Digital Comics: Digital new releases available from your local comic book shop are marked below. [DIG] = Digital version available. [DIG/P+] = Print-Plus digital/print combo pack available. For more information, go to www.digitalcomicsreader.com.
COMICS & GRAPHIC NOVELS
OCT130855 7 HOLES FOR AIR GN $19.95
DEC130957 ACCELERATORS #5 (MR) $3.99
NOV131206 ACG COLL WORKS OUT OF THE NIGHT SLIPCASE ED VOL 02 $64.99
DEC130995 ADVENTURE TIME TP VOL 04 $14.99
NOV130793 ALL NEW SOULFIRE #3 ASPEN RESERVED CVR $3.99
NOV130792 ALL NEW SOULFIRE #3 DIRECT MARKET CVR [DIG] $3.99
NOV130778 ARCHIE 1000 PG COMICS PALOOZA TP $14.99
NOV130777 ARCHIE FUNHOUSE DOUBLE DIGEST #2 [DIG/P+] $3.99
DEC131204 BATTLE ANGEL ALITA LAST ORDER OMNIBUS VOL 03 $19.99
OCT131072 BATTLESTAR GALACTICA #8 $3.99
DEC131122 BEAUTIFUL DARKNESS HC (MR) $22.95
DEC131294 BOJEFFRIES SAGA GN (MR) $14.95
DEC131009 BRAVEST WARRIORS TP VOL 02 $14.99
DEC131233 BUNKER #1 $3.99
NOV130752 CAVEWOMAN DEADLY VENOM DURHAM SP ED PI
NOV130751 CAVEWOMAN DEADLY VENOM ONE SHOT $3.75
DEC130824 CAVEWOMAN DEADLY VENOM ROOT SP ED PI
DEC130916 CROSSED BADLANDS #47 (MR) $3.99
DEC130918 CROSSED BADLANDS #47 TORTURE CVR (MR) $3.99
DEC130917 CROSSED BADLANDS #47 WRAP CVR (MR) $3.99
OCT131320 DEATH SENTENCE #5 $3.99
OCT130878 DEVILS HOPYARD #1 (MR) $3.99
SEP131166 DF FANTOMEX MAX #1 CRYSTAL SGN ED (MR) $14.99
NOV131059 DF SUPERIOR SPIDER-MAN #19 & 20 ROMITA SR SGN $189.99
MAY131108 DF TEN GRAND #1 LEE EXC JMS SGN ED $29.99
MAR131135 DF UNCANNY X-MEN #1 BACHALO SGN PI
MAR131137 DF UNCANNY X-MEN #2 BACHALO SGN PI
DEC131332 ETERNAL WARRIOR #6 REG LAROSA $3.99
OCT130899 EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT ASSASSINS #18 CVR A GUNDERSON [DIG] $3.99
OCT130900 EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT ASSASSINS #18 CVR B ANDOLFO $3.99
OCT130901 EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT ASSASSINS #18 CVR C TORQUE PI
OCT130801 FUBAR GUTS AND GLORY ONE SHOT $3.99
NOV131357 GFT NO TOMORROW TP $15.99
DEC131366 GFT ROBYN HOOD AGE OF DARKNESS A CVR LASHLEY (AOFD) $5.99
DEC131367 GFT ROBYN HOOD AGE OF DARKNESS B CVR KROME (AOFD) $5.99
DEC131368 GFT ROBYN HOOD AGE OF DARKNESS C CVR VALENTINO (AOFD) $5.99
DEC131369 GFT ROBYN HOOD AGE OF DARKNESS D CVR QUALANO (AOFD) $5.99
DEC131387 GFT WONDERLAND #20 A CVR EHNOT (MR) $3.99
DEC131388 GFT WONDERLAND #20 B CVR FEDERICI (MR) $3.99
DEC131389 GFT WONDERLAND #20 C CVR CAFARO (MR) $3.99
DEC131380 GFT WONDERLAND CLASH OF QUEENS #1 A CVR SPAY (AOFD) $3.99
DEC131381 GFT WONDERLAND CLASH OF QUEENS #1 B CVR REYES (AOFD) $3.99
DEC131382 GFT WONDERLAND CLASH OF QUEENS #1 C CVR CHEN (AOFD) $3.99
DEC131383 GFT WONDERLAND CLASH OF QUEENS #1 D CVR ORTIZ (AOFD) $3.99
DEC130905 GOD IS DEAD #2 ENHANCED CONNECTING CVR (MR) $3.99
OCT130819 GOLD DIGGER #207 [DIG] $3.99
DEC130909 GRAVEL COMBAT MAGICIAN #1 (MR) $3.99
