DC Comics from Lunar Distributors for January 26, 2021

DC COMICS:

Batman Black And White #2 (Of 6)(Cover A Jock), $5.99
Batman Black And White #2 (Of 6)(Cover B Doug Braithwaite), AR
Batman Black And White #2 (Of 6)(Cover C Kamome Shirahama Catwoman Variant), AR
Batman The Adventures Continue #8 (Of 8)(Cover A Mirka Andolfo), $4.99
Batman The Adventures Continue #8 (Of 8)(Cover B Ronnie Del Carmen Card Stock Variant), AR
Batman White Knight Presents Harley Quinn #4 (Of 6)(Cover A Sean Murphy), $4.99
Batman White Knight Presents Harley Quinn #4 (Of 6)(Cover B Matteo Scalera), AR
DC Comics The Art Of Lee Bermejo HC, $49.99
DC Connect Checklist Poster #8, AR
Future State Aquaman #1 (Of 2)(Cover A Daniel Sampere), $3.99
Future State Aquaman #1 (Of 2)(Cover B Khary Randolph Card Stock Variant), AR
Future State Batman Superman #1 (Of 2)(Cover A Ben Oliver), $3.99
Future State Batman Superman #1 (Of 2)(Cover B Arthur Adams Card Stock Variant), AR
Future State Dark Detective #2 (Of 4)(Cover A Dan Mora), $5.99
Future State Dark Detective #2 (Of 4)(Cover B Gabrielle Dell’Otto Card Stock Variant), AR
Future State Legion Of Super-Heroes #1 (Of 2)(Cover A Riley Rossmo), $3.99
Future State Legion Of Super-Heroes #1 (Of 2)(Cover B Ian MacDonald Card Stock Variant), AR
Future State Suicide Squad #1 (Of 2)(Cover A Javi Fernandez), $5.99
Future State Suicide Squad #1 (Of 2)(Cover B Derrick Chew Card Stock Variant), AR
Future State Superman Vs Imperious Lex #1 (Of 3)(Cover A Yanick Paquette), $3.99
Future State Superman Vs Imperious Lex #1 (Of 3)(Cover B Simone Di Meo Card Stock Variant), AR
Joker Harley Criminal Sanity #7 (Of 8)(Cover A Francesco Mattina), $5.99
Joker Harley Criminal Sanity #7 (Of 8)(Cover B Mico Suayan), AR
Justice League Dark Volume 4 A Costly Trick Of Magic TP, $19.99
Justice League International Volume 2 Around The World TP, $29.99
Last God #12 (Cover A Kai Carpenter), $4.99
Legends Of The DC Universe Doug Mahnke HC, $49.99
New Teen Titans Omnibus Volume 5 HC, $99.99
Other History Of The DC Universe #2 (Of 5)(Cover A Giuseppe Camuncoli & Marco Mastrazzo), $6.99
Other History Of The DC Universe #2 (Of 5)(Cover B Jamal Campbell), AR
Other History Of The DC Universe #2 (Of 5)(Cover C Giuseppe Camuncoli & Marco Mastrazzo), AR
Strange Adventures #8 (Of 12)(Cover A Mitch Gerads), $4.99
Strange Adventures #8 (Of 12)(Cover B Evan Doc Shaner), AR
Superman Kryptonite Nevermore HC, $29.99
Superman The Man Of Steel Volume 2 HC, $49.99
Titans Burning Rage TP, $16.99
Wonder Woman In The Fifties TP, $34.99

#IReadsYou Review: KARNAK #1

KARNAK No. 1
MARVEL COMICS – @Marvel

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

WRITER: Warren Ellis
ART: Gerardo Zaffino
COLORS: Dan Brown
LETTERS: VC's Clayton Cowles
COVER: David Aja
VARIANT COVERS:  Gerardo Zaffino; Jim Cheung with Justin Ponsor; Skottie Young; Eric Powell (Monster variant) Kaare Andrews (Hop Hop variant)
28pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (December 2015)

Rated T+

Karnak created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby

“The Flaw in All Things” Part 1

Karnak is a Marvel Comics character that is part of the super-human race known as the Inhumans.  Karnak was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby and debuted in Fantastic Four #45 (cover dated: December 1965), the same issue in which the Inhumans first appeared.

Unlike most Inhumans, Karnak was not exposed to the Terrigen Mists.  Because he did not undergo Terrigenesis, he did not develop additional powers like other Inhumans.  A martial artist, Karnak can find the weakness or the flaw in anything (people, ideas, objects, philosophies, structures, and systems).  Using his training and strength, Karnak exploits his talents and can turn a weakness into a weapon.

