Comics, Magazines and Books from Diamond Distributors for January 6, 2016

COMICS & GRAPHIC NOVELS

NOV151310    ALIENS VAMPIRELLA #5 RARE HARDMAN VIRGIN ED    $50.00
OCT151097    ARCHIE #5 VERONICA FISH REG CVR A    $3.99
OCT151627    ARPEGGIO OF BLUE STEEL GN VOL 06 (MR)    $12.99
OCT151008    BIG BANG UNIVERSE #2    $9.95
NOV151644    BLOODTHIRSTY #4 REG WITTER (MR)    $3.99
NOV151645    BLOODTHIRSTY #4 SUBSCRIPTION CARPENTER (MR)    $3.99
NOV151743    BLUE EXORCIST GN VOL 14    $9.99
FEB151038    CROSSED PLUS 100 #5 CGC NUMBERED ED (MR)    $99.99
MAR150970    CROSSED PLUS 100 #6 CGC NUMBERED ED (MR)    $99.99
NOV151747    DEMON PRINCE OF MOMOCHI HOUSE GN VOL 03    $9.99
SEP151308    DF SECRET WARS #6 COMICXPOSURE EXC    $19.84
NOV151267    DMC GN #2    $19.99
SEP151594    DOCTOR WHO 10TH YEAR TWO #4 REG ROMERO    $3.99
SEP151595    DOCTOR WHO 10TH YEAR TWO #4 SUBSCRIPTION PHOTO    $3.99
OCT151660    DOCTOR WHO 12TH YEAR TWO #1 BROOKS SUBSCRIPTION PHOTO    $3.99
OCT151659    DOCTOR WHO 12TH YEAR TWO #1 REG ZHANG    $3.99
NOV151528    DUNGEON ZENITH SET VOL 1-3    $39.99
NOV151128    FUTURE PROOF #9    $3.99
NOV151824    GFT ROBYN HOOD ONGOING #18 A CVR RICH    $3.99
NOV151825    GFT ROBYN HOOD ONGOING #18 B CVR WATTS    $3.99
NOV151826    GFT ROBYN HOOD ONGOING #18 C CVR QUALANO    $3.99
SEP151792    GFT VAN HELSING VS DRACULA #4 A CVR LILLY (MR)    $3.99
SEP151793    GFT VAN HELSING VS DRACULA #4 B CVR LAISO (MR)    $3.99
SEP151794    GFT VAN HELSING VS DRACULA #4 C CVR GREEN (MR)    $3.99
SEP151795    GFT VAN HELSING VS DRACULA #4 D CVR REI (MR)    $3.99
NOV151188    GIANT DAYS #10    $3.99
NOV151435    GRANT MORRISONS 18 DAYS #7 CVR A DRAUPADI AWAITS PENCIL SKET    $9.99
NOV151436    GRANT MORRISONS 18 DAYS #7 CVR B BLOOD OF THE WARRIORS LTD E    $9.99
NOV151433    GRANT MORRISONS 18 DAYS #7 MAIN CVR    $2.99
NOV151434    GRANT MORRISONS 18 DAYS #7 MUKESH SINGH COVER    $2.99
NOV150972    HERO CATS #9    $3.99
NOV151649    HEROES VENGEANCE #4 REG RUBINE (MR)    $3.99
NOV151650    HEROES VENGEANCE #4 SUBSCRIPTION SHARP (MR)    $3.99
NOV151746    HONEY SO SWEET GN VOL 01    $9.99
OCT151495    INTERCEPTOR #1 CVR A BURNETT (MR)    $3.99
OCT151496    INTERCEPTOR #1 CVR B JOHNSON (MR)    $3.99
OCT151570    INVADER ZIM #6    $3.99
AUG151694    ITS HARD TO BE A GIRL GN    $26.99
NOV151651    JOHNNY RED #3 REG PAGE (MR)    $3.99
NOV151652    JOHNNY RED #3 SUBSCRIPTION RONALD (MR)    $3.99
OCT151106    JUGHEAD & ARCHIE WINTER ANNUAL DIGEST #18    $5.99
NOV151766    KIMI NI TODOKE GN VOL 23 FROM ME TO YOU    $9.99
NOV151768    KISS OF THE ROSE PRINCESS GN VOL 08    $9.99
SEP151637    KODOJA #2    $3.99
NOV151665    KUNG FU PANDA #4 REG FERREYRA    $3.99
NOV151666    KUNG FU PANDA #4 SUBSCRIPTION PHOTO    $3.99
AUG151740    KUNG FU PANDA TP VOL 02    $6.99
NOV151217    LADY DEATH (ONGOING) #20 FAN EXPO VIP CVR (MR)    $19.99