DEC130911 GRAVEL COMBAT MAGICIAN #1 HORROR CVR (MR) $3.99
DEC130910 GRAVEL COMBAT MAGICIAN #1 WRAP CVR (MR) $3.99
DEC131103 GRIMM #10 $3.99
DEC131330 HARBINGER #21 ORDERALL MONTOYA $3.99
DEC131329 HARBINGER #21 REG HENRY $3.99
OCT131284 HARVEY HORRORS BLACK CAT MYSTERY SLIPCASE ED VOL 03 $119.99
NOV131208 HARVEY HORRORS TOMB OF TERROR SLIPCASE ED VOL 03 $119.99
NOV130889 HAWKEN MELEE #5 [DIG] $3.99
DEC131165 INSECT BATH #1 $3.99
SEP131306 JOHN CARPENTERS ASYLUM #4 (MR) $3.99
DEC131313 KNIGHTS OF SIDONIA GN VOL 07 $12.95
DEC131039 LEGENDERRY A STEAMPUNK ADV #2 $3.99
NOV131168 LETTER 44 #4 $3.99
DEC131094 MOCKING DEAD TP VOL 01 $17.99
OCT131146 MOOMIN & GOLDEN TAIL GN $9.95
OCT131145 MOOMIN DESERT ISLAND GN $9.95
OCT130797 NFL RUSH ZONE SUPER BOWL SPECIAL TP $19.95
DEC130982 PROTOCOL ORPHANS #4 [DIG] $3.99
NOV130733 RACHEL RISING #23 $3.99
DEC131054 RED SONJA BERSERKER ONE SHOT $4.99
DEC131053 RED SONJA DOLLAR BOOK #1 $1.00
DEC131006 REGULAR SHOW SKIPS #4 MAIN CVRS [DIG] $3.99
DEC130974 ROBOCOP TO LIVE AND DIE IN DETROIT ONE SHOT [DIG] $3.99
JUN131248 ROY THOMAS PRESENTS VOL 03 PLANET COMICS HC $49.99
DEC131208 SANKAREA GN VOL 05 $10.99
NOV130854 SHAHRAZAD #3 $3.50
DEC131111 SHERLOCK HOLMES MORIARTY LIVES #2 $3.99
DEC131236 SIXTH GUN #38 $3.99
NOV130785 SONIC THE HEDGEHOG #257 REG CVR [P+] $2.99
DEC130980 SONS OF ANARCHY #6 (MR) [DIG] $3.99
DEC130963 SPONGEBOB COMICS #29 $2.99
OCT130853 STEAM ENGINES OF OZ VOL 2 #3 GEARED LEVIATHAN [DIG/P+] $3.99
NOV130830 STITCHED #19 (MR) $3.99
NOV130832 STITCHED #19 GORE CVR (MR) $3.99
NOV130831 STITCHED #19 WRAP CVR (MR) $3.99
APR138188 SUPURBIA TP VOL 01 CURR PTG $14.99
DEC130986 SUPURBIA TP VOL 03 $14.99
FEB131049 TERRY & PIRATES GEORGE WUNDER YEARS HC VOL 01 1946-1948 $60.00
DEC131347 TIGER & BUNNY GN VOL 04 $9.99
DEC131292 TIPPY & NIGHT PARADE TOON BOOKS YR HC GN $12.95
SEP131100 UNCANNY #6 $3.99
DEC131258 US JUDGE DREDD COMP CASE FILES TP VOL 07 $19.99
NOV131262 USNA UNITED STATES OF NORTH AMERICA GN $14.95
OCT131112 VAMPIRELLA SOUTHERN GOTHIC #5 $3.99
MAGAZINES
DEC131456 COMIC SHOP NEWS #1391 PI
OCT131532 DIABOLIQUE #19 $9.98
DEC131461 FAMOUS MONSTERS OF FILMLAND #272 $9.99
BOOKS
DEC131409 ART OF JON HUL TP (MR) $24.95
SEP131507 AVENGER DOUBLE NOVEL VOL 12 $14.95
DEC131410 JON HUL SKETCHBOOK TP VOL 01 (MR) $9.95
AUG131472 LEGEND OF HEROES SC VOL 01 CHARACTERS $49.99
AUG131473 LEGEND OF HEROES SC VOL 02 ILLUSTRATIONS $49.99
AUG131587 MAD GREATEST ARTISTS DAVE BERG HC $30.00
AUG138470 MINIFIGURE CUSTOMIZATION SC VOL 01 NEW PTG $10.95
OCT131328 MODERN MASTERS SC VOL 29 CLIFF CHIANG $15.95
DEC131431 SHADOW DOUBLE NOVEL VOL 81 $14.95
NOV132512 WARHAMMER WOLF OF SIGMAR SC $14.00
Tuesday, February 11, 2014
Monday, February 10, 2014
I Reads You Review: "Foul Play!"
HARPER COLLINS/Harper Design
WRITER: Grant Geissman
COVER: Johnny Craig (Back cover by Graham Ingels)
ISBN: 978-0060746988; paperback (April 2005)