Marvel Comics is apparently expanding the profile of the Inhumans even more, and that includes launching Inhuman solo titles.  The first one is Karnak, which is written by Warren Ellis; drawn by Gerardo Zaffino; colored by Dan Brown; and lettered by Clayton Cowles.  [Of note:  due to unforeseen circumstances, the art team will change in future issues.]

Karnak #1 (“The Flaw in All Things” Part 1) finds Magister Karnak doing his thing at the Tower of Wisdom.  His thing is interrupted when S.H.I.E.L.D. and Agent Coulson come calling for his help and whisk him off to a S.H.I.E.L.D. base in the Arctic.

It seems that William and Sarah Roderick have lost their son, Adam.  He recently underwent Terrigenesis and afterwards, was abducted.  The culprit seems to be I.D.I.C. (International Data Integration and Control), an old splinter group of A.I.M. (Advanced Idea Mechanics), thought to be defunct. Now, Karnak, the baddest philosopher since I-don't-know-who, will find Adam and I.D.I.C.

Karnak is another intriguing series from the mind of Warren Ellis, one of most the imaginative and inventive writers of North American and British comic books.  When I first heard that there was going to be a Karnak comic book, I was all like “Puh-lease!”  However, once I learned that Ellis would be the writer, I was intrigued.

I read Ellis' Karnak as an amalgamation of a fixer, special operative, troubleshooter, and martial artist.  He is the Inhuman blunt instrument, called in when no one can get the job done.  I wonder if Karnak will be a pop comic, full of kick-ass and action swag, while offering up something new in terms of ideas, plots, and settings.

Surprisingly, I am as impressed with the art of Gerardo Zaffino and Dan Brown as I am with Ellis' story-script-concept.  Zaffino's compositions are representational in a moody and impressionistic way, but the art makes for kinetic storytelling – as if the narrative is always urging forward.  The colors are alluring; they are like candy, and I think Brown's hues were the elements that kept drawing me deeper into this first issue.

I heartily recommend Karnak.  Readers looking for the really different in the All-New, All-Different Marvel will want to buy this first issue, even if it means mail order or digital.

A

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


The text is copyright © 2016 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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#IReadsYou Review: METACOPS #1

METACOPS No. 1
FANTAGRAPHICS BOOKS/Monster Comics

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

STORY: Link Yaco
ART: John Heebink
LETTERS: Bill Pearson
COLORS: Mary Woodring
DESIGN: Jim Blanchard
20pp, B&W, $1.95, $2.25 CAN (February 1991)

In late 1990 and early 1991, Fantagraphics Books launched a line of comic books that focused on science fiction and fantasy stories.  The eventual titles were not straight science fiction, but were rather a mixture of esoteric sci-fi, weird fantasy, B-movie horror, and Underground Comix-like concepts.  I don't think that the line lasted much longer than two years, if that.

I tried a few Monster Comics series, but the one that most piqued my interest was MetaCops, a three-issue miniseries created by writer Link Yaco and artist John Heebink.  The series focused on the “Metaphysical Police,” an organization colloquially referred to as the “MetaCops.”  The MetaCops kept the whole universe from falling apart by protecting the “flow of history” from humans, aliens, and other sentient beings that used time-travel to disrupt history.

MetaCops #1 focuses on four particular MetaCops, all of them based on deceased famous figures.  The first is Jayne Mansfield (1933-1967), who was an actress and singer, one of the early Playboy “Playmates,” and one of the original Hollywood “blonde bombshells.”  The next is Delmore Schwartz (1913-1966), a Greenwich Village poet and a short story writer whose most famous story is “In Dreams Begin Responsibilities” (1937).

Then, there is Albert Einstein (1879-1955), the theoretical physicist and writer, who may be the most famous scientist in history.  Finally, there is Leonardo DaVinci (1452-1519), the Italian painter, sculptor, inventor, and engineer, among many things, who may be the most famous artist in the history of the world.

The MetaCops have discovered that a cabal of alien B.E.M.s (bug-eyed monsters) have traveled back in time to stop the fall of Constantinople in 1453 A.D.  Of course, the MetaCops have a plan to stop the B.E.M.s... with the help of Roman legionnaires, AK-47 assault rifles, and werewolves.

Even before I ever read an issue, I thought that I would like MetaCops, and after reading the first issue, I really liked it.  I'm surprised that this series has basically been lost in the annals of comic book history.  Other than this three-issue miniseries, the only other time that the MetaCops appeared in print was in a one-shot special (MetaCops: Special Annual Origin Issue No. 1) that was not published by Fantagraphics.  Considering all the mediocre comic books that have yielded animated television series, MetaCops is certainly a concept that would result in at least an interesting pitch to lob at the geniuses of television decision making.

