Image Comics from Diamond Distributors for January 8, 2020

IMAGE COMICS

NOV190127    20XX #2 (MR)    $3.99
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OCT190071    UNEARTH TP VOL 01 (MR)    $14.99
MAY190115    WITCHBLADE #17 (MR)    $3.99

Marvel Comics from Diamond Distributors for January 8, 2020

MARVEL COMICS

OCT191107    ABSOLUTE CARNAGE TP    $29.99
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Comics, Magazines and Books from Diamond Distributors for January 8, 2020

COMICS & GRAPHIC NOVELS

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#IReadsYou Review: STAR WARS #68

STAR WARS No. 68 (2015)
MARVEL COMICS – @Marvel

[This review was originally posted on Patreon. And visit the "Star Wars Central" review page here.]

STORY: Greg Pak
ART: Phil Noto
COLORS: Phil Noto
LETTERS: VC's Clayton Cowles
EDITOR: Mark Paniccia
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Akira Yoshida a.k.a. C.B. Cebuski
COVER: Phil Noto
VARIANT COVER: John Tyler Christopher; Kaare Andrews
28pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (September 2019)

Rated T

Part I: “Rebels and Rogues”

In 2015, Marvel Comics restarted their publication of Star Wars comic books with a brand new Star Wars #1.  I wrote a review of it and went on to review a few more issues of the series, plus the first annual.  Jason Aaron was the new series first writer and wrote issues #1 to 37.  He delivered a number of really good story arcs and several really good stand alone, single-issue stories.

Kieron Gillen replaced Aaron.  Gillen did stellar work on Marvel's initial Darth Vader (2015) title, which was drawn by Salvador Larroca.  In fact, I can make a good case that Gillen and Larroca's Darth Vader was the best of Marvel's new line of Star Wars comic books, and, to this date, still is.  Gillen and Larroca reunited as the new Star Wars creative team with issue #38, and Larroca drew the series until issue #55.  Gillen recently ended his tenure on Star Wars with issue #67.

Star Wars #68 introduces the new creative team of writer Greg Pak and artist-colorist Phil Noto.  Letterer Clayton Clowes completes the creative team.  The first story arc, “Rebels and Rogues,” chronicles the missions that take place just before the 1980 Star Wars film, The Empire Strikes Back (also known as Star Wars: Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back).

As Star Wars #68 opens, the Rebel Alliance has learned that Darth Vader has dispatched thousands of remote probes into the far reaches of space to find the new rebel base, which will lead him to the young rebel with whom he is obsessed, Luke Skywalker.  Now, the rebel leadership is sending Luke, Princess Leia, Han Solo, Chewbacca and the droids, C-3PO and R2-D2, on a mission, but this is a desperate three-pronged mission of deception that will send these friends in different directions.

First, Luke and R2-D2 must find a way to protect a rebel refueling station in the Inner Rim.  Leia and Han will head to the “Core World” of “Lanz Carpo,” in order to infiltrate the communication center of a Imperial-friendly crime lord.  Finally, Chewbacca and C-3PO head to K43, an uninhabited volcanic world on the edge of “Wild Space.”  Rebel leadership wants to lure as many Imperial Star Destroyers to K43, which, with the use of detonators, Chewie and Threepio will turn into a mini-Death Star.  Two of the three prongs of this mission will encounter surprising interlopers.

This first chapter of “Rebels and Rogues” is intriguing, but only Luke and Artoo's mission really interests me.  I can give Gillen credit for writing a story that feels like classic era or original trilogy Star Wars.  I have mixed feelings about Phil Noto's art.  I liked him as the primary artist on the recent Poe Dameron ongoing series (2016-2018), but I was not that impressed with Noto's art on the Chewbacca miniseries (2015-2016).  Here, his graphic style and graphical storytelling seem perfect for Luke's mission, not so much for Chewbacca's, and even less for Han and Leia's.

But I am a rotting-to-the core “Marvel Zombie” when it comes to Marvel's Star Wars ongoing comic book series, so I will keep reading.  In the case of the new Star Wars comic books, I am not ashamed to be a fanboy.

7 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 reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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#IReadsYou Review: SURFACING #2

SURFACING No. 2 (OF 3)
APPROBATION COMICS

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

STORY: B. Alex Thompson – @ApproBAT
ART: Nenad Cviticanin
COLORS: Santtos
LETTERS: Krugos
EDITOR: John Ward and Denise Thompson
COVER/BACK COVER: Cesar Grego and Alivon Ortiz
32pp, Color, $4.99 U.S. / $1.99 digital-comic (2018; digital release date – October 31, 2018)

Rated: “M” for Mature / 17+ Only (comiXology)

Surfacing: Depth Perceptions is a four-issue science fiction and horror comic book that focuses on the drama and conflict that plays out between two friends and a mermaid at a oceanic research facility.  Before that series, there is an earlier comic book, simply entitled Surfacing, which is also published by Approbation Comics

Surfacing is a three-issue comic book miniseries, and it is written by Approbation Comics' mastermind B. Alex Thompson.  Surfacing is a horror anthology, with each issue apparently offering a different story based on a similar theme – a violent encounter with a mermaid-like creature.  Like Surfacing: Depth Perceptions, Surfacing is written by B. Alex Thompson; drawn by Nenad Cviticanin; colored by Santtos; and lettered by Krugos, with gorgeous cover art drawn by Cesar Grego and Alivon Ortiz.

