Image Comics from Diamond Distributors for June 19, 2019

IMAGE COMICS

APR190115    ASSASSIN NATION #4 (MR)    $3.99
APR198242    CRIMINAL #2 2ND PTG (MR)    $3.99
APR198243    CRIMINAL #3 2ND PTG (MR)    $3.99
APR190133    CURSE WORDS #22 CVR A BROWNE (MR)    $3.99
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APR190138    EXCELLENCE #2 CVR A RANDOLPH & LOPEZ    $3.99
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APR190141    FARMHAND #9 (MR)    $3.99
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APR190052    HEAVY LIQUID TP (MR)    $24.99
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APR190191    RUMBLE #13 CVR B WILSON SIENKIEWICZ STEWART (MR)    $3.99
APR190199    SKYWARD #14    $3.99
APR190203    WARNING #8 (MR)    $3.99

Marvel Comics from Diamond Distributors for June 19, 2019

MARVEL COMICS

APR190894    AGE OF X-MAN AMAZING NIGHTCRAWLER #5 (OF 5)    $3.99
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APR190898    UNCANNY X-MEN #20    $3.99
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MAR191018    WINTER SOLDIER TP SECOND CHANCES    $15.99
APR190904    WOLVERINE INFINITY WATCH #5 (OF 5)    $3.99