272pp, Color, $29.95 U.S.
Foul Play! The Art and Artists of the Notorious 1950s E.C. Comics is a 2005 non-fiction book. Written by Grant Geissman, the book profiles the careers of the artists who drew for E.C. Comics in the early 1950s, focusing on the 14 artists most associated with the publisher. This book also includes 14 E.C. stories drawn by these artists.
What was E.C. Comics? Entertaining Comics was a comic book publisher that was first known as Educational Comics when it was founded in 1944 by Max Gaines. Of course, Entertaining Comics is best known by its common name “E.C. Comics.” Max Gaines died in a boating accident in 1947, and his son, William “Bill” Gaines, took over the company. In 1949 and 1950, Bill Gaines began publishing a line of new titles that featured crime, horror, military, science fiction, and suspense comics.
Under the editorship of Al Feldstein and Harvey Kurtzman, this line featured the work of prominent and talented freelance illustrators like Jack Davis, Will Elder, Bernard Krigstein, and Wally Wood (to name a few). Titles like Tales from the Crypt, Frontline Combat, Shock SuspenStories, Weird Science, and Weird Fantasy (to name a few) presented a fresh approach to comic book storytelling. This line of comic books became a hit with readers. Eventually, however, controversy and political backlash effectively ended E.C. Comics in 1954.
Originally published in April 2005, Foul Play! The Art and Artists of the Notorious 1950s E.C. Comics is a paperback book (8.5” x 11”) that profiles these artists who drew for E.C. Comics. The book’s author, Grant Geissman, is an Emmy-nominated composer of music for television programs. Geissman is also an expert on E.C. Comics and MAD Magazine (also originally published by Bill Gaines).
Foul Play! (which is out-of-print as of this writing) is practically a who’s who of mid-20th century popular illustration. The book features such E.C. artists as Al Feldstein, Harvey Kurtzman, Johnny Craig, Jack Davis, (Ghastly) Graham Ingels, Jack Kamen, Wallace “Wally” Wood, Joe Orlando, Will Elder, John Severin, George Evans, Al Williamson, Reed Crandall, and Bernie Krigstein, among others. Geissman offers biographical details about the artists, describes how they came to work for Bill Gaines, and how their careers evolved after E.C. Comics.
Foul Play! also reprints 14 stories from various E.C. comics publications, each one showcasing the work of a particular artist. Plus, the book includes, as a special bonus, a lost E.C. Comics story, entitled, “Wanted for Murder!” Drawn by Al Williamson (with an uncredited assist from Angelo Torres), this was originally intended to be published in 1956 in Crime Illustrated, part of the E.C. Picto-Fiction magazine line. The magazine was never published, and the story was forgotten and unseen until published in this book.