Surfacing #2 opens on a rural highway in the state of Michigan, circa 1970s.  A young woman named Daisy is hitchhiking when she hops a ride with four friends:  Mary and her boyfriend, Justin, and Mary's best friend, Lisa, and Justin's best friend, Bobby.  The quintet stops at a small gas station and grocery store, where the elderly proprietor warns them against going “upriver,” where these young people plan to enjoy some swimming.  Of course, they ignore him; of course, they suffer dearly for it.

I did not know what to expect of Surfacing, especially after I so enjoyed Surfacing: Depth Perceptions.  It turned out that I thoroughly enjoyed Surfacing #2, which reminds me of dark fantasy anthology series like the classic  “The Twilight Zone” (1959 to 1964) and the 1980s “Tales from the Darkside.”  Damn, once again, B. Alex Thompson, one of my “Top 5” comic book writers, kills it.  I had a blast reading this comic book.  In fact, I think Thompson would have made a better choice than Stephen King's brat, Joe Hill, to write TNT's planned “Tales from the Darkside” reboot, which ultimately went nowhere, of course.

Once again, artist Nenad Cviticanin delivers lovely art and excellent storytelling.  Cviticanin's clean drawing style seamlessly moves from character interplay to kinetic action to horror fully realized.  This is like a teen slasher movie with a sprinkle of the classic film, Jaws.  The coloring by Santtos is equally smooth, but also consistent.  Every page, regardless of the action, has the same color scheme, which helps the transition from the tension of slow boil to blood-letting intensity creep up on the reader.

As they did for Surfacing: Depth Perception, artists Cesar Grego and Alivon Ortiz draw fantastic cover art for Surfacing.  The front cover offers a striking layout design, and the back cover art captures the fun of summer, but drops in the premonition of summer camp doom.

Yes, I'm going there:  Surfacing rises to the top!

9 out of 10

Buy Surfacing #2 at comiXology.

www.ApprobationComics.com
www.AlexThompsonWriter.com

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 reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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#IReadsYou Book Review: AFTER THE FLOOD: A Novel

AFTER THE FLOOD: A NOVEL
HARPERCOLLINS/William Morrow – @HarperCollins @WmMorrowBks

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

AUTHOR: Kassandra Montag
ISBN: 978-0-06-288936-2; hardcover; 5 in x 9 in; (September 3, 2019)
432pp, B&W, $27.99 U.S., $34.99 CAN

After the Flood is the debut novel from poet Kassandra Montag.  A post-apocalyptic drama and sea-faring novel, After the Flood is set on an Earth almost entirely covered by water.

After the Flood opens a little more than a century from now, and the Earth has been utterly transformed.  It began with the so-called “Hundred Year Flood,” in which rising floodwaters slowly overtook the North American continent.  Then, the so-called “Six Year Flood” obliterated America’s great coastal cities and then its heartland.  After which, all that was left was an archipelago of mountaintop colonies surrounded by a deep expanse of open water.  [That may also be the situation with all the other continents.]

Sailing what is left of the United States is a stubbornly independent woman, Myra, and her precocious seven-year-old daughter, Pearl.  They fish from their small boat, “the Bird,” and only visit the dry land of the mountaintop colonies when they need to trade for supplies and information on those few remaining outposts of civilization.  For seven years, Myra has grieved the loss of her elder daughter, Row.  She was stolen by her father, Myra's husband, Jacob, after a monstrous deluge overtook their home in Nebraska, an event that occurred before Pearl was born.  During a violent confrontation with a stranger, Myra suddenly discovers that the man has seen Row in a place called “the Valley,” which is located on the Eastern coast of what had been Greenland.

Throwing aside her usual caution, Myra plots a perilous voyage to those icy northern seas to recover her daughter.  Myra and Pearl find an ally in a mysterious man named Daniel, a cartographer and navigator.  Eventually, the three of them join another ship, “the Sedna,” and Myra tries to convince “the Sedna's” captain, Abran, and his crew to travel to “the Valley.”  However, the secrets that Myra, Daniel, and Abran hold may derail the voyage and lead to everyone's death.

