Image Comics from Diamond Distributors for January 30, 2019

IMAGE COMICS

SEP180155    CYBER FORCE #8 (MR)    $3.99
NOV180145    ICE CREAM MAN #9 CVR A MORAZZO & OHALLORAN (MR)    $3.99
NOV180146    ICE CREAM MAN #9 CVR B SMART (MR)    $3.99
NOV180149    INFINITE DARK #4    $3.99
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NOV180075    NEW LIEUTENANTS OF METAL TP    $12.99
NOV180179    REDLANDS #10 (MR)    $3.99
NOV180085    SHANGHAI RED TP    $16.99
NOV180186    SKYWARD #10    $3.99
NOV180188    SPAWN #293 CVR A MATTINA (RES)    $2.99
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NOV180190    SPAWN #293 CVR C B&W VAR MCFARLANE & MATTINA (RES)    $2.99
OCT180273    WITCHBLADE #11 (MR)    $3.99

Marvel Comics from Diamond Distributors for January 30, 2019

MARVEL COMICS

NOV180839    AGE OF X-MAN ALPHA #1    $4.99
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NOV181048    X-MEN TP UNSTOPPABLE    $39.99

Comics, Magazines and Books from Diamond Distributors for January 30, 2019

COMICS & GRAPHIC NOVELS

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MAGAZINES
DEC182006    CARTOONS MAGAZINE #19    $5.99
NOV181701    COMIC SHOP NEWS [90CT BUNDLE] #1650    $PI
NOV181823    HORRORHOUND #75    $6.99

BOOKS
DEC181797    BIG BOOK OF SUPER HERO BEDTIME STORIES HC (RES)    $16.99
NOV182264    BOOGIEPOP .LIGHT NOVEL OMNIBUS VOL 02 (MR)    $18.99
NOV181835    BRIAN FROUDS WORLD OF FAERIE HC REVISED & EXPANDED    $35.00
NOV181499    CICADA HC PICTURE BOOK    $19.99
NOV181934    DC SUPER FRIENDS BE BRAVE LIKE BATMAN HC    $9.99
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OCT181880    LEGO HARRY POTTER ACTIVITY BOOK WITH MINI FIGURE    $8.99
DEC181762    SOCCER SHOWDOWN US WOMEN 1999 WORLD CUP WIN YA GN    $7.95
DEC181763    WIN FOR WOMEN KING TAKES DOWN RIGGS YA GN    $7.95

Review: SCARLETT'S STRIKE FORCE #1

SCARLETT'S STRIKE FORCE No. 1
IDW PUBLISHING – @IDWPublishing

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

STORY: Aubrey Sitterson
ART: Nelson Daniel
COLORS: Ryan Hill
LETTERS: Taylor Esposito
COVER: Harvey Tolibao with Chris Allo
VARIANT COVERS: Nelson Daniel; Matt Horak with Ryan Hill; Luca Pizzari
28pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (December 2017)

Marvel Comics and writer Larry Hama conceived and designed what would become the long running war-themed action figure and toy line, G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero, an update of the original “G.I. Joe” toy line (1964).  One of the characters they created was Scarlett, an original member of the “G.I. Joe Team.”  The members of the G.I. Joe Team are the good guys, and they fight Cobra, the worldwide terrorist organization, and its agents.

Marvel Comics even produced the G.I. Joe comic book (G.I. Joe, A Real American Hero #1 – June 1982) and several related series, beginning in 1982.  Since 2008, IDW Publishing is the holder of the license to produce comic books based on the G.I. Joe property.  IDW's latest G.I. Joe related comic book series is Scarlett's Strike Force.  It is written by Aubrey Sitterson; drawn by Nelson Daniel; colored by Ryan Hill; and lettered by Taylor Esposito.

Scarlett's Strike Force #1 finds a Joe's team fighting mutated insects under the control of “Cesspool,” a Cobra official.  From Cobra's hidden base, the new “Cobra Commander” initiates a plan to create Cobra's new, monstrous foot soldiers.  Meanwhile, at the underwater G.I. Joe base, Lemuria, Scarlett and G.I. Joe field commander, Roadblock, launch a new strike team to take down the new Cobra Commander.  Rock 'n Roll, Quick Kick, Skywarp, Spirit, Cover Girl, Salva, Spitfire, Gung-Ho, Doc, Lady Jaye, Spectrum, Grand Slam, Lift Ticket: who will make Scarlett's Strike Force?