Over the years, I have had occasion to read reprint editions of various EC Comics. I even have one of those Russ Cochran boxed sets (the four-volume Weird Science). I had not heard of Foul Play! and discovered it on a wire book shelf in a comic book shop I was visiting.
I was actually at the shop to pick up some comic books that I was going to review for the Comic Book Bin. But Foul Play! caught my attention the same way a nude photograph of Halle Berry or Charlize Theron probably would. That was about nine years ago. In that time, I have read this book a few times, read portions of it numerous times, and thumbed through it countless times (especially when I’m on the toilet).
Foul Play! The Art and Artists of the Notorious 1950s E.C. Comics is an evergreen book. It is always going to be relevant because I think that comic book scholars and aficionados will never forget E.C. Comics. They were a high-water mark in the history of comic books, especially American comic books; perhaps, they were the first high-water mark of American comic books. Anyone who ever read them never forgot them, and for some, they were an inspiration. Because some of the people this line of comics influenced went on to contribute to American culture (high, low, and pop), E.C. Comics may have ceased publication, but it never died. So Foul Play! may be out of print, but it is still in play.
A+
Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux
The text is copyright © 2014 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this site for syndication rights and fees.
Sunday, February 9, 2014
Strobe Edge: Ninako the Cheerleader?
I read Strobe Edge, Vol. 8
I posted a review at the ComicBookBin (which has free smart phone apps and comics).
I posted a review at the ComicBookBin (which has free smart phone apps and comics).
Saturday, February 8, 2014
"The Sakai Project" Celebrates Character, Benefits Creator
Artists Celebrate Thirty Years of Usagi Yojimbo
The most amazing artists in the world have come together to celebrate thirty years of Stan Sakai’s marvelous samurai rabbit saga, Usagi Yojimbo, in a new oversized hardcover benefit book: The Sakai Project: Artists Celebrate Thirty Years of “Usagi Yojimbo”.
“It has been an absolute pleasure publishing Stan’s work over the years, and recently collaborating with him directly on 47 Ronin,” said Dark Horse’s president and founder, Mike Richardson. “With the thirtieth anniversary of his most beloved creation, Usagi, and in a time of need for Stan and his family, we are honored to publish this tribute to Stan and his work. We are donating all of the proceeds to Stan and his wife, Sharon. We hope you will join us in honoring one of the comics industry’s shining lights.”
The participating artists bring their own interpretations and their own styles to the subject, making this book a one-of-a-kind treasure.
The Sakai Project is produced in association with the Comic Art Professional Society (CAPS). All proceeds from this book will go to Stan and Sharon Sakai.
ADAM HUGHES | ALAIN MAURICET | ALEX MALEEV | ALLISON SOHN | ANDY GRENEN | ARTHUR ADAMS | BATTON LASH | BILL MORRISON | BRIAN CHING & MICHAEL ATIYEH | BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS | CARLOS D’ANDA & GABE ELTAEB | CHRIS SCALF | DAN PANOSIAN | DAVE GIBBONS | DAVID MACK | DOUG WHEATLEY | EDGAR DELGADO | ERIC POWELL | GABRIEL HARDMAN | GEOF DARROW | HOWARD CHAYKIN | JAN DUURSEMA | JEFF SMITH | JOYCE CHIN | MARK CRILLEY | MATT GROENING | MATT WAGNER | MICHAEL ALLRED | MICHAEL AVON OEMING | MICHAEL GOLDEN | MIKE KUNKEL | MIKE MIGNOLA | OSCAR MARTIN | PAUL GULACY | PAUL RENAUD | PHIL YEH | RICHARD CORBEN | SCOTT SHAW | SERGIO ARAGONÉS | STEPHANIE GLADDEN | TIM SALE | TOM MANDRAKE | TOM RICHMOND | WALTER SIMONSON | WILLIAM STOUT | & MORE!