Comics, Magazines and Books from Diamond Distributors for June 19, 2019

COMICS & GRAPHIC NOVELS

APR191611    APPALACHIAN APOCALYPSE #6    $3.99
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FEB198123    ARCHIE MILESTONES DIGEST #3    $6.99
MAR192309    ARIFURETA COMMONPLACE TO WORLDS STRONGEST GN VOL 04    $12.99
APR191434    B & V FRIENDS JUMBO COMICS DIGEST #271    $6.99
APR191435    BETTY & VERONICA JUMBO COMICS DIGEST #274    $6.99
APR191612    BLESSED MACHINE #4    $3.99
APR191366    CASPER CAPERS #5 LTD ED CVR    $9.99
APR191365    CASPER CAPERS #5 MAIN CVR    $3.99
FEB191406    CAVEWOMAN PANDEMONIUM ONE SHOT #1 (OF 1) CVR A MASSEY (MR)    $3.99
FEB191407    CAVEWOMAN PANDEMONIUM ONE SHOT #1 (OF 1) CVR B MASSEY SPECIA    $PI
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FEB191409    CAVEWOMAN PANDEMONIUM ONE SHOT #1 (OF 1) CVR D BUDD ROOT LTD    $PI
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APR198248    DESCENDENT #1 2ND PTG    $3.99
APR191964    DOCTOR WHO 13TH #9 CVR A FISH    $3.99
APR191965    DOCTOR WHO 13TH #9 CVR B PHOTO    $3.99
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MAR192312    DRAGON GOES HOUSE HUNTING GN VOL 03    $12.99
APR191802    DRAWING BLOOD SPILLED INK #2 (OF 4) CVR A BISHOP (MR)    $3.99
APR191803    DRAWING BLOOD SPILLED INK #2 (OF 4) CVR B EASTMAN (MR)    $3.99
APR191641    EION COLFER ARTEMIS FOWL GN MOVIE ED    $12.99
APR191642    EION COLFER ARTEMIS FOWL HC GN MOVIE ED    $21.99
APR191441    FATHOM VOL 8 #2 CVR A CAMPETELLA    $3.99
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APR191613    GEORGE MCDONALDS LIGHT PRINCESS #5    $3.99
JAN191572    GOLD DIGGER #264    $3.99
APR192165    GOLDEN KAMUY GN VOL 10 (MR)    $12.99
APR192086    GRETEL #4 (OF 5) CVR A COCCOLO (MR)    $3.99
APR192087    GRETEL #4 (OF 5) CVR B RIVEIRO (MR)    $3.99
APR192088    GRETEL #4 (OF 5) CVR C OTERO (MR)    $3.99
APR192089    GRETEL #4 (OF 5) CVR D MAHLE (MR)    $3.99
APR191334    HIGH HEAVEN TP VOL 01 (MR)    $15.99
APR191344    HILLBILLY TP VOL 04 RED EYED WITCHERY FROM BEYOND    $17.99
APR192306    HINAMATSURI GN VOL 03    $11.95
APR191836    HONOR AND CURSE #5    $3.99
FEB191682    HOT COMB GN    $21.95
MAR192315    HOUR OF THE ZOMBIE GN VOL 09 (MR)    $12.99
MAR192318    IDEAL SPONGER LIFE GN VOL 02    $12.99
APR191782    JODOROWSKY & BOUCQS TWISTED TALES HC (MR)    $34.95
APR191951    JOHN CARPENTER TALES OF SCIENCE FICTION STANDOFF TP    $19.99
APR192200    KAIJU GIRL CARAMELISE GN VOL 01    $13.00
APR192201    KONOSUBA EXPLOSION WONDERFUL WORLD GN VOL 01    $13.00
JAN191662    LAB RAIDER #1 (OF 4) (MR)    $3.99
APR192202    LITTLE MISS P GN VOL 01 (MR)    $15.00
APR192044    LIVEWIRE #7 CVR A ROCAFORT    $3.99
APR192045    LIVEWIRE #7 CVR B PORTELA    $3.99
APR192046    LIVEWIRE #7 CVR C FARROW    $3.99
MAR198939    LIVEWIRE #7 CVR D PRE-ORDER BUNDLE ED    $3.99
APR191306    MARY SHELLEY MONSTER HUNTER #3    $3.99
APR191500    MILITIA #1    $3.99
MAR191865    MILOS WORLD BOOK 01 LAND UNDER LAKE    $12.99
APR192203    MONSTER & BEAST GN VOL 01    $15.00
APR191787    NEON FUTURE #4 (OF 6) CVR A RAAPACK (MR)    $3.99
APR191788    NEON FUTURE #4 (OF 6) CVR B RAAPACK (MR)    $3.99
APR191614    NO ONES #1    $3.99
MAR191454    OFFBEATS #4    $3.99
APR191747    OLD SOULS HC GN    $24.99
APR191820    ORPHANS GN VOL 03 TRUTH    $19.99
APR191337    PLANET OF THE NERDS #3 (MR)    $3.99
APR192032    PSI-LORDS #1 CVR A REIS    $3.99
APR192033    PSI-LORDS #1 CVR B MEYERS    $3.99
APR192034    PSI-LORDS #1 CVR C QUAH    $3.99
APR192035    PSI-LORDS #1 CVR D BLANK    $3.99
APR192037    PSI-LORDS #1 CVR F #1-12 PRE-ORDER EDITION BUNDLE    $3.99
APR191418    SABRINA TEENAGE WITCH #3 (OF 5) CVR A FISH    $3.99
APR191419    SABRINA TEENAGE WITCH #3 (OF 5) CVR B IBANEZ    $3.99
APR191420    SABRINA TEENAGE WITCH #3 (OF 5) CVR C ST ONGE    $3.99
APR192325    SATOKO & NADA GN VOL 02 (RES)    $12.99
MAY191959    SECRET LIFE OF PETS TP VOL 01    $6.99
FEB191885    SHADOW ROADS TP VOL 01    $19.99
MAR191984    SHADOWPLAY #5    $3.99
APR191345    SPOOKHOUSE TP VOL 02    $17.99
APR191458    STITCHED TERROR #1 (RES) (MR)    $5.99
APR191463    STITCHED TERROR #1 BRUTAL (RES) (MR)    $5.99
APR191462    STITCHED TERROR #1 GORE (RES) (MR)    $5.99
APR191465    STITCHED TERROR #1 LURKING (RES) (MR)    $5.99
APR191464    STITCHED TERROR #1 POV (RES) (MR)    $5.99
APR191459    STITCHED TERROR #1 WRAP (RES) (MR)    $5.99
APR191854    STONEBREAKER GN    $16.95
APR191297    SWEETIE TP VOL 01    $14.99
APR192219    SWORD ART ONLINE ALTERNATIVE GUN GALE GN VOL 03    $13.00
APR192272    THAT TIME I GOT REINCARNATED AS A SLIME GN VOL 10 (MR)    $12.99
APR192160    TOKYO GHOUL RE GN VOL 11    $12.99
MAR191453    ULTRABOT GO GO GO ONE SHOT    $3.99
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APR191785    URBAN LEGENDZ HC    $14.95
SEP181380    VAMPBLADE TP VOL 08 QUEEN OF HELL (MR)    $14.99
APR191310    WALK THROUGH HELL #11 (MR)    $3.99
MAR191452    WILLIAM THE LAST FIGHT AND FLIGHT #4    $3.99
APR192054    X-O MANOWAR (2017) TP VOL 07 HERO    $14.99
FEB191340    ZOMBIE TRAMP TP VOL 16 DEAD LOVE    $14.99
DEC181512    ZORRO SACRILEGE #2 LTD ED CVR    $9.99
DEC181510    ZORRO SACRILEGE #2 MARTINEZ MAIN CVR    $3.99
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MAGAZINES
APR191628    COMIC SHOP NEWS [90CT BUNDLE] #1670    $PI
APR191834    LOCUS #701    $8.99
MAR191898    NON SPORT UPDATE VOL 30 #3    $5.99
APR191842    SCARY MONSTERS MAGAZINE #113    $9.95

