Dark Horse Comics from Diamond Distributors for March 8, 2017

DARK HORSE COMICS

NOV160060    DC COMICS DARK HORSE COMICS JUSTICE LEAGUE TP VOL 02    $24.99
JAN170111    HARROW COUNTY #21    $3.99
JAN170099    HELLBOY AND BPRD 1954 GHOST MOON #1    $3.99
SEP160102    LADY KILLER 2 #4    $3.99
NOV160099    MANARA LIBRARY TP VOL 01 INDIAN SUMMER (MR)    $29.99
JAN170108    SHADOWS ON THE GRAVE #3    $3.99

Image Comics from Diamond Distributors for March 8, 2017

IMAGE COMICS

JAN170782    CANNIBAL TP VOL 01 (MR)    $9.99
JAN170675    COPPERHEAD #11    $3.99
OCT160584    ELEPHANTMEN #75 (MR)    $3.99
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JAN170774    WICKED & DIVINE #27 CVR B SAMPSON (MR)    $3.99
DEC168658    WICKED & DIVINE #27 CVR C WOMENS HISTORY MONTH CHARITY VAR    $3.99

Comics, Magazines and Books from Diamond Distributors for March 8, 2017

COMICS & GRAPHIC NOVELS

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DEC162011    BACK ISSUE #95    $8.95
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BOOKS
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JAN171863    ICHI F WORKERS GRAPHIC MEMOIR OF FUKUSHIMA NUCLEAR PLANT    $24.99
JAN172298    MARVEL SPIDER-MAN 1000 DOT TO DOT BOOK    $14.99
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Review: SIMPSONS COMICS KNOCKOUT

SIMPSONS COMICS KNOCKOUT
HARPERCOLLINS/HarperDesign – @HarperCollins @harperdesignbks

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

WRITERS: Chuck Dixon and Elma Blackburn; Ty Templeton; Scott M. Gimple; James W. Bates; Ian Boothby
PENCILS: John Costanza; Ty Templeton; James W. Bates; Phil Ortiz
INKS:  Phyllis Novin; Andrew Pepoy; Mike DeCarlo
COLORS: Art Villanueva
LETTERS: Karen Bates
EDITOR: Bill Morrison
COVER: Matt Groening
ISBN: 978-0-06-256891-5; paperback (February 21, 2017)
128pp, Color, $15.99 U.S., $19.99 CAN

“The Simpsons” is an American animated television situation comedy created by Matt Groening.  “The Simpsons” began in 1987 as a series of animated shorts that were part of “The Tracey Ullman Show” (1987-90) that were eventually developed into a half-hour animated TV series.  “The Simpsons” began broadcasting in December of the 1989-90 television season on the Fox Broadcasting Company, where the series continues to this day.

“The Simpsons” presents a satirical depiction of a working class family which consists of Homer Simpson (the father), Marge Simpson (the mother), Bart (the oldest child and only son), Lisa (the precocious and brilliant elder daughter), and Maggie (a baby girl).  It also parodies American culture, pop culture, society, etc. via the denizens of The Simpsons home town, Springfield.

Bongo Comics (Bongo Comics Group) has been publishing comic books based on characters featured in “The Simpsons” since 1993.  HarperDesign, an imprint of HarperCollins, has been publishing trade paperback collections of various Bongo Comics' Simpsons titles and the short stories that have appeared in those comic books.

The latest is Simpsons collection is Simpsons Comics Knockout, which reprints the Simpsons clan' adventures that were first published in Simpsons Comics issues #116, #117, #118, #119, and #120.  These issue-length tales take Matt Groening’s first family of American satire from the local mall to continental Europe.  In “Mall or Nothing,” after refusing to sell their home to developers, the Simpsons wake up to find that they now live in a mall.  In “Sandwiches are Forever,” Homer's trip to the nation of Turkey for a sandwich lands him in jail where he meets the secret agent, Scorpio.