Industry professionals, Dark Horse encourages your participation! The deadline for art submissions is February 20, 2014. For technical specifications and other information, e-mail Dark Horse at sakaiproject@darkhorse.com.
The Sakai Project will be released on July 23. Pre-order with your local comics retailer.
About Dark Horse
Founded in 1986 by Mike Richardson, Dark Horse Comics has proven to be a solid example of how integrity and innovation can help broaden a unique storytelling medium and establish a small, homegrown company as an industry giant. The company is known for the progressive and creator-friendly atmosphere it provides for writers and artists. In addition to publishing comics from top talent, such as Frank Miller, Mike Mignola, Neil Gaiman, Brian Wood, Gerard Way, Felicia Day, and Guillermo del Toro, and comics legends, such as Will Eisner, Neal Adams, and Jim Steranko, Dark Horse has developed its own successful properties, such as The Mask, Ghost, Timecop, and SpyBoy. Its successful line of comics and products based on popular properties includes Star Wars, Mass Effect, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Aliens, Conan, EVE Online, Halo, Serenity, Game of Thrones, and Domo. Today Dark Horse Comics is the largest independent comic book publisher in the US and is recognized as one of the world’s leading publishers of both creator-owned content and licensed comics material.
Friday, February 7, 2014
Thursday, February 6, 2014
I Reads You Review: THE ROCKETEER/THE SPIRIT: Pulp Friction #4
IDW PUBLISHING with DC Entertainment – @IDWPublishing and @DCComics
WRITER: Mark Waid
ART: J Bone
COLORS: Rom Fajardo
LETTERS: Tom B. Long
EDITOR: Scott Dunbier
COVER: J Bone
SUBSCRIPTION VARIANT COVER: Chris Samnee with Jordie Bellaire
28pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (December 2013)
Two classic characters unite in the four-issue comic book miniseries, The Rocketeer/The Spirit: Pulp Friction. The Rocketeer is a modern-day comic book character whose adventures are set in the era known as the “Golden Age” of comics. The Spirit is a comic book character that actually appeared in that Golden Age.
Published by IDW Publishing (in association with DC Comics), The Rocketeer/The Spirit: Pulp Friction is written by Mark Waid and drawn by Paul Smith (#1), Loston Wallace (#2), and J Bone (#3 and #4). Pulp Friction unites the two heroes, as they try to solve a peculiar murder case.
First appearing in the 1980s, The Rocketeer was created by artist and illustrator, Dave Stevens (who died in March of 2008). Stunt pilot Cliff Secord discovers a mysterious jet pack, which he straps to his back. Adding a helmet, Secord becomes “The Rocketeer,” and begins a series of adventures set mainly in and around Los Angeles and beginning in the year 1938.
The Spirit was created by legendary cartoonist Will Eisner (who died in January 2005) and first appeared on June 2, 1940 in a 16-page, Sunday newspaper supplement (or insert) called “the Spirit section.” Once known as Detective Denny Colt (believed by some to be dead), The Spirit is a masked vigilante who fights crime in Central City.
After the corpse of Alderman Tommy Cunningham, a Central City politician, is found in Los Angeles, The Spirit travels to LA. to investigate, as it is physically impossible for Cunningham to have been in the city when he was. Meanwhile, longtime Spirit nemesis, The Octopus, joins Hollywood “producer,” Benedict Trask, in a plot to use the new medium of television to launch a worldwide criminal enterprise
The Rocketeer/The Spirit: Pulp Friction #4 opens in Central City. The Spirit finds himself imperiled by Cliff’s girlfriend and actress, Betty, who is under the thrall of the Octopus. Trask, feeling assured of victory, prepares to “fire a bullet that will draw blood from the world.” The Rocketeer and The Spirit have been at odds of late. Can they come together in time to save the world? They can with the help of a very special leader.
The Rocketeer/The Spirit: Pulp Friction #4 is the best issue of what has been an entertaining series and a welcomed union of two special comic book characters. Comic books like Pulp Friction remind me of the fun I had reading comic books as a child, flipping pages as fast as I could read them. Sometimes, I had to go back and reread a comic (several times) because my rapid reading was causing me to miss things.