NOV151218    LADY DEATH (ONGOING) #25 NEW YORK VIP CVR (MR)    $19.99
NOV151219    LADY DEATH APOCALYPSE #0 KICKSTARTER CVR (MR)    $9.99
NOV151220    LADY DEATH APOCALYPSE #0 KICKSTARTER SULTRY CVR (MR)    $9.99
OCT151284    LADY DEATH BLACKLANDS DLX COLL BOX SET (MR)    $239.99
OCT151283    LADY DEATH SHI #1 & #2 DLX COLL BOX SET (MR)    $99.99
NOV151138    LAST CONTRACT #1    $3.99
NOV151236    LEONARD STARRS MARY PERKINS ON STAGE TP VOL 02    $21.95
NOV151237    LEONARD STARRS MARY PERKINS ON STAGE TP VOL 03    $21.95
NOV151238    LEONARD STARRS MARY PERKINS ON STAGE TP VOL 04    $24.95
NOV151239    LEONARD STARRS MARY PERKINS ON STAGE TP VOL 05    $24.95
NOV151240    LEONARD STARRS MARY PERKINS ON STAGE TP VOL 06    $24.95
NOV151241    LEONARD STARRS MARY PERKINS ON STAGE TP VOL 07    $24.95
NOV151242    LEONARD STARRS MARY PERKINS ON STAGE TP VOL 08    $24.95
NOV151243    LEONARD STARRS MARY PERKINS ON STAGE TP VOL 09    $24.95
NOV151244    LEONARD STARRS MARY PERKINS ON STAGE TP VOL 10    $24.95
NOV151246    LEONARD STARRS MARY PERKINS ON STAGE TP VOL 12    $24.95
NOV151247    LEONARD STARRS MARY PERKINS ON STAGE TP VOL 13    $24.95
NOV151248    LEONARD STARRS MARY PERKINS ON STAGE TP VOL 14    $25.95
NOV151540    LETTER 44 #22    $3.99
SEP151516    LETTER 44 TP VOL 03    $19.99
OCT151631    MERMAN IN MY TUB GN VOL 02    $11.99
OCT151228    MUNCHKIN TP VOL 01    $14.99
NOV151748    MY LOVE STORY GN VOL 07    $9.99
NOV151739    NARUTO 3IN1 TP VOL 13    $14.99
NOV151738    NARUTO GN BOX SET 3 VOLS 49-72    $185.99
NOV151770    NATSUMES BOOK OF FRIENDS GN VOL 19    $9.99
NOV151727    NINJAK #1 ONE DOLLAR DEBUT    $1.00
NOV151745    NISEKOI FALSE LOVE GN VOL 13    $9.99
NOV151742    ONE PUNCH MAN GN VOL 04    $9.99
NOV151512    PACIFIC RIM TALES FROM THE DRIFT #3    $3.99
SEP151254    PATHFINDER HC VOL 04 ORIGINS    $29.99
AUG151695    PERFUME OF LILACS GN (MR)    $25.99
NOV151193    REGULAR SHOW #31    $3.99
NOV151017    REPLICA #2 (MR)    $3.99
OCT158685    RICK & MORTY #2 4TH PTG    $3.99
SEP151633    ROBERT JORDAN EYE OF THE WORLD TP VOL 05    $19.99
SEP150945    ROGUES #4 ODD PARENTHOOD (MR)    $3.99
AUG151734    SCARLETT COUTURE TP (MR)    $14.99
OCT151064    SHERLOCK HOLMES STEAM DETECTIVE TP    $9.99
FEB150983    SONIC MEGA MAN WORLDS COLLIDE COMPLETE EPIC TP BM ED    $29.99
FEB150982    SONIC MEGA MAN WORLDS COLLIDE COMPLETE EPIC TP PX ED    $29.99
OCT151617    SPOOK #1    $3.50
SEP150946    STRAITJACKET #3 (MR)    $3.99
OCT151357    TERMINAL HERO TP    $19.99
NOV151185    TOIL & TROUBLE #5    $3.99
NOV151744    TWIN STAR EXORCISTS GN VOL 03    $9.99
OCT151276    WEBWITCH #2 COSTUME CHANGE 6 CVR SET (MR)    $36.99
NOV151180    WOODS #19    $3.99
NOV151763    WORLD TRIGGER GN VOL 08    $9.99
NOV151708    X-O MANOWAR #43 CVR A JIMENEZ (NEW ARC)    $3.99
NOV151709    X-O MANOWAR #43 CVR B MOONEY (NEW ARC)    $3.99
NOV151762    YO-KAI WATCH GN VOL 03    $9.99