In “The Flunky,” Homer finds himself in a reality show created by C. Montgomery Burns to distract from his lack of popularity with the people of Springfield.  In “Homer Drops the Ball!,” Homer and Bart show the worst sides of their personalities after catching a record-setting baseball.  In “The 'X' Men,” Principal Seymour Skinner leads a group of men who become extreme sports stars after being dumped by their girlfriends, but what happens when love returns?

I had not read a Simpsons comic book in ages, maybe at least a decade.  Then, HarperCollins/HarperDesign started sending me copies-for-review of their Simpsons trade paperbacks.  I always enjoyed Simpsons comics titles, so I don't remember why I stopped reading them.  Simpsons Comics Knockout and the other one I read, Simpsons Comics Colossal Compendium Volume 4, are quite entertaining.  Truthfully, Bongo's Simpsons comics remain some of the best American satirical comic books published over the last three decades.

Rare is the comic book trade paperback collection in which every story or chapter collected within is a great or exceptional work, and Simpsons Comics Knockout is not the exception.  However, of the five stories collected here, one is great, “The Flunky.”  Two are really good, “Mall or Nothing” and “Homer Drops the Ball!”  One is surprisingly poignant, “The 'X' Men.”  Finally, one gets credit for poking fun at the Fox Broadcasting Network, “Sandwiches are Forever.”

The one thing that connects them is that each story feels free to skewer American society, politics, culture, and pop culture.  “Mall or Nothing” satirizes consumerism, but reveals that even the oppressed will bow down before the chance of a cash windfall.  “Homer Drops the Ball!” revels in the fickleness of the public and the shamelessness of naked greediness.  “The 'X' Men” has fun with our need to be loved and wanted.

For the better part of three decades, American television audiences have devoured reality television.  Still, one can be surprised that so many people are willing to debase themselves in the hopes of attaining fame, fortune, and glory in reality TV.  In “The Flunky,” writer Scott M. Gimple focuses on the master manipulators who create reality TV programming for their own benefit, making decisions to serve themselves and not in the best interest of their TV “stars.”

Simpsons Comics Knockout is not just another Simpsons comics collection for the book market.  It is a collection of high-quality humor comics.  The people behind Simpsons Comics are not content to merely create licensed comics; they want to create comics that capture the spirit of “The Simpsons,” which is really a domestic comedy that loves to poke fun at the home front.  The truth is that outside of Simpsons Comics, few people are creating consistently good comic book comedy.

A

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


The text is copyright © 2017 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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Review: THE UNSTOPPABLE WASP #1

THE UNSTOPPABLE WASP No. 1
MARVEL COMICS – @Marvel

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

STORY: Jeremy Whitley
ART: Elsa Charretier
COLORS: Megan Wilson
LETTERS: VC's Joe Caramagna
COVER: Elsa Charretier with Nicolas Bannister
VARIANT COVERS: Elizabeth Torque; Nelson Blake II with Guru eFX; Skottie Young; John Tyler Christopher; Andy Park
28pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (March 2017)

Rated “T+”

The Wasp a.k.a. Janet van Dyne is a Marvel Comics female super hero. She was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby and first appeared in Tales to Astonish #44 (cover dated:  June 1963).  The Wasp is usually depicted as having the ability to shrink to a height of several centimeters; fly by means of insectoid wings; and fire bio-electric energy blasts.  The Wasp is also a founding member of the Avengers and has been a leader of the team.

After Janet van Dyne, there is another version of The Wasp.  She is Hope Pym, also known as the Red Queen and the Wasp, and is the daughter of Hank Pym, the original Ant-Man.  Of course, Marvel has an alternate universe version of Hope Pym, and her name is Nadia, who is now in the main Marvel Universe.  She is the daughter of Hank Pym and Maria Trovaya.  Nadia is the star of the new Marvel comic book series, The Unstoppable Wasp.  It is written by Jeremy Whitley; drawn by Elsa Charretier; colored by Megan Wilson; and lettered by Joe Caramagna.