In this final issue, writer Mark Waid brings everything together: all the themes, conflicts, personality clashes, and subplots. Waid cleverly constructs a scene that explains why The Spirit and The Rocketeer might clash that makes perfect sense in the context of the story that Waid is telling. Also, the surprise way in which he turns a famous historical figure into a kind of action hero makes me glad that I read this series. And there are many reasons to read this comic book.
Although he did not draw the opening chapters, J Bone made Pulp Friction his own. His art has an old-timey quality that captures the… ahem… spirit of Will Eisner’s art in terms of mood, graphic design, and pacing, which is appropriate here. The Central City side of this story arc should resemble classic Eisner, as the L.A. side of the story recalls classic Dave Stevens Rocketeer. When it comes to comic books, this is the good stuff.
Once again: more Mark Waid Rocketeer, please, Mr. Dunbier.
A+
Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux
The text is copyright © 2014 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog for syndication rights and fees.
Wednesday, February 5, 2014
Review: DRAGON BALL FULL COLOR Saiyan Arc Volume 1
VIZ MEDIA – @VIZMedia
CARTOONIST: Akira Toriyama
TRANSLATION: Mari Morimoto
ENGLISH ADAPTATION: Gerard Jones
LETTERS: John Clark
COVER: Akira Toriyama with Shawn Carrico
ISBN: 978-1-4215-6592-7; paperback (February 2014); Rated “A” for “All Ages”
248pp, Color, $19.99 US, $22.99 CAN, £12.99 UK
Originally published in Weekly Shonen Jump, Dragon Ball is a long-running Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Akira Toriyama. Serialized from 1984 to 1995, Dragon Ball is comprised of 519 individual chapters, and focuses on the hero, Son Goku, beginning with his childhood.
VIZ Media is Dragon Ball’s North American publisher, and it has been publishing the series is various formats for some time. VIZ Media’s latest Dragon Ball publishing project is Dragon Ball Full Color Saiyan Arc.
Basically the “Saiyan arc” begins with Chapter 195 of the original Dragon Ball. If I have figured this out correctly, VIZ Media published 42 volumes (graphic novels) of Dragon Ball. Beginning with Vol. 17, VIZ Media changed the title to Dragon Ball Z. Chapter 195 opens Dragon Ball Z Volume 17.
Dragon Ball Full Color Saiyan Arc, Vol. 1 opens with the arrival of an alien warrior, named Raditz, on Earth. He is a Saiyan, a warrior race that exterminates native inhabitants of planets. Raditz claims that Son Goku is not only a Saiyan warrior, but is also his brother.
Raditz first battles Goku’s nemesis, Piccolo, and then, Goku. The alien is more than a match for Piccolo and Goku, even after the two enemies unite. There is a surprising result of the battle between Raditz and the Goku-Piccolo team. Soon, both Goku and his four-year-old son, Son Gohan, are training on two different worlds, as they prepare for the arrival of more of Goku’s Saiyan brothers.
I am a new reader of Dragon Ball manga, but I have admired other Akira Toriyama manga for several years now – thanks to the Toriyama manga that VIZ Media has sent me. VIZ gave me a copy of Dragon Ball Full Color Saiyan Arc Volume 1 for review a few weeks ago.
I must admit that I prefer seeing Toriyama’s work in black and white, especially Dragon Ball. However, the more I read this first volume of Dragon Ball Full Color Saiyan Arc, the more I liked it. As I’ve said before, Toriyama blends the best of Carl Barks, Jack Kirby, and Peyo into one super-cartoonist. Dragon Ball Full Color Saiyan Arc Volume 1 is like one of Jack Kirby’s classic superhero comic books without being a superhero comic book.
It is comedy on a big scale, and, thanks to the battles, it is an unabashed fight comic. The color simply heightens the fantastic nature of the story. The format of Dragon Ball Full Color Saiyan Arc Volume 1 makes it look like a kind of archival book for serious manga fans and collectors. However, I think it can also serve as a big-old picture book for young readers.
A+
Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux
The text is copyright © 2014 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog for syndication rights and fees.
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