My Love Story: Ai Wants You

I read My Love Story!!, Vol. 4

I posted a review at the ComicBookBin.  Follow me on Twitter or at Grumble.  Support me on Patreon.

I Reads You Review: SECRET WARS #1

SECRET WARS #1 (OF 8)
MARVEL COMICS – @Marvel

WRITER: Jonathan Hickman
ARTIST: Esad Ribic
COLORS: Ive Svorcina
LETTERS: Chris Eliopoulos
COVER: Alex Ross
VARIANT COVERS: Simone Bianchi with Simone Peruzzi; Jim Cheung with Justin Ponsor; John Tyler Christopher; Amanda Conner with Paul Mounts; Butch Guice with Andy Troy; Esad Ribic; Skottie Young; Chip Zdarsky
56pp, Color, $4.99 U.S. (July 2015)

Part 1: “End Times”

Almost four years ago, DC Comics re-launched its comic books line, an event called “The New 52.”  That's over, already.  Marvel Comics did semi-relaunches, under the banner “All-New.”  Well, now Marvel is going all in this fall when every comic book restarts with a #1 issue, in addition to the apparent debut of some new titles.

DC Comics heralded “The New 52,” with a five-issue miniseries and publishing event entitled “Flashpoint.”  Marvel's event herald is “Secret Wars.”  Yes, indeed, everything old is remade again, and Marvel's notorious 1984 twelve-issue comic book miniseries, Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars get a portion of its title re-purposed.  Worlds, universes, and even characters die in the eight-issue miniseries, Secret Wars, written by Jonathan Hickman, drawn by Esad Ribic, colored by Ive Svorcina, and lettered by Chris Eliopoulos, with painted covers by Alex Ross.

Secret Wars #1 (“End Times”) opens with Doctor Doom, Doctor Strange, and Molecule Man facing... “Beyond.”  The multiverse is dying, and there are only two universes left.  One is the universe of Earth-1610 (the Ultimate Universe), and the other is the universe of Earth-616 (the Marvel Universe).  One is invading the other; super-powered types will battle.  Super-powered types will die, and so will a universe... or two.

Reading Secret Wars #1 is only half as painful as reading Avengers & X-Men: Axis #1 was for me.  Secret Wars does have its moments in which I genuinely cared about the peril faced by the characters, at least some of them.  What I genuinely love about Secret Wars #1 is the beautiful art by Esad Ribic and Ive Svorcina.

I have always admired Ribic, even when he replaced my beloved Steve Rude on X-Men: Children of the Atom (way back in the 1990s).  Here, Ribic and Svorcina deliver some potent, striking images, and it is their storytelling that really makes this graphic narrative work, more so than Hickman's script.  Hickman puts a snide remark in Rocket Raccoon's mouth about those comic book from decades ago that had a one-dollar cover price.  Yeah, some did suck, but you usually got a complete story in a single issue.  Let's see current comics superstar Jonathan Hickman pull that off.

B+

[This book includes a preview of The Uncanny Inhumans #0” by Charles Soule, Steve McNiven, Jay Leisten, Justin Ponsor, and VC's Clayton Cowles.]

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux; support on Patreon.


The text is copyright © 2015 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog for syndication rights and fees.

#IReadsYou Review: BLACK LAGOON Volume 10

BLACK LAGOON, VOL. 10
VIZ MEDIA – @VIZMedia

CARTOONIST: Rei Hiroe
ENGLISH ADAPTATION: Joe Yamazaki
LETTERS: John Hunt, Primary Graphix
ISBN: 978-1-4215-7772-2; paperback (April 2015); Rated “M” for “Mature”
192pp, B&W, $12.99 U.S., $14.99 CAN, £8.99 U.K.