BOOKS
MAR192308    ANCIENT MAGUS BRIDE SUPPLEMENT II SC    $13.99
MAR192325    DIDNT I SAY MAKE ABILITIES AVERAGE NOVEL SC VOL 06 (MR)    $13.99
APR191989    MEN IN BLACK OFF VISUAL COMPANION    $50.00
MAY191676    PENTHOUSE HOTTEST GIRLS SINCE 1969 45TH ANNIV SPECIAL SC ED    $35.00
APR191818    ROLLED AND TOLD HC VOL 01    $39.99
APR191957    SKETCHING FROM THE IMAGINATION CREATURES & MONSTERS SC    $32.99

Book Review: INSIDE FAMILY GUY: An Illustrated History

INSIDE FAMILY GUY: AN ILLUSTRATED HISTORY
HARPERCOLLINS/Dey Street Books – @HarperCollins @deystreet

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

AUTHOR: Frazier Moore
ISBN: 978-0-06-211252-1; hardcover – 11.5” x 9.5” (May 14, 2019)
256pp, Color, $34.99 U.S., $43.50 CAN

Foreword by Seth MacFarlane

“Family Guy” is an American animated television series and situation comedy (sitcom) that is broadcast on the Fox Broadcasting Company (FOX).  Created by Seth MacFarlane, the series centers on the Griffin Family, which consists of parents, wife, Lois, and husband, Peter Griffin and their children:  Meg, Chris, and Stewie.  The sixth member of the family is the anthropomorphic pet dog, Brian (“anthropomorphic” because he walks, talks, and acts like a human). The show is set in and around the fictional city of Quahog, Rhode Island.

“Family Guy” lampoons (sometimes savagely) American social and political culture and celebrates, but also parodies and mocks American pop culture, entertainment, and media.  The reaction to the official debut of “Family Guy” would foretell the series ability to continually generate controversy.  That debut (the episode “Death Has a Shadow”) was on the night of Sunday, January 31, 1999 after Fox's broadcast of Super Bowl XXXIII.  [Fox actually aired an early version of “Death Has a Shadow” on December 20, 1998.]

“Family Guy” was briefly canceled after its second season (September 1999 to August 2000), before returning in July 2001 for its third season, but was canceled a second time after that season.  Strong sales of “Family Guy” DVDs and high ratings for its syndicated run as part of Cartoon Network's “Adult Swim” line-up caused Fox to renew the series, which began its fourth season in 2005.  After 320+ episodes, this past February, Fox renewed the show for a eighteenth season (2019-20).

2019 marks the twentieth anniversary of “Family Guy's” official debut on network television.  In celebration comes a new history and art book entitled, Inside Family Guy: An Illustrated History, from Dey Street Books, a HarperCollins imprint.  The book is authored by Family Guy-superfan, Frazier Moore, noted television critic.  This book was also written with the full cooperation of 20th Century Fox Television and Seth MacFarlane's company, Fuzzy Door Productions.