If you, dear readers, peruse After the Flood's book jacket, you will find other authors praising this novel, including bestselling author, Karin Slaughter, one of America's best writers of thrillers and crime novels.  You can take all these authors' praise for After the Flood to heart; author Kassandra Montag's novel is indeed an excellent read.

After the Flood pushes against being pegged as belonging to one or two genres.  It is a sea-faring novel, full of adventure and gripping sea battles.  As post-apocalyptic fiction, After the Flood offers a frightening and implausible scenario for the destruction of civilization as we know it.  In this novel, we find humans basically reduced to dog-eat-dog survivalists, killers, thieves, rapists, and wannabe leaders engaging in biological warfare.

However, I think that After the Flood is, at its heart, a work of modern fiction, and it focuses on the lead character, Myra's personal journey, from trauma and grief to discovering the nature of hope.  In that sense, After the Flood is about characters, conflicts, and personalities, while also offering strong genre trappings and elements.  It is an irresistible read because Myra is an endlessly fascinating character.  Once you start reading this novel, dear readers, it will be hard to stop reading.  When you do, you will find yourself wondering about Myra and perhaps, even being concerned about her.

As a bonus, Myra's daughter Pearl is an equally endlessly fascinating character.  I think Kassandra Montag could write another version of this novel that focuses on Pearl, and it would be just as gripping and engaging... dare I say an even better novel?  For now, I will highly recommend After the Flood to readers looking for something different and also for something familiar in novels that deal with troubling futures for mankind.  Readers looking to delve into the interior and exterior lives of the characters that must survive these future shocks will want After the Flood.

9 out of 10

https://kassandramontag.com/
https://www.facebook.com/AuthorKassandraMontag

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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#IReadsYou Book Review: STRANGE PLANET

STRANGE PLANET
HARPERCOLLINS/Morrow Gift – @WmMorrowBks and @HarperCollins

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

AUTHOR-CARTOONIST: Nathan W. Pyle – @nathanwpyle
ISBN: 978-0-06-297070-1; hardcover; 6.00 in (w) x 6.00 in (h) (November 19, 2019)
E-ISBN: 978-0-06-297069-5 (eBook)
144pp, Color, $14.99 U.S., $18.50 CAN

Strange Planet is a new book of cartoons from author and cartoonist, Nathan W. Pyle.  Pyle is known for his bestselling books of cartoons, NYC Basic Tips and 99 Stories I Could Tell.  Strange Planet is a new hardcover book (6 in x 6 in) that collects cartoons Pyle posted on an Instagram page entitled, “Strange Planet,” beginning in February 2019.

Strange Planet chronicles the lives of the alien inhabitants of a world that is similar to ours.  They resemble the infamous “gray aliens,” except they are blue.  They share a few characteristics with E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial or “Roger” from the American animated television series, “American Dad!,” but Strange Planet's aliens are soft, cuddly, and fluid.  They look like leaner versions of beloved cartoon character, Casper the Friendly Ghost.

In a world of bright pinks, blues, greens, and purples, the inhabitants of Strange Planet narrate their emotions and act out scenarios that are extremely familiar to humans.  They throw parties.  They believe in the tooth fairy, but call teeth “mouth stones” and the tooth fairy “magical mouth stone being.”  They call their sun a “star,” so they call sunburn “star damage.”  And sweet dreams are referred to as “Imagine Pleasant Nonsense.”  So relax, perhaps in your “rest chamber” (bedroom), and enjoy a cup of “hot leaf liquid” (tea) or jittery liquid (coffee) and enter the the peculiar, but familiar world of Strange Planet.

Nathan W. Pyle has a knack for presenting the ordinary as something worth reexamining.  Strange Planet is a webcomic that exists in “The Twilight Zone” that is situated between beloved newspaper comics like Gary Larson's The Far Side and Scott Adams' Dilbert.  In Strange Planet, everything is familiar, but filtered through a florescent-colored dream-shake made of Nehi grape-infused milk, pink ice cream, orange “Kool-Aid,” and blue food coloring.

Ultimately, however, Strange Planet is sweet, endearing, and funny.  Through these delightful alien inhabitants, we the readers learn to love the mundane and the ordinary, the things that dominate our everyday lives.  Pyle makes us appreciate that we don't have to have amazing, star-studded, lives to enjoy the small, seemingly insignificant moments in our lives.  Even the amazing and the super-stars (as Jameis Winston said) have small, seemingly insignificant moments in which they can find delight – don't they?

With its compact size, Strange Planet is the perfect (and handy) gift book for the holidays.  That's when we'll need these Strange Planet inhabitants to make us laugh at ourselves.

7.5 out of 10

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

Strange Planet Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/nathanwpylestrangeplanet/?hl=en
https://www.nathanwpyle.art/strangeplanet
http://www.nathanwpyle.com/
Twitter page: https://twitter.com/nathanwpyle


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


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