The baddest mercenaries on the high seas of Southeast Asia sail aboard the “Black Lagoon,” a modified, World War II torpedo boat.  Prowling the waters off the coast of Southeast Asia is a small crew of four.  There is Vietnam vet, Dutch the Boss, and Benny the Mechanic, who handles the boat’s complicated high tech electronics.  Revy Two Hand is the ultra-lethal, gunslinger, and Rock, the corporate crony formerly known as Rokuro Okajima, just ended up part of the crew.  Through Dutch’s company, Lagoon Traders, this quartet operates a maritime courier service out of Roanapur, Thailand, a dangerous city rotten with military, ex-military, gangsters, drug dealers, etc.

Black Lagoon, Vol. 10 has a singular focus on Chapter 77: The Wired Red Wild Card.  Benny's lascivious girlfriend, Jane, arrives in town with naughty plans to make love to Benny... and sometimes to rape him.  The tech-savvy Jane, who leads an international counterfeiting group, however, has even darker plans for her latest recruit, Feng Yifei, a Chinese spy.

The plan is for Feng to hack into Reinbach A.G., a German electronics manufacturer, in order to steal the avionics data the company is developing.  Jane's real motive is to blackmail the Chinese government, an act which leaves, Feng, who is enlisted in the Chinese military, as the scapegoat.  Now, the People's Liberation Army (PLA) has hired men to kill Feng.  Some of the crew of the Black Lagoon are sympathetic, but they would rather not bring Feng's trouble on themselves.  What will she do?

I think the last time the Black Lagoon manga was published in North America was in 2010, when VIZ Media published Vol. 9.  In an afterword published in Black Lagoon Volume 10, series creator, Rei Hiroe, seems determined to make his readers understand two things.  He has been working on the series during the five years between Vols. 9 and 10, and he was not on hiatus, no matter how many people say he was.

He doesn't need to explain anything to me, at least.  I did miss Black Lagoon and often wondered what happened to the series.  I love it.  It's the comic book that The Punisher should be like, although DC Comic's recently launched Deathstroke series (2014) reminds me of Black Lagoon.  While Vol. 9 was a shoot 'em up fest, Vol. 10 is short on the kind of explosive gun battles that have come to define this series, although there are a few ballets of bullets.

In this chapter, Hiroe takes a deeper look at the personalities and philosophies of Revy and Rock, particularly from the standpoint of how each views getting involved in other people's affairs.  I think this is a way of encouraging the readers to be invested in the crew of the Black Lagoon, and it worked on me.  I suddenly find myself drawn to Revy as an intriguing mystery girl and not simply as a cool bitch with two smoking guns.

A-
7.5 out of 10

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"


The text is copyright © 2020 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for syndication rights and fees.

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Read Webcomic Grumble: Chapter Two - Page 8

Grumble Chapter Two, Page 8 is here: http://www.comicbookbin.com/grumbletwopage008.html

NOTE:  Last year, I printed some promotional copies of Grumble: Chapter One through a POD printer.  I will sign and number a copy of this "rare" comic book for $5 post paid, which you can purchase here or http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/p/i-reads-shopping.html

I am also on Patreon.

Vagabond: Nagaoka's Deal

I read Vagabond, Vol. 37

I posted a review at the ComicBookBin.  Follow me on Twitter or at Grumble.  Support me on Patreon.

I Reads You Review: THE ART OF JOHN BOLTON

THE ART OF JOHN BOLTON
SQP

ART: John Bolton
ISBN: 13 – 978-0865620476 and 10 – 086562-047-4; paperback; (October 2001)
104pp, Color, $19.95 U.S., £11.99 UK

Born in London, England, John Bolton is a comic book artist and illustrator who is known for his painted comic book art.  He was one of the early British comic book artists to work in American comic books.  Bolton's initial American work included comics featuring Robert E. Howard's character, Kull, and Marvel Comics' X-Men.

With long-time X-Men writer, Chris Claremont, Bolton produced the fantasy comic book series, Black Dragon.  He worked with author Clive Barker, including producing some comics based on Hellraiser, the film franchise that Barker adapted from one of his short stories.  He drew the first book in Neil Gaiman's miniseries, The Books of Magic (DC Comics).  Bolton also drew the miniseries, Batman/Man-Bat (DC Comics), which was written by Jamie Delano.