MAGAZINES
SEP151896    ALTER EGO #137    $8.95
OCT151952    COMICS REVUE PRESENTS DEC 2015    $19.95
SEP151873    DC BATMAN AUTO FIG MAG #75 CLASSIC TV JOKERMOBILE    $21.00
SEP151876    DC BATMAN AUTO FIG MAG SPECIAL FLYING BATCAVE    $38.00
OCT151494    HEAVY METAL #278 (MR)    $7.95
SEP151910    HOBBY JAPAN DEC 2015    $18.00
JUL151925    RUE MORGUE MAGAZINE #163    $9.95
JUL151906    STAR TREK STARSHIPS FIG MAG #55 VULCAN DKYR    $20.00
SEP151891    STAR TREK STARSHIPS FIG MAG #59 USS RELATIVITY    $21.95
JUN151790    VIDEO WATCHDOG #181 (MR)    $8.95

BOOKS
NOV151737    ART OF MAGIC THE GATHERING HC VOL 01 ZENDIKAR    $39.99
OCT151878    ART OF PLOOG HC    $49.00
OCT151879    ART OF PLOOG LTD S&N ED HC    $175.00
NOV151863    DC SUPER FRIENDS WONDER WOMAN TO RESCUE YR SC    $4.99
SEP151830    DOCTOR WHO DEATH RIDERS SC    $9.99
SEP151832    DOCTOR WHO SYSTEM WIPE SC    $9.99
NOV151864    JUSTICE LEAGUE VERSUS YR SC    $8.99
NOV151741    NARUTO SEVENTH HOKAGE SCARLET SPRING GN    $9.99
NOV151841    POISON HEART ART OF RB WHITE SC    $20.00
NOV151878    STAR WARS ART POSTER COLL FEATURING 20 REMOVABLE PRINTS (RES    $19.95
NOV151876    STAR WARS FORCE AWAKENS NOVELIZATION HC    $28.00
NOV151881    STAR WARS LITTLE GOLDEN BOOK I AM DROID    $4.99
NOV151882    STAR WARS LITTLE GOLDEN BOOK I AM JEDI    $4.99
NOV151883    STAR WARS LITTLE GOLDEN BOOK I AM PILOT    $4.99

Afterschool Charisma: Revenge of the Farner Twins

I read Afterschool Charisma, Vol. 10

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

Book Review: A HEAD FULL OF GHOSTS

A HEAD FULL OF GHOSTS
HARPCOLLINS/William Morrow – @HarperCollins; @WmMorrowBks

AUTHOR: Paul Tremblay
ISBN: 978-0-06-236323-7; hardcover (June 2, 2015)
304pp, B&W, $25.99 U.S., $31.99 CAN

A Head Full of Ghosts is a 2015 psychological thriller and horror novel from author Paul Tremblay.  The novel focuses on a family that must face the possible demonic possession of one of the children.

The Barretts live in the typical New England suburb of Beverly, Massachusetts.  However, they are not the normal suburban New England family.  This family is slowly being torn apart because 14-year-old Marjorie Barrett is showing signs of acute schizophrenia.  The mother, Sarah Barrett, believes in psychiatry, but that seems to have little affect on Marjorie, whose bizarre behavior is only getting worse and even dangerous.