Inside Family Guy: An Illustrated History is a fully illustrated, full-color visual guide honoring “Family Guy's” TV reign.  The art and illustrations include everything from storyboards to character sketches.  There are script excerpts and cast and crew interviews, which includes voice actors such as Seth MacFarlane (Peter Griffin, Brian, and Stewie to name a few), Seth Green (Chris Griffin), Mila Kunis (Meg Griffin), Alex Borstein (Lois Griffin), and Mike Henry (Cleveland Brown).

Inside Family Guy: An Illustrated History is practically a book of highlights, but here are some highlights I want to mention:

“Drawing on the Past”:
-includes an early Stewie concept art drawn by Seth MacFarlane

“An Unlikely Duo”:
-development of the relationship between the baby Stewie and the family dog Brian

“A Family Affair”
-storyboard for the show's opening credits musical number
-Character design pages, each page featuring 30+ versions of one of the following characters: (the main cast) Peter, Louis, Meg, Chris, Brian, and Stewie; Quagmire, Joe, Cleveland, and various characters
-Blueprints of the Griffin family home and full-color images from inside the house

“The Write Start”
Several photographs of Seth MacFarlane and his family.

Chapter Three: “How It's Done”
a look at how an episode of “Family Guy” is created; plus, lots of character and prop designs (space ships, gadgets, mechanical stuff, etc.)

Chapter Four: “Wacky Waving Cutaways, Gags and Musical Numbers”
-includes over a hundred color and black and white still images
-a generously illustrated look at the “Road to...” episodes and at those mean-spirited by oh-so-funny Walt Disney parodies.

Chapter Five: “Making Mischief”
-Killing Brian
-the episode “Partial Terms of Endearment”
-the storyboards for Chris' “Silence of the Lambs” dance in “Stew-Roids”
-art and storyboards for the vomiting in the episode “8 Simple Rules for Buying My Teenage Daughter”

Four-page “Acknowledgments” section in which they acknowledge everyone (?) who has worked on or helped the show

Plus, there are examples of storyboards from various episodes throughout the book (including a generous selection from the “Peter vs. the Giant Chicken” battles), and there are too many to count.  If you like storyboards for animation; this is your book.

Of course, you knew I was going to say, “If you like 'Family Guy,' you have to have...”  Inside Family Guy: An Illustrated History is a comprehensive visual history and visual guide through an animated TV series that has been nominated for 27 Primetime Emmy Awards and has won eight of them.  [In 2009, it became the first animated series to be nominated in the Primetime Emmy category, “Outstanding Comedy Series,” since “The Flintstones” were nominated in 1961.]

Author Frazier Moore gives his Family Guy-loving all to Inside Family Guy.  It is more than just a love letter from Moore to the series; his love is like the Griffin's family dog, Brian, humping Peter Griffin's leg with gusto.  Moore delivers a book that is worth your time to read it, even if you are not the biggest fan of “Family Guy.”

There are so many different kinds of production art in Inside Family Guy (concept designs, stills, cast and crew photos, etc.) that it may be hard for some readers to pick a favorite kind.  I love storyboards, and this book is like crack for admirers of storyboards produced for animation.  On the other hand, I really like all the art for the “Road to...” episodes included in this book.  So everything you wanted to know is here.  If you can't find it, you may need to look again... and again... and again...   Inside Family Guy: An Illustrated History is a must-have for just about any fan of “Family Guy.”

9 out of 10

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


The text is copyright © 2019 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for syndication rights and fees.

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

Yaoi Review: CANDY COLOR PARADOX Volume 1

CANDY COLOR PARADOX, VOL. 1
SUBLIME MANGA – @SuBLimeManga

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

MANGAKA: Isaku Natsume
TRANSLATION: Adrienne Beck
LETTERS: Vanessa Satone
EDITOR: Marlene First
ISBN: 978-1-9747-0493-4; paperback (March 2019); Rated “M” for “Mature”
218pp, B&W, $12.99 U.S., $17.99 CAN, £8.99 UK

Candy Color Paradox is a yaoi manga from manga creator, Isaku Natsume (Dash!).  Yaoi manga is a subset of boys' love (or BL) manga, which depicts amorous situations between male romantic leads.  Yaoi manga usually features explicit depictions of sex between those male leads.  Candy Color Paradox follows two reporters whose news agency forces them to work together and whose bickering eventually turns romantic.

