuragi (i.e. had sex with the dude).  Now, he wants to grow closer to and more intimate with the butler, but Katsuragi’s attitude towards his young charge remains emotionally cold.  Now, Akihito is about to make a deal with Katsuragi, one that he hopes will keep the butler in the fold and maybe in his bed.  However, a party at the Marquise Moriyama complicates the matter with surprise appearances and shocking revelations.

The Blue Morning manga earns its “yaoi” label by depicting sex between its male leads.  Blue Morning Volume 2 offers some intense lovemaking, but this manga isn’t necessarily about sex.  Obviously, Akihito wants to have passionate physical contact with Katsuragi, but this story is strongly romantic and is about a committed relationship that could be the equivalent of marriage.  The conflict is that neither of these young men wants exactly the same thing, and the differences are just enough to create believable tension.  This relationship/romance could turn out bad for a number of people.

The high-society intrigue and class conflict (especially regarding the peerage system) make this manga seem like a comic book adaptation of something from “Masterpiece Theatre.”  Of course, Downton Abbey does not “get down” like Blue Morning gets down.

B+

www.SuBLimeManga.com

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux

BOOM! Studios Looking for Comic Book Artists on Facebook

BOOM! STUDIOS LAUNCHES ARTIST SUBMISSIONS FACEBOOK PAGE

August 21st, 2013 - Los Angeles, CA - Fans and aspiring artists always ask us what the best way is to get their work seen by an editor, and now BOOM! Studios has updated our process to make it easier than ever.

BOOM! Studios has launched an Artist Submissions page on Facebook in order to create a venue for artists to submit their work and have it seen by the BOOM! Studios editorial team.

(https://www.facebook.com/BoomStudiosArtistSubmissions)

WHAT IT IS: The Artist Submissions Facebook Page is a place for artists (pencilers, inkers, colorists, letterers) to post samples of their work. (Please note that this page is strictly for artists and ALL unsolicited writing submissions will not be reviewed.)

HOW IT WORKS: Upload examples of your work for the BOOM! Studios Editorial staff to review. Post all art samples in the Timeline. DO NOT SEND MESSAGES. Make sure to provide your contact information. BOOM! does not respond directly to the posts or messages. BOOM! has hired a number of artists this way and will contact you if there is interest.

Additionally, the BOOM! Studios editorial staff will regularly post helpful hints and advice for artists to improve their craft on the Facebook page.

"I'm really excited about this new initiative," said Managing Editor Bryce Carlson. "Not only is the BOOM! Studios Artist Submissions Page an amazing opportunity for aspiring artists, colorists, and letterers to get their samples in front of BOOM! editors on a regular basis and find helpful tips and advice, it's also a great community for creators to interact and learn from each other. Finding new talent is awesome, but providing a home for people to grow and learn together is what really makes this so special."

ABOUT BOOM! STUDIOS
Founded by Ross Richie in 2005, Diamond Gem Award-winning “Best Publisher” BOOM! Studios (boom-studios.com) generates a constellation of best-selling Eisner and Harvey Award-winning original and licensed comic books and graphic novels with the industry’s top talent. BOOM! Studios is the home of Mike Carey’s SUICIDE RISK, Clive Barker’s NEXT TESTAMENT and HELLRAISER, Paul Jenkins and Humberto Ramos’ FAIRY QUEST, PLANET OF THE APES, Max Bemis’ POLARITY and Mark Waid’s IRREDEEMABLE. Steven Grant’s graphic novel 2 GUNS was recently released as a feature film from Universal Pictures starring Denzel Washington and Mark Wahlberg.

BOOM!’s all-ages imprint KaBOOM! publishes Charles Schulz’ PEANUTS, Jim Davis’ GARFIELD, Cartoon Network’s ADVENTURE TIME and REGULAR SHOW, Mike Kunkel’s HEROBEAR AND THE KID, and Roger Langridge’s Eisner Award-winning SNARKED. In June 2013, BOOM! acquired Archaia Entertainment (archaia.com). Archaia is the Eisner and Harvey Award-winning graphic novel publisher of MOUSE GUARD, COW BOY, GUNNERKRIGG COURT, RUST, SPERA, JIM HENSON’S TALE OF SAND, RETURN OF THE DAPPER MEN, and other many great titles.

Review: ABE SAPIEN: Dark and Terrible #2

ABE SAPIEN: DARK AND TERRIBLE #2 OF 3 (Series #12)
DARK HORSE COMICS – @DarkHorseComics

STORY: Mike Mignola and Scott Allie
ART: Sebastián Fiumara
COLORS: Dave Stewart
LETTERS: Clem Robins
COVER: Sebastián Fiumara
EDITOR: Scott Allie
28pp, Color, $3.50 U.S. (May 2013)

Abe Sapien created by Mike Mignola

Dark and Terrible, Part 2 (of 3)

Sometimes, it happens.  I forget to post a review, and that is the case with Abe Sapien: Dark and Terrible #2.  How late am I?  Well, as of this writing, Abe Sapien #5 was published two weeks ago!  I wrote this review almost three-and-half months ago!

As some of you already know:  Abraham “Abe” Sapien is a character that appears in Hellboy and related comic book series.  Created by Mike Mignola, Abe Sapien first appeared in Hellboy: Seed of Destruction and is a member of the B.P.R.D., the Bureau of Paranormal Research and Development.  Abe is sometimes referred to as a “fishman” or “merman.”

Abe Sapien is a new ongoing comic book series that picks up after previous Abe Sapien comics and will continue with a series of miniseries or story arcs.  Abe Sapien: Dark and Terrible #2 (of 3) is written by Mike Mignola and Scott Allie, drawn by Sebastián Fiumara, colored by Dave Stewart, and lettered by Clem Robins.

Abe Sapien: Dark and Terrible Part 2 opens with a flashback at B.P.R.D. Headquarters in Colorado.  Abe and the seer, Panya, have a conversation, much of it cryptic on Panya’s part.  The Ogdru Hem walks the Earth, turning humans into monsters, and Abe’s friends in the B.P.R.D. are foot soldiers in the war against these monsters that have emerged from the ground.  But apparently, Abe is not meant for this war.

In the present, Abe’s quest to avoid his comrades takes him to the hamlet of Grayrock, located in San Juan County, Colorado.  There, he meets a kindly man of god with a rather unruly flock.

While the title character was mostly missing from the first issue of Abe Sapien: Dark and Terrible, Abe Sapien dominates the second issue.  That’s a good thing.  Abe Sapien is not only an interesting and engaging character, but he is also a character that allows writers to bring out the most interesting aspects of other characters, as they react to him.  Mike Mignola and Scott Allie have a grand time creating chaos around Abe this time.

I simply love the art by Sebastián Fiumara, with its textures and pen and ink-like compositions.  Dave Stewart’s colors bring out the best of Fiumara’s art and makes the art look even more beautiful.  At first, I was only going to read this comic book for the art, but with this issue’s ending slash cliffhanger, I’m also coming back for the story.

A-

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux