Image Comics from Diamond Distributors for August 14, 2019

IMAGE COMICS

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Marvel Comics from Diamond Distributors for August 14, 2019

MARVEL COMICS

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Comics, Magazines and Books from Diamond Distributors for August 14, 2019

COMICS & GRAPHIC NOVELS

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Review: BLACK TORCH Volume 5

BLACK TORCH, VOL. 5
VIZ MEDIA – @VIZMedia

MANGAKA: Tsuyoshi Takaki
TRANSLATION: Adrienne Beck
LETTERS: Annaliese Christman
EDITOR: Marlene First
ISBN: 978-1-9747-0744-7; paperback (August 2019); Rated “T+” for “Teen Plus”
208pp, B&W, $9.99 U.S., $12.99 CAN, £6.99 U.K.

Black Torch is the first manga series from creator Tsuyoshi Takaki, previously known for his one-shot, Freaks.  Originally published in the Japanese manga magazines, Jump SQ, Black Torch follows the adventures of a young ninja caught in the middle of a war between ninjas and demons.  VIZ Media has published the manga in English as the five-volume graphic novel series, entitled Black Torch.

Black Torch follows Jiro Azuma, a young man descended from a long line of ninja.  He can also talk to animals, and his rough and tumble appearance belies his compassionate nature.  He meets Rago, a mysterious, unique, and suspicious, stray black cat.  Jiro's compassion for animals will get him into trouble, when his encounter with Rago rudely introduces him to the world of the mononoke and changes his life forever.

As Black Torch, Vol. 5 (Chapter 16 to 19) opens, the great mononoke, Amagi, meets with his allies.  As his history is revealed, so are his true plans.  He wants Rago's powers, which now reside inside Jiro, and he will do anything to get them.

Meanwhile, the Bureau of Espionage, the government organization that combats mononoke, prepare to fend of Amagi's next assault.  Jiro returns from the spirit world, specifically Avidya Forest, where he trained to fully awaken Rago's power within him and also to use them.  Has Jiro mastered those powers enough to battle Amagi?

[This volume includes a bonus art, a character glossary, and an afterword by the author.]

As I've written before, I knew that I would enjoy the Black Torch manga.  I am a fan of ninja movies and comics, and, in recent years, manga.  I am also a fan of the various types of creatures of Japanese myth and folklore, like the “mononoke” (a group of different spirits said to possesses humans in order to make them do bad things).

Black Torch Graphic Novel Volume 5, however, is the final volume of this series.  Creator Tsuyoshi Takaki suggests that these characters will return, and I hope so.  This final volume ties up the stories and plot lines, but Black Torch seems as if it is ending much too soon.  Well, Takaki gives us an exciting final battle, but Amagi is the kind of great villain that deserves better than his type normally gets in final chapters.  Amagi makes Vol. 5 a memorable graphic novel in a fun graphic novel series.

A
8 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.

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

Review: STELLAR #1

STELLAR No. 1
IMAGE COMICS/Skybound – @ImageComics @Skybound

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

STORY: Joseph Keatinge
ART: Bret Blevins
COLORS: Bret Blevins
LETTERS: Rus Wooton
EDITOR: Sean Mackiewicz
28pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (June 2018)

Rated T / Teen Plus

Stellar created by Robert Kirkman and Marc Silvestri

Stellar is a new comic book series created by Robert Kirkman (The Walking Dead) and Marc Silvestri (Uncanny X-Men, Cyberforce).  It is based on Pilot Season: Stellar (cover dated: July 2010), one of many one-shot comic books that Silvestri's company, Top Cow Productions, published under the title, Pilot Season, which introduced new comic book characters and concepts.

Stellar the comic book series focuses on a young woman who was an “ultimate weapon,” meant to end an intergalactic war, but who is now a bounty hunter.  Stellar is written by Joseph Keatinge; drawn and colored by Bret Blevins; and lettered by Rus Wooton.

Stellar #1 introduces a young woman known only as “Stellar.”  She is now a bounty hunter, scouring broken worlds for high-value bounties.  However, those worlds are broken partly because of her; Stellar was once a child transformed into the ultimate weapon, one that would end an intergalactic war.  Stellar searches for redemption, but her past has come back to fight her.

Stellar #1 has some striking graphics.  Bret Blevins (New Mutants; Sleepwalker) offers quirky illustrations, and his coloring ranges from radiant to muted and painterly.  Blevins work here makes me think of late 1970s and early 1980s Heavy Metal comics.  Rus Wooton's lettering itself has a illustrative quality.  Together, Blevins and Wooton present one impressive graphics package.

As for the story, I think of 1980s science fiction and fantasy comics published by independent comic book publishers, such as Alien Encounters (FantaCo Enterprises and Eclipse Comics), Dalgoda (Fantagraphics Books), and Alien Fire (Kitchen Sink Press), to name a few.  I am intrigued by Stellar #1, although I do not think that the narrative contents of this first issue are strong enough to make for an exceptional or particularly special first issue.

6 out of 10

[This comic book has a preview of Outpost Zero by Sean Kelley McKeever, Alexandre Tefenkgi, and Jean-Francois Beaulieu.]

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.

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

Review: DOMINO #1

DOMINO No. 1 (2018)
MARVEL COMICS – @Marvel

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

STORY: Gail Simone
ART: David Baldéon
COLORS: Jesus Aburtov
LETTERS: Clayton Cowles
EDITOR: Chris Robinson
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Akira Yoshida
COVER: Greg Land with Frank D'Armata
VARIANT COVER ARTISTS: Elsa Charretier with Matthew Wilson; David Baldéon with Jesus Aburtov; Pretend comic book artist-J. Scott Campbell with Sabine Rich; Rob Liefeld
28pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (June 2018)

“Killer Instinct” Part One

Neena Thurman a.k.a. Domino is a Marvel Comics character.  The character was created by artist Rob Liefeld and writer Fabian Nicieza.  A version of Domino first appeared in New Mutants #98 (cover dated: February 1991); then, the “real” version of the character first appeared in X-Force #8 (cover dated: March 1992).  Domino is a mutant best known for her association with the team, X-Force.

Although Domino has been the title character in two miniseries, the character is finally the star of her own ongoing comic book series.  Entitled Domino, it is written by Gail Simone; drawn by David Baldéon; colored by Jesus Aburtov; and lettered by Clayton Cowles.

Domino #1 finds Domino and “Crazy” Inez Temple a.k.a. “Outlaw” in the Pacific Northwest.  They are supposedly here because they have been hired to take care of some mobsters, but this is really a setup for an attack on them.  And it's Neena Thurman's birthday...

I am a fan of Gail Simone, and I am currently enjoying her Image Comics series, Crosswind, and her current miniseries for Dynamite Entertainment, Red Sonja / Tarzan, both of which had excellent first issues.  Domino #1 is a mediocre first issue.

Simone has publicly stated that many comic books suffer from poor character development.  The problem with Domino #1 is that its title character is not much of a character.  Domino is at best a supporting character, but Marvel Comics has spent much of the last four decades publishing miniseries and regular series starring just about any character that shows any measurable popularity with fans.  So Domino #1 stars a character who, after more than a quarter century, is not much more than the sketch that first appeared in Rob Liefeld's sketchbook.  And Gail Simone, who is excellent at giving comic book characters character, may not be able to change that.

As for the graphics team, David Baldéon has been a rising star; Domino #1 is air turbulence for him, a step back from his excellent, hot wire art on the recent Spirits of Vengeance miniseries.  For colorist Jesus Aburtov and letterer Clayton Cowles, Domino #1 is an average output.  “Serviceable” is the word to describe Domino #1.  I do not hold out hope that the series will get better.

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 reprint and  syndication rights and fees.

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Review: DAYTIME SHOOTING STAR Volume 1

DAYTIME SHOOTING STAR, VOL. 1
VIZ MEDIA – @VIZMedia

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

MANGAKA: Mika Yamamori
TRANSLATION: JN Productions
LETTERS: Inori Fukuda Trant
EDITOR: Nancy Thislethwaite
ISBN: 978-1-9747-0667-9; paperback (July 2019); Rated “T” for “Teen”
200pp, B&W, $9.99 US, $12.99 CAN, £6.99 UK

Daytime Shooting Star is a shojo manga from creator Mika Yamamori.  The series was originally serialized in The Margaret, a Japanese manga magazine, from 2011 to 2014.  VIZ Media is publishing an English-language edition of the manga as a graphic novel series, entitled Daytime Shooting Star.

Daytime Shooting Star, Vol. 1 (Chapters 1 to 7) introduces 15-year-old Suzume Yosano, a girl who lives in a small rural town that does not have convenience stores, cafés, or traffic lights.  When her parents suddenly announce that they are moving to Bangladesh, they also tell that Suzume that she will be moving to Tokyo to live with her uncle, Yukichi Kumamoto.

Not long after arriving in Tokyo, Suzume has a fainting spell.  She is rescued by a odd young man, who turns out to have a surprising connection to her uncle and to her high school.

In some ways, the Daytime Shooting Star manga is a typical high school shojo manga.  It is about a girl who falls in love, after all.

Daytime Shooting Star Graphic Novel Volume 1, however, strikes many odd and offbeat notes.  I don't want to spoil anything just yet, but Suzume's new Tokyo home offers surprising relationships.  Suzume even forces a taciturn boy to be her friend, and she also makes a “frenemy.” And there is a shocking confrontation.

Mika Yamamori's wide-open illustration style and pretty figure drawing (especially the nice-looking characters who have big eyes) are attractive on the page.  As far as the art goes, Daytime Shooting Star reminds me of Io Sakisaka's Ao Haru Ride.  As for the story, JN Productions throws down a tart translation that captures the narrative's edginess which bubbles beneath the surface.  I think shojo fans will latch onto this series, especially for its potential to surprise.

8 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.

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