The father, John Barrett, unemployed for a year, has come to believe that Marjorie is possessed, and a local Catholic priest suggests that Marjorie may be in need of an exorcism.  Watching it all is eight-year-old Meredith “Merry” Barrett.  Fifteen years later, 23-year-old Meredith is collaborating with best-selling author, Rachel Neville, on a non-fiction book about that time.  Now, this recollection of that time will pit the the fog of memory against the horror of reality.

An easy way to judge if I not only really like a book, but also if I have warmed to it is if I am jealous that I did not write that book.  I am not jealous of Paul Tremblay for writing A Head Full of Ghosts.  I love that title, and the book is imaginative in its conception.  Ultimately, it is too clever and too cool in its storytelling.

I think eight-year-old Meredith “Merry” Barrett is an excellent narrator.  Her voice captures the inventiveness of the stories the two sisters tell each other, but that voice is drowned out by the cacophony and “shocking reveals” of the last six chapters.  That is the point in which A Head Full of Ghosts transforms from a scary story into an overwrought domestic drama where true crime meets family soap opera.  It is not a pretty union.

For most of A Head Full of Ghosts, the narrative balances the mystery of Marjorie’s condition – demonic possession or mental illness.  Merry's tale paints a picture of a haunted house and of a haunted family, and this tale is both imaginative and chilling.  That does not last to the last page.  The final section of this book is like taking a Guillermo del Toro film and tacking on an ending from an episode of “Criminal Minds” or “Law & Order.”

But this is what I'd expect from a novel that is described as being about “the very nature of evil.”  A Head Full of Ghosts is skillfully written and, at times, it is an engrossing read.  It is not at all a bad piece writing; it simply betrays its wonderful ghost story.  In the end, the ghosts are not supernatural, they're just dreary dregs of reality.

B

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux


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

Komomo Confiserie: Friend-Girl Rise Kaname

I read Komomo Confiserie, Vol. 2

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

I Reads You 2016

Happy New Year!  2016!  Welcome to I Reads You, a ComicBookBin web and sister publication (www.comicbookbin.com).  We write about the things we read:  mostly comic books, comics, and related books.  Sometimes, we’ll write about or link to other topics:  typically books, politics, and entertainment.

Drop a welfare beat and support me on Patreon.

All images and text appearing on this publication are copyright © and/or trademark their respective owners.

Food Wars: Diamond Generation

I read Food Wars!, Vol. 9: Shokugeki no Soma

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

Review: FLESH OF WHITE #1

FLESH OF WHITE No. 1
INVERSE PRESS

[This review originally appeared on Patreon.]

WRITER: Erica J. Heflin
ARTIST: Amanda Rachels
24pp, Color, $3.99 (February 2013)

Flesh of White is a comic book series created by writer Erica J. Heflin (Zenescope Entertainment's Wonderland and Grayhaven Comics’ The Gathering) and drawn by artist Amanda Rachels (Arcana Studios’ The Book).  The series is set in the the African nation of Tanzania.

Flesh of White #1 introduces a young Tanzanian couple who lives in the village of Wasando.  Idi is a conscientious father and farmer, and Rehema is a wife and doting mother.  They recently celebrated the birth of a son, Kwasi, but his birth has brought unanticipated fears.  Kwasi was born with albinism, which is problematic, as he and his parents live in a part of Tanzania where fear guides the actions of men and superstition directs their lives.  A scheming Witch Doctor desires little Kwasi's flesh, and he has sent The Harvester to obtain it.

Writer Erica J. Heflin offers a most intriguing concept in Flesh of White, and the setting, rural Tanzania, is filled with a sense of mystery and wonder.   Artist Amanda Rachels has a drawing style that seems more appropriate for children's comics instead of a comic book that features graphic depictions of brutal violence.  Yet Rachels' compositions strengthen the depictions of emotion, whether these emotions are happy and sad or are peaceful and violent, making the storytelling seem immediate and urgent.

Heflin and Rachels make a good team.  They come together and fashion Flesh of White into something that is intriguing and magical.  If DC Comics published comic books featuring genuine African characters, then, Flesh of White would be a Vertigo book.  Left to their own devices, however, Heflin and Rachels are free to create a comic book of magic, real and simulated, that is truly unique.

http://inversepress.com/

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux


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