In fact, MetaCops has a freewheeling spirit and a sense of goofiness that recalls Saturday morning cartoon TV shows.  I will grant that two of the MetaCops, Jayne Mansfield and Delmore Schwartz, have a bit of an edge and are connected to lurid events.  However, there is no particular reason that any other particular historical figure or celebrity of yesteryear could not be a MetaCop.  Imagine John Wayne or Nicole Brown Simpson as a MetaCop.  A fictional version of Martha Washington would work as a MetaCop as well as a fictional Michael Jackson would work as a MetaCop.

The mixture of historical figures, actual historical events, B-movie sci-fi, monsters, and combat animals (based on both extinct and non-extinct species) is what makes MetaCops seem so delightfully inventive.  Link Yaco (a pen name?) offers humor that is crazy, silly, satirical, and edgy all at once or separately when needed.  John Heebink's art and storytelling recalls Wally Wood, Steve Ditko, and MAD Magazine.  These guys make magic.  What's not to like.  Well, I don't like that there is not too much more of this.

[This issues contains a second story, “The Man Who Missed the Hindenberg.”  It is written by Link Yaco; drawn by Charlie Parker (breakdowns) and John Heebink (finishes), and lettered by Clem Robins.]

If the main story is not enough, the back-up story features Jimmy Hendrix, Nikola Tesla, and Boadicea.  That last name may not be familiar to you if you don't remember that Mel Gibson announced plans to make a movie about her, a movie that never materialized.  Boadicea was the queen of the Iceni (a Brittonic tribe) who led the Britons against the Roman Empire in pre-Anglo-Saxon Britain.

This story involves Boadicea going into the past and causing a number of disasters in order to kill a no-name, regular dude who is the ancestor of a neighbor who is annoying her.  The MetaCops move to stop her.  The one thing that I can say about this story is that whatever doubts I had about MetaCops as a viable concept, it vanquished them.

I am not going to lie and say that this is a great work of the comics medium.  What I will say is that MetaCops is great fun to read, and some supreme works of the comics medium fail to be that.

A-

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


The text is copyright © 2016 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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#IReadsYou Review: KAKEGURUI TWIN Volume 6

KAKEGURUI TWIN, VOL. 6
YEN PRESS

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

STORY: Homura Kawamoto
ART: Kei Saika
TRANSLATION: Kevin Gifford
LETTERS: Anthony Quintessenza
ISBN: 978-1-9753-0343-3; paperback (May 2020); Rated “OT” for “Older Teen”
242pp, B&W, $15.00 U.S., $19.50 CAN

Kakegurui Twin is a manga produced by writer Homura Kawamoto and illustrated by Kei Saika.  It is a spin-off and prequel to Kakegurui – Compulsive Gambler, the manga series written by Homura Kawamoto and illustrated by Toru Naomura.  Kakegurui Twin began serialization in Gangan Joker in 2015.  Yen Press is publishing an English-language edition of Kakegurui Twin as a series of paperback graphic novels.

Kakegurui Twin focuses on Mary Saotome (a character from the original series).  As a first-year student of the renowned Hyakkaou Private Academy, Mary knows that her future is assured; it is set for a one-way cruise to the top...  Then, an encounter with an old classmate introduces Mary into the world of gambling.  Can Mary survive in a world where being in debt means that one might have to be a “housepet,” (more or less like a servant) to other students.

As Kakegurui Twin, Vol. 6 (Chapters 23 to 28) opens, Mary is down a whopping five million yen.  She is sent flying into debt and her pride as a gambler is in shambles.  As she resigns herself to being a housepet, however, Mary finds a lifeline in the form of another housepet.  It is Mikura Sado, the housepet of Juraku, who will soon have Mary as a housepet.  And Sado wants to be an only housepet!

So, Mary and Sado take on the ultimate, gambling dream team, the Ougatou sisters, Naoko and Houko, in a card game to earn the money that will keep Mary out of involuntary servitude.  But a fifth player wants to join the game, and Ouri Shimotsukiuri's demeanor should not be taking at face value.

The Kakegurui Twin manga is about students at an elite school who essentially run a gambling ring.  I have to admit that I was initially shocked when I discovered the series' premise, although I have previously read manga featuring all manner of scandalous subject matter.