The Unstoppable Wasp #1 finds Nadia hanging with Ms. Marvel a.k.a. Kamala Khan.  It's time for Nadia to straighten out the affairs of her U.S. citizenship – remember that U.S. borders are closed to some.  We learn the story of the romance of Nadia's parents and her life in “The Red Room,” a secret facility in Russia that trained young girls to become weapons.  Then, it's time to meet a heroine/role model and villain/role model.

The Unstoppable Wasp is like many girl-hero comics that have emerged during the last few years (Batgirl, Moon Girl and Devil Dragon):  glib, snappy, snazzy, and fun-to-read.  In the case of Nadia-Wasp, it is her positivism and on-the-bright-side personality that makes her attractive.  In spite of my cranky, old-ass ways, I found myself liking her.  Page by page, writer Jeremy Whitley will not let you not like Nadia-Wasp, and he will make you want more of her, mainly because she seems to want more us – at least our positive side.

I love the retro-style art of artist Elsa Charretier.  With the coloring of Megan Wilson, the storytelling here graphically recalls early 1960s Marvel Comics and also (delightfully) Darwyn Cooke's interpretation of the Silver Age.  I won't grade this comic book just yet, but I hope to soon.  And yes, I will recommend this to young readers (especially girls) and to girl-hero lovers.

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


The text is copyright © 2017 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog for syndication rights and fees.

---------------------------

Book Review: MOST DANGEROUS PLACE by James Grippando

MOST DANGEROUS PLACE
HARPER (HarperCollins Publishers) – @HarperCollins

[This review was originally posted in Patreon.]

AUTHOR: James Grippando – @James_Grippando
ISBN: 978-0-06-244055-6; hardcover (February 21, 2017)
368pp, B&W, $26.99 U.S.

Most Dangerous Place is the new novel from author and attorney James Grippando.  It is also Grippando's 25th novel and the thirteenth novel featuring Grippando’s Miami-based, criminal defense attorney, Jack Swyteck.  In Most Dangerous Place, Swyteck defends a woman accused of murdering the man who raped her.

As Most Dangerous Place begins, Jack and his wife, FBI Agent Andie Henning, with their two-year old daughter, Riley, are waiting at the International Terminal of Miami International Airport to meet a family arriving from Hong Kong.  However, not long after Jack's high school buddy, Keith Ingraham, his wife, Isabelle “Isa” Bornelli, and their daughter, Melany, arrive, officers from Miami Dade Police Department arrest Isa.  What's the charge against her?

Isa is being charged with the murder of Gabriel Sosa, a man who sexually assaulted Isa after she went on a date with him when she was in college.  Jack immediately agrees to represent Isa, but soon discovers that he must separate truth from lies.  That undertaking becomes more complicated when a second defense lawyer joins the case, the splashy Manuel “Manny” Espinosa, whose style does not jibe with Jack's.  Jack must dig deep into the pasts of multiple colorful and shady characters, in a case that will take him from Florida State Prison to a legendary Miami nightclub and from the shiny side of Miami to one of the most dangerous places in Venezuela.

I read my first Jack Swyteck novel, Blood Money, a few years ago, and followed that up with Black Horizon.  Now, the only James Grippando novels I really want to read are Swyteck novels.  At this point, I have sold myself on the idea that I know Jack Swyteck as if he were a real person.  I guess that successful bestselling authors who write book series have to compose their stories in such a way as to make readers gradually become attached to the characters.

However Grippando isn't just about churning out a series.  When he is at his best, Grippando writes twisty thrillers that offer one surprise after another, even to the last page in some cases.  The title, Most Dangerous Place, references the FBI factoid that the most dangerous place for a woman between the ages of 20 and 30 is in a relationship with a man.  Well, Most Dangerous Place the novel makes the reader wonder who is really the victim and who is really the perpetrator.  The line between innocence and guilt blurs, and the reader is forced to consider that cold-blooded revenge might actually be retribution, rightful and justified.

Once again, James Grippando proves that his legal thrillers deserve to be read as much as any other bestselling author's legal thrillers.  John Grisham, I'm looking at you.

A-

www.jamesgrippando.com

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


The text is copyright © 2017 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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