Candy Color Paradox, Vol. 1 (Chapters 1 to 4) opens at Shinkan News.  Satoshi Onoe has just learned from his bosses that he is to be paired with an old rival, Motoharu “Kabu” Kaburagi.  Onoe is known for his writing skills and ethical reporting.  Kaburagi is a photographer with a knack for stakeouts, for using informants, for assuming false identities, and for using sexual intercourse to get tips and leads for his assignments.

Onoe is irritated that he is now on stakeouts of high profile public figures and celebrities with Kaburagi.  He chafes at the notion that Kaburagi, who started his career about the same time he did, is some kind of quasi-tabloid journalism star.  But when Kaburagi suddenly kisses him...

[This volume includes the bonus story, “The Aftermath” and an “Afterword.”]

Yaoi manga is not pornography.  Explicit depictions of sexual intercourse may be inevitable in this genre, but yaoi mangaka deliver boys' love stories that are about drama, character, and romance.  In the best of the genre, the creators also take their characters' careers, professions, jobs, and/or social status seriously.

Candy Color Paradox Graphic Novel Volume 1 could be mistaken for a normal workplace drama and romantic comedy.  Isaku Natsume makes her readers earn the sex scenes by enjoying how she fully delves into the world of journalism that she has fashioned for Candy Color Paradox.  I am intrigued by the news stories Onoe and Kaburagi chase, and I look forward to more of that in future chapters.

I like the sharp line work of Natsume's art and her attention to detail in composition and in backgrounds.  I like that she suggests that one night of sexual romps won't change the fundamental conflicts between her two stars.  This is a series worth following.

8 out of 10

For up-to-date news and release information, please visit the SuBLime website at SubBLimeManga.com, or follow SuBLime on Twitter at @SuBLimeManga, Facebook at facebook.com/SuBLimeManga, Tumblr at http://sublimemanga.tumblr.com/, and Instagram at @sublimemanga/.

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


The text is copyright © 2019 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for syndication rights and fees.

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

Review: UNITED STATES VS. MURDER, INC. #1

UNITED STATES VS. MURDER, INC. No. 1
DC COMICS/Jinxworld – @DCComics

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

STORY: Brian Michael Bendis
ART: Michael Avon Oeming
COLORS: Taki Soma
LETTERS: Carlos Mangual
EDITOR: Michael McCalister
COVER: Michael Avon Oeming
VARIANT COVERS: David Mack
32pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (November 2018)

Rated “M” for “Mature”

United States vs. Murder, Inc. created by Brian Michael Bendis and Michael Avon Oeming

United States vs. Murder, Inc. is a new comic book series from writer Brian Michael Bendis and artist Michael Avon Oeming.  It is a follow-up to their 2014-15, six-issue miniseries, United States of Murder Inc., which was published by Marvel Comics' Icon imprint.  Colorist Taki Soma and letterer Carlos Mangual complete the new series' creative team.

The United States of Murder Inc. imagines an alternate history for the United States in which the American Mafia did not lose its war with the Federal Bureau Investigation (FBI).  Instead, the “Five Families” forced the government of the United States to concede most of the Eastern Seaboard of the U.S., the city of Chicago, and parts of Nevada to them.  This area controlled by the families is euphemistically called “the territories.”  The series focuses on two members of the Bonavese crime family, Valentine Gallo, who recently became a “made man,” and Jagger Rose, a hit-woman for the family, who must uncover a conspiracy for which they have been blamed and marked for death.

United States vs. Murder, Inc. #1 opens in a world in which “the five families” of organized crime still maintain a stranglehold over part of the United States of America.  Decades ago, the U.S. government found itself forced to give up part of the country or lose all of it.  Now, the unrest between the rest of America and the families has come to a boil.  A war between the forces of the American government and the American mafia is about to begin.  No one is really ready for that, and newly made man Valentine Gallo and mob hit-woman Jagger Rose must choose sides.