Kakegurui Twin Graphic Novel Volume 6 is the first volume of the series that I have read (thanks to a review copy).  Even starting at Vol. 6 is not much of a barrier to understanding the narrative.  It is simply, really.  Don't lose.  Don't fall in debt.  Don't end up a housepet.  Writer Homura Kawamoto and artist Kei Saiki make a lot of fun out of their gambling concern.

Translator Kevin Gifford captures the black humor and the naturally cattiness of this concept.  The dialogue sparkles when it has to, and menaces in the moments when that is needed to convey character or mood.  I would like to read more of Kakegurui Twin before I pass some kind of final judgment, but I can say that Vol. 6 does suggest that the entire series is a fun read.

7 out of 10

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


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#IReadsYou Review: THE BADGER #1

BADGER No. 1
DEVIL'S DUE/1FIRST COMICS

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

WRITER: Mike Baron
ART: Jim Fern
LETTERS: Willie Schubert
COLORS: Paul Mounts
COVER: Val Mayerik with Andres Esperanza
VARIANT COVERS: Paul Pope; Bill Reinhold
28pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (February 2016)

Badger created by Mike Baron and Jeff Butler

Rated “M” for mature readers

Badger is a comic book superhero character created by writer Mike Baron and artist Jeff Butler.  Badger first appeared in the comic book, Badger #1 (cover date: July 1983), published by Capital Comics.  After Capital Comics closed, Baron moved Badger to First Comics, where the character appeared in a titular series until 1991.

Badger was mostly set in Madison, Wisconsin.  The lead character was Norbert Sykes, a Vietnam War veteran who suffered from multiple personalities.  Sykes' most dominant personality was “Badger,” a martial arts expert who had mastered untold numbers of “esoteric and arcane” martial arts.  Badger was also a self-styled crime fighter and costumed vigilante.

After First Comics, other Badger comic book titles were published by Dark Horse Comics, Image Comics, and IDW Publishing.  First Comics was recently revived as “1First Comics” and has united with Devil's Due Productions to form a joint publishing unit.  The new 1First Comics has also revived Badger.  The new Badger comic book series is written by Mike Baron; drawn by Jim Fern; colored by Paul Mounts; and lettered by Willie Schubert.

Badger #1 opens as Norbert Sykes enlists in the United States Army.  Eventually, Sykes is placed in the Army's “Explosive Ordinance Disposal” (a “bomb squad”), and is assigned a puppy that he names “Otis” as his partner.  Sykes and Otis eventually become an outstanding insurgent/terrorist-fighting duo, but the traumas and tragedies forces a different side of Norbert Sykes to the surface.

Over the years, I often wondered what happened to Mike Baron, who enjoyed some success as a writer at DC Comics and at Marvel Comics in the late 1980s and into the early 1990s.  After the late 1990s, he seemed to disappear from comic books, except on occasion when Nexus, a comic book series he created with artist Steve Rude, returned.  I think Baron wrote English script adaptations for manga published by Del Rey Manga.

I also occasionally thought about Badger, a comic book character I had enjoyed for a number of years.  Reading this new Badger #1 reminded that what I truly missed was Mike Baron writing Badger.  Baron has merely changed Norbert Sykes from a Vietnam vet to a veteran of the Global War on Terror (or whatever it is called).

Baron offers a Badger #1 that is an easy-to-digest origin issue.  In this gone-on-too-long age of “decompressed” comic book storytelling, Badger #1 is stunningly efficient, giving readers most of what they need to understand Norbert Sykes and to go forward with the series.  A reader could stop here and feel that he read a good single-issue story.  I don't know how long the new 1First Comics will last, but if this new Badger can be as inventive and as offbeat as the long-running 1980s series, we are in for a treat.

A-

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


The text is copyright © 2016 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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#IReadsYou Review: YONA OF THE DAWN Volume 4

YONA OF THE DAWN, VOL. 4
VIZ MEDIA – @VIZMedia

MANGAKA: Mizuho Kusanagi
TRANSLATION: JN Productions
ENGLISH ADAPTATION: Ysabet Reinhardt MacFarlane
LETTERS: Lys Blakeslee
ISBN: 978-1-4215-8785-1; paperback (February 2017); Rated “T” for “Teen”
192pp, B&W, $9.99 U.S., $12.99 CAN, £6.99 UK

Yona of the Dawn is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Mizuho Kusanagi.  It has been serialized in Hakusensha's shojo manga magazine, Hana to Yume, since August 2009.  VIZ Media has been publishing an English-language edition of the manga as a paperback graphic novel series since August 2016 under its “Shojo Beat” imprint.