According to IDW, people are calling Scarlett's Strike Force “the best action comic ever!”  Of course, what I am about to say will seem snarky, but those people must have read a Scarlett's Strike Force #1 that is vastly different from the one I read.  Scarlett's Strike Force #1 is a bad comic book; in fact, I would have to be generous to even call it mediocre.  The story is poor, but to be honest, it does have the kind of dead-ahead, breakneck pace that a good action comic book needs.

The art is bad.  It is not that Nelson Daniel cannot draw.  Of course, he can; IDW would not give him an assignment if he could not draw.  The quality of Daniel's illustrations are the problem, however; at this point, Daniel's work would be appropriate for self-publishing via print-on-demand printing.  To charge readers $3.99 for a comic book featuring Daniel's awkward, unpolished art is quite frankly dishonest on IDW's part.

Well, the lettering by Taylor Esposito is pretty good.  If this comic book convinces anyone that it contains a good action story, that is because Esposito's lettering graphically provides most of this story's spark.  By the way, I think IDW may have already decided to cancel Scarlett's Strike Force after the third issue.

2 out of 10

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


The text is copyright © 2018 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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

Review: STAR WARS: The Last Jedi - The Storms of Crait #1

STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI – THE STORMS OF CRAIT #1
MARVEL COMICS – @Marvel

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

STORY: Ben Acker and Ben Blacker
ART: Mike Mayhew
LETTERS: VC's Clayton Cowles
COVER: Marco Checchetto
VARIANT COVERS: Caspar Wijingaard; Movie Cover
36pp, Color, $4.99 U.S. (February 2018)

Rated “T”

“Storms of Crait”

Star Wars: The Last Jedi – The Storms of Crait #1 is a one-shot comic book.  It is a tie-in to Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017), the second film in the “sequel trilogy” (after 2015's Star Wars: The Force Awakens).  The story is set on the planet of Crait, which plays a pivotal role in the last act of The last Jedi and which is also a setting of the 2017 novel, Journey to Star Wars: The Last Jedi – Leia, Princess of Alderaan (Claudia Gray, Disney Lucasfilm Press).  The Storms of Crait is written by Ben Acker and Ben Blacker; drawn and colored by Mike Mayhew; and lettered by Clayton Cowles.

Star Wars: The Last Jedi – The Storms of Crait #1 is set after the events depicted in the original film, Star Wars (2017).  The leaders of the Rebel Alliance are looking for a new location to establish their secret base of operations.  Princess Leia Organa suggests Crait, a “dead planet,” a mining planet.  There, she hopes to make a deal with Trusk Berinato, an old friend of her late father.

Meanwhile, Luke Skywalker, the hero of the Battle of Yavin, is struggling with what he sees as mundane duties.  What he seeks is action and adventure, not tasks that are similar to the old farm boy chores he did on his former home of Tatooine.  Also, Han Solo does not realize how much he has become protective of Leia.  Perhaps, Luke and Han will discover their true feelings when their mission on Crait suddenly turns complicated.

I am a fan of Mike Mayhew, especially of his Star Wars comic book art.  His photo-realistic style is perfect to capture the likeness of actors who have played classic Star Wars characters for comic book art.  In The Storms of Crait, his Princess Leia is the perfect likeness of a young Carrie Fisher.  Mayhew's Luke Skywalker and Han Solo don't capture young Mark Hamill and younger Harrison Ford, respectively, in the way he does Leia/Carrie Fisher.  Still, he is quite good at making Luke and Han's emotions and facial expressions seem genuine.  It is as if Mayhew captured those expressions in photographic images.

Mayhew's seeming dedication to Leia makes sense as writers Ben Acker and Ben Blacker make Leia the centerpiece of this story.  This scripting duo does a good job capturing the established personalities of Leia, Luke, and Han, and their scripts offers plenty of Star Wars battle action and even a surprising lightsaber duel.

Star Wars: The Last Jedi – The Storms of Crait #1 is not a great comic, but it is an entertaining Star Wars comic book.  Marvel continues to do a good job publishing Star Wars comic book stories that take place in the time between Star Wars (1977) and The Empire Strikes Back (1980).  Thus, regardless of how you might feel about Star Wars: The Last Jedi, dear readers, The Storms of Crait #1 is for classic, original trilogy era fans.

7.5 out of 10

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


The text is copyright © 2018 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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

Review: WE NEVER LEARN Volume 1

WE NEVER LEARN, VOL. 1
VIZ MEDIA – @VIZMedia

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

MANGAKA: Taishi Tsutsui
TRANSLATION: Camellia Nieh
LETTERS: Erika Terriquez
EDITORS: John Bae; David Brothers
ISBN: 978-1-9747-0302-9; paperback (December 2018); Rated “T+” for “Teen Plus”
192pp, B&W, $9.99 U.S., $12.99 CAN, £6.99 U.K.