The Art of John Bolton is an over-sized, paperback art book that was originally published in Germany by mg/publishing as part of a series called “Art Fantastix.”  In 2001, SQP, Inc. published an American edition of The Art of John Bolton.  The book includes 84 paintings by John Bolton, which the book's editor subjectively chose as the “best works of John Bolton.”  The book also includes seven production sketches, which are drawings (in some combination of pencil, ink, charcoal, etc.) that are later turned into full paintings.  The book's cover features the painting, “Libertine,” which Bolton finished in 1996.  The production sketch for “Libertine” is also included in this art book. 

Like the great fantasy artists, John Bolton resides in his own unique corner in the world of dark fantasy art.  Bolton captures the imagination by transforming familiar elements of fantasy and horror into something fresh and new.  Bolton also manages to add danger to his fresh, new visions.  Extravagant daydreams become disturbing, but gorgeous nightmares.

Undead pretty thing and vampire vixens take on a new allure under Bolton's brush.  They are alluring and shocking, sexy and bizarre, and resplendent and macabre.  Calling this book The Art of John Bolton seems inadequate.  John Bolton is a visionary, and the works contained herein will reveal that this artist is indeed a visionary, even if the title seems not up to the task.  If you have ever admired John Bolton, this book is a must-have.

http://www.johnbolton.com/

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux; support on Patreon.


The text is copyright © 2015 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog for syndication rights and fees.

DC Comics from Diamond Distributors for June 10, 2015

DC COMICS

OCT140403     ABSOLUTE TRANSMETROPOLITAN HC VOL 01 (MR)     $125.00
APR150230     ARROW SEASON 2.5 #9     $2.99
JAN150364     BATGIRL HC VOL 01 THE BATGIRL OF BURNSIDE (N52)     $24.99
DEC148636     BATGIRL TP VOL 01 THE BATGIRL OF BURNSIDE (N52)     $14.99
APR150254     BATMAN #41     $3.99
MAR150278     BATMAN CATACLYSM TP NEW ED     $29.99
APR150248     BATMAN SUPERMAN #21     $3.99
FEB150278     BODIES TP (MR)     $16.99
APR150261     CATWOMAN #41     $2.99
APR150314     COFFIN HILL #19 (MR)     $3.99
APR150185     CONSTANTINE THE HELLBLAZER #1     $2.99
APR150263     DETECTIVE COMICS #41     $3.99
APR150191     EARTH 2 SOCIETY #1     $2.99
APR150317     FABLES THE WOLF AMONG US #6 (MR)     $3.99
APR150318     FBP FEDERAL BUREAU OF PHYSICS #21 (MR)     $3.99
APR150265     GOTHAM ACADEMY #7     $2.99
APR150271     HARLEY QUINN #17     $3.99
APR150231     INJUSTICE GODS AMONG US YEAR FOUR #3     $2.99
APR150233     NEW SUICIDE SQUAD #9     $2.99
MAR150281     NIGHTWING TP VOL 02 ROUGH JUSTICE     $19.99
APR150207     RED HOOD ARSENAL #1     $2.99
APR150280     SCOOBY DOO WHERE ARE YOU #58     $2.99
APR150211     SECTION 8 #1     $2.99
APR150213     STARFIRE #1     $2.99
APR150319     STRANGE SPORTS STORIES #4 (MR)     $4.99
FEB150257     SUPERMAN ACTION COMICS HC VOL 06 SUPERDOOM (N52)     $24.99
MAR150272     SUPERMAN ACTION COMICS TP VOL 05 WHAT LIES BENEATH (N52)     $14.99
MAR150313     WAKE TP (MR)     $17.99

DC COMICS/DC COLLECTIBLES

DEC140433     DC COMICS ICONS SHAZAM STATUE     $99.95
DEC140429     SANDMAN CHESS SET     $299.95