Princess Yona lives an ideal life as the only princess in the Kingdom of Kohka.  Her father, King Il, dotes on her, and her faithful guard, Son Hak of the Wind Tribe, protects her.  Yon even cherishes the time spent with the man she loves, her cousin Lord Su-won of the Sky Tribe.  However, everything changes on her 16th birthday when the king is killed and Hak is blamed.  Soon, Yona is on the run with Hak, but she is determined to reclaim her throne by finding the Four Dragon Warriors.

As Yona of the Dawn, Vol. 4 (Chapter 18 to 23) opens, Yona and Hak continue their journey to find the rest of the Four Dragon Warriors, after locating Gija, the White Dragon.  Gija can sense the other warriors, but only slightly when they are at a great distance away.  Luckily, the trio is also accompanied by Jun, pretty-boy genius.  Next up, is the location of the Blue Dragon, but this warrior's village is not a welcoming place.

THE LOWDOWN:  The Yona of the Dawn manga is in my manga fanboy wheelhouse.  Part Chinese historical romance and part quest-adventure, so I cannot help but like it.

In Yona of the Dawn Graphic Novel Volume 4, creator Mizuho Kusanagi further delves into her star quartet's personalities.  She throws a surprise at her readers, by making the place of the Blue Dragon not as friendly or as easy to navigate as the home of the White Dragon.  Her origin story of the Blue Dragon is a poignant and heartbreaking tale, but our heroine Yona is the spoonful of sugar to make it all better.  It should not be so easy to like this series, but the main characters are classic lovable shojo teens.  Yeah, they are quite sugary even in this epic adventure.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of historical romantic adventure will want to try the Shojo Beat title, Yona of the Dawn.

A-

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


The text is copyright © 2021 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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

Amazon wants me to inform you that the link below is a PAID AD, but I technically only get paid (eventually) if you click on the ad below AND buy something(s).

#IReadsYou Review: ULTRAMAN Volume 4

ULTRAMAN, VOL. 4
VIZ MEDIA – @VIZMedia

STORY: Eiichi Shimizu
ART: Tomohiro Shimoguchi
TRANSLATION: Joe Yamazaki
ENGLISH ADAPTATION: Stan!
LETTERING: Evan Waldinger
ISBN: 978-1-4215-8185-9; paperback (May 2016); Rated “T” for “Teen”
188pp, B&W, $12.99 U.S., $14.99 CAN, £8.99 UK

Ultraman is a character that appeared in Japanese sci-fi/fantasy films and television, beginning in the 1960s.  Ultraman was an alien entity that merged with a human host, creating a superhero that fought aliens trying to invade Earth.  Ultraman (stylized as ULTRAMAN) the manga, written and drawn by Eiichi Shimizu and Tomohiro Shimoguchi, is a sequel to the television series, “Ultraman” (1966).

The new Ultraman is 17-year-old Shinjiro Hayata.  He is the son of Shin Hayata, the man who first merged with Ultraman 20 years earlier.  A new threat is growing, and that kind of danger requires a new kind of Ultraman.

As Ultraman, Vol. 4 (Chapter 21 to 26) opens, Shinjiro struggles with what it means to be Ultraman.  The alien enemies of Earth are brutal and unforgiving, and Dan Moroboshi, who wears an updated Ultraman suit, does not hesitate to kill them.  Shinjiro is struggling to come to terms with Dan's use of violence, especially after a battle leaves Dan's suit covered in blood.

Is Shinjiro or Dan the new kind of Ultraman for the danger the Earth now faces?  Well, there is a secret plan to force Shinjiro to take the next step in his development as the Ultraman.  Plus, The Rena Sayama 2018 Live Tour begins, but someone plans to kill Rena, an Ultraman fangirl.

THE LOWDOWN:  The Ultraman manga is an easy and enjoyable read, something that I can say about every volume.  And yes, it is such an easy read that I find myself finishing too quickly and wishing that there were more.  I really enjoy this manga, and I think its fan base should grow.  Ultraman is something like a blend of Marvel's Iron Man and Neon Genesis Evangelion, a blend I think that others can enjoy.

Ultraman Volume 4 focuses on the existential crisis Shinjiro undergoes as he deals with the realities of being the hero everyone expects to protect the Earth.  Killing and destroying the enemy seems the obvious solution, except that it may not be.  Creators Shimizu and Shimoguchi are gradually delving into complex issues, even as they continue to produce a delightfully breezy read.

POSSIBLE AUDIENCE:  Fans of Ultraman and readers looking for superheroes from another land will want to try the VIZ Signature title, Ultraman.

A

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


The text is copyright © 2021 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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