The drama begins with the origin story of Jagger Rose, the first female to become a hit man for the Bonavese crime family.

United States vs. Murder, Inc. #1 has the misfortune of following the six pulse-pounding issues of The Unites States of Murder Inc.  The second series, however, turns misfortune into pure gold.  I do not want to spoil anything, but I can say that Bendis' story and script are killers.  He does not miss a beat, making United States vs. Murder, Inc. #1 seem like the seventh issue of the original series.

Michael Avon Oeming's art is more stylish than ever.  Elastic and expressionistic, it moves the story forward, while being intimately connected to the prior work.  Taki Soma's two-fisted coloring, especially the reds and blues recreate the sexiness and eroticism of classic Film-Noir cinematography.  Letterer Carlos Mangual uses fonts and word balloons to give even the most mundane stories at least a little of that magic that comic books should have.  Here, Mangual does not have to rescue the Bendis-Oeming team; he just make the work even more magical.

As you can see, I am all in on this continuation of one of the truly great recent crime comics.  Please, give United States vs. Murder, Inc. #1 a try.

9 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 reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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Review: HAWKMAN #1

HAWKMAN No. 1 (2018)
DC COMICS – @DCComics

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

STORY: Robert Venditti
PENCILS: Bryan Hitch
INKS: Andrew Currie and Bryan Hitch
COLORS: Alex Sinclair
LETTERS: Starkings & Comicraft
EDITOR: Marie Javins
COVER: Bryan Hitch with Alex Sinclair
VARIANT COVER: Stejpan Sejic
32pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (August 2018)

Rated “T” for “Teen”

“Awakening” Part One: “What's Past is Prologue”

Hawkman is a DC Comics superhero.  There are multiple versions of the character, and two of them are the best known.  The first is the “Golden Age” Hawkman, a human archaeologist named Carter Hall, who is the modern-day reincarnation of an ancient Egyptian prince named Khufu.  That character was created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Dennis Neville and first appeared in Flash Comics #1, published in 1940 by All-American Publications (which eventually entered a merger that would form DC Comics' predecessor, National Periodical Publications).

The second is the alien police officer, Katar Hol, from the planet, Thanagar.  Created by Gardner Fox and Joe Kubert, Hol first appeared in The Brave and the Bold #34 (cover dated: March-February 1961).  The common denominator among the various versions of Hawkman is that they wear large, artificial wings, attached to a harness made from the special Nth metal that allows them to fly.

There is a  new comic book series starring the character, entitled Hawkman.  It is written by Robert Venditti; drawn by Bryan Hitch (pencils and inks) and Andrew Currie (inks); colored by Alex Sinclair; and lettered by Starkings & Comicraft.  The series finds Hawkman/Carter Hall trying to unravel the secrets of his many pasts.

Hawkman #1 (“What's Past is Prologue”) finds the superhero Hawkman flying over an island twelve miles south of Santorini, Greece.  Carter Hall is an archaeologist and an explorer of the ancient and unknown, and the greatest unknown seems to be Carter Hall.  Hawkman is searching for a relic, “the Nautilus of Revealment.”  With the help of Madame Xanadu, Carter will use the Nautilus to make discoveries about his reincarnations and surprisingly, to discover something about his fate.

After reading a few pages of Hawkman #1 2018, I was sure that I would not like it, but by the end of the first issue, I was really liking it.  I don't think I need to go through a litany about the creative team.  Robert Venditti is an imaginative writer.  Bryan Hitch is an influential stylist, and inker Andrew Currie usually captures both the power and grace of Hitch's pencil compositions.  Colorist Alex Sinclair is subtly muting his usual vivid coloring here to serve the moodiness of the story.  Starkings & Comicraft's lettering shifts fonts and designs and is excellent... of course.

What really stands out is that Hawkman #1 suggests that Hawkman 2018 is trying for something different.  Like Carter Hall, this new Hawkman comic book will offer a story that is about exploring the ancient and unknown.  There is a sense of mystery and of a little magic.  Venditti and Hitch are trying to do something than can truly be described as different.  I hope...

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 reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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