We Never Learn is a manga from creator Taishi Tsutsui.  The series focuses on a group of high school students struggling to overcome their worst subjects on top of managing crushes and burgeoning romance.  VIZ Media is publishing an English language edition of the manga in a series of graphic novels.  The series will be published bimonthly under VIZ's “Shonen Jump” imprint.

We Never Learn, Vol. 1 (Genius and [ x ] Are Two Sides of the Same Coin; Chapter 1 to 7) introduces Nariyuki Yuiga, a high school senior from an impoverished family.  He is eager to secure a full scholarship, known as “the Special VIP Recommendation,” to college before he graduates high school. His principal agrees to give it to him, but there is one stipulation.

Nariyuki must tutor the two smartest girls in school, Rizu Ogata and Fumino Furuhashi, and make sure they get into their target colleges.  However, each girl wants to focus on a subject area in which she is not at all good!

The We Never Learn manga is a high school romantic comedy.  Because most of the lead characters are female, one might assume that this is a shojo manga – comics for teen girls, but it can appeal to both male and female readers – teen and older.

We Never Learn Graphic Novel Volume 1 will remind readers of such shonen romantic comedies as the recent Nisekoi: False Love and the classic Strawberry 100%.  Like such manga, We Never Learn has at its center, a male character, who gets caught in a relationship circle that includes two girls, at least in the beginning.  We Never Learn has, to start, an attractive love triangle.

We Never Learn, like Nisekoi, has three nice characters to start the love triangle.  Both girls are really smart, and are also pretty (of course).  At first, Taishi Tsutsui focuses on the two girls' area of expertise, but with each chapter, we start to see more of their personalities.  There is some fanservice in the form of a bikini shots and boob grabbing, but this series will thrive the more we like these characters.  Well, this is a good start, and I think we will be looking forward to each new volume of We Never Learn.

8.5 out of 10

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


The text is copyright © 2018 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for syndication rights and fees.

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Review: PROXIMA CENTAURI #1

PROXIMA CENTAURI No. 1 (OF 6)
IMAGE COMICS – @ImageComics

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

CARTOONIST: Farel Dalrymple
BACK COVER: Wes Craig
28pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (June 13, 2018 – Diamond ID: APR180475)

Rated T+ / Teen Plus

Proxima Centauri is a new miniseries written, drawn, colored, and lettered by Farel Dalrymple (Omega the Unknown).  On Image Comics' website, this six-issue comic book is described as a “psychedelic science fantasy action comic book drama.”

Proxima Centauri #1 opens 4.243 light-years from Earth on “Proxima Centauri,” the manufactured, Jupiter-sized, dimensional nexus sphere orbiting a red dwarf star.  “The Scientist” Duke Herzog, Dr. EXT the Time Traveler, the ghost M. Parasol, Shakey the Space Wizard, and Dhog Dahog are among the beings held captive in this “confounding spectral zone.”

One of the captives, however, is determined to escape.  He is the teenage wizard adventurer, Sherwood Breadcoat, and he hopes to find a way back to his brother, Orson.  While trying to escape, Sherwood will have to deal with his confusing emotions, alien creatures, and all sorts of unknown, fantastic dangers... and maybe even more.

I have been interested in reading a comic book featuring the work of cartoonist Farel Dalrymple for over a decade.  I had not heard of Proxima Centauri or had not paid attention to it until comic book writer, author, and screenwriter, Warren Ellis, mentioned Dalrymple and Promixa Centauri in a recent edition of his email/digital newsletter (“Orbital Operations”).  Ellis compared Dalrymple to the legendary comics creator, the late master, Jean “Moebius” Giraud.  As an admirer of all thing Moebius, I had to pick up at least the first issue.

Proxima Centuari #1 reminds me of Moebius' dream comics.  I love the art and graphical storytelling here, which is a graphics package of splash pages, half-splashes, double-page spreads, grids, narrative illustrations, collage-like pages, etc.  The drawings, colors, and lettering form one graphic unit, a stream of consciousness in the language of the comic book.

I am intrigued and invigorated, and I am still trying to figure it out.  Still, I recommend this just for the way Dalrymple is telling the story, and Proxima Centauri #1 is so damn beautiful to behold.

8 out of 10

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


The text is copyright © 2018 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for syndication rights and fees.

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