Tuesday, March 8, 2016

Comics, Magazines and Books from Diamond Distributors for March 9, 2016

COMICS & GRAPHIC NOVELS

JAN161198     ADVENTURE TIME #50     $4.99
SEP150962     AIRSHIP ENTERPRISE #2     $3.99
SEP151566     AMAZING AGENT LUNA OMNIBUS TP VOL 05     $18.99
DEC151011     ARCHIE FUNHOUSE COMICS ANNUAL DIGEST #19     $5.99
JAN161380     ARMY OF DARKNESS FURIOUS ROAD #1 RARE HARDMAN VIRGIN     $50.00
JAN161196     BAKER STREET PECULIARS #1     $3.99
JAN160992     BIGFOOT SWORD OF THE EARTHMAN #4 CVR A TAYLOR & BONVI     $3.99
JAN160993     BIGFOOT SWORD OF THE EARTHMAN #4 CVR B LIAM FRANCIS W     $4.99
NOV151643     BLACKLIST TP VOL 01     $14.99
DEC151508     BREADWINNERS GN VOL 02 BUHDEUCE ROCKS THE ROCKET     $7.99
DEC151494     BUNKER #15 (MR)     $3.99
NOV151259     CLASSIC ILLUSTRATED TP #1 WAR OF THE WORLDS     $9.95
DEC151189     CLASSIC ILLUSTRATED TP 20000 LEAGUES UNDER SEA     $9.95
DEC151192     CLASSIC ILLUSTRATED TP DR JEKYLL & MR HYDE     $9.95
NOV151250     CLASSIC ILLUSTRATED TP FRANKENSTEIN     $9.95
DEC151194     CLASSIC ILLUSTRATED TP LAST OF MOHICANS     $9.95
NOV151253     CLASSIC ILLUSTRATED TP MOBY DICK     $9.95
NOV151254     CLASSIC ILLUSTRATED TP OLIVER TWIST     $9.95
DEC151195     CLASSIC ILLUSTRATED TP ROBINSON CRUSOE     $9.95
NOV151256     CLASSIC ILLUSTRATED TP ROMEO & JULIET     $9.95
NOV151257     CLASSIC ILLUSTRATED TP STUDY IN SCARLET     $9.95
DEC151197     CLASSIC ILLUSTRATED TP THREE MUSKETEERS     $9.95
NOV151258     CLASSIC ILLUSTRATED TP TIME MACHINE     $9.95
JAN161060     CREEPS GN VOL 02 TROLLS WILL FEAST     $9.95
JAN161061     CREEPS HC GN VOL 02 TROLLS WILL FEAST     $17.95
NOV151095     CROSSED PLUS 100 #14 (MR)     $3.99
NOV151096     CROSSED PLUS 100 #14 AMERICAN HISTORY X WRAP CVR (MR)     $3.99
NOV151097     CROSSED PLUS 100 #14 CROSSED WIRES CVR (MR)     $3.99
NOV151098     CROSSED PLUS 100 #14 DISASTERED CVR (MR)     $3.99
NOV151099     CROSSED PLUS 100 #14 HORRIFIC HOMAGE CVR (MR)     $3.99
NOV151100     CROSSED PLUS 100 #14 WISHFUL FICTION CVR (MR)     $3.99
JAN161123     CROSSED PLUS 100 TP VOL 02 (MR)     $19.99
JAN161483     DELILAH DIRK & KINGS SHILLING GN     $17.99
DEC151555     DEVILS & REALIST GN VOL 08 (MR)     $12.99
DEC158486     DEVOLUTION #1 2ND PTG (MR)     $3.99
JUN151300     DF STAR WARS #1 HAESER VADER HELMET SKETCH SGN     $77.00
DEC151425     DISNEY PRINCESS #1     $2.99
JAN161363     DOC SAVAGE SPIDERS WEB #4 CVR A TORRES     $3.99
NOV151637     DOCTOR WHO 12TH HC VOL 03 HYPERION     $19.99
DEC151589     DOCTOR WHO 12TH YEAR TWO #3 CVR A RONALD     $3.99
DEC151590     DOCTOR WHO 12TH YEAR TWO #3 CVR B PHOTO     $3.99
DEC151124     ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK #15     $3.99
DEC151556     EVERGREEN GN VOL 04     $12.99
DEC151557     FREEZING OMNIBUS GN VOL 04 (MR)     $19.99
OCT151859     GFT VAN HELSING VS DRACULA #5 A CVR TOLIBAO (MR)     $3.99
OCT151860     GFT VAN HELSING VS DRACULA #5 B CVR TOLIBAO (MR)     $3.99
OCT151861     GFT VAN HELSING VS DRACULA #5 C CVR CARDY (MR)     $3.99
OCT151862     GFT VAN HELSING VS DRACULA #5 D CVR BUZZ (MR)     $3.99
JAN161869     GFT WONDERLAND #45 A CVR RICHARDSON (MR)     $3.99
JAN161870     GFT WONDERLAND #45 B CVR SALONGA (MR)     $3.99
JAN161871     GFT WONDERLAND #45 C CVR FRANCHESCO (MR)     $3.99
NOV151038     GOLD DIGGER #230     $3.99
OCT151092     HANGMAN #3 REG CVR A BRADSTREET (MR)     $3.99
JAN161675     HEROES GODSEND #1 CVR A MARTINEZ     $3.99
JAN161677     HEROES GODSEND #1 CVR C BLANK     $3.99
JAN160988     I MAGE #2 CVR A     $3.99
JAN160989     I MAGE #2 CVR B STRAUSS & SWAN     $4.99
JAN161775     IMPERIUM TP VOL 03 VINE IMPERATIVE     $14.99
JAN161023     INSEXTS #4 (MR)     $3.99
JAN161227     KENNEL BLOCK BLUES #2     $3.99
DEC151173     LADY DEATH (ONGOING) #25 CALGARY VIP CVR (MR)     $19.99
NOV151221     LADY DEATH LEATHER AND LACE COLLECTOR BOX SET (MR)     $89.99
JAN161237     LANTERN CITY #11     $3.99
JAN161228     LAST CONTRACT #3     $3.99
DEC151560     MAYO CHIKI OMNIBUS TP VOL 02     $19.99
JAN161117     MERCURY HEAT TP VOL 01 (MR)     $19.99
NOV151313     MERCY SPARX #11 CVR A MERHOFF     $3.99
DEC151416     MULP SCEPTRE OF THE SUN #1     $7.99
JAN161758     NINJAK #13 CVR A BRAITHWAITE     $3.99
JAN161759     NINJAK #13 CVR B HALEY     $3.99
JAN161760     NINJAK #13 CVR C HENRY     $3.99
JAN161608     ONLY LIVING BOY GN VOL 01 PATCHWORK PLANET     $8.99
JAN161609     ONLY LIVING BOY HC VOL 01 PATCHWORK PLANET     $12.99
DEC151417     PORCELAIN BONE CHINA GN VOL 02 (MR)     $22.99
OCT151607     PRE CODE CLASSIC AVON EERIE HC VOL 01     $59.99
JAN161374     PRECINCT #4 CVR A DAVILA     $3.99
DEC158487     RED SONJA VOL 3 #1 2ND PTG     $3.99
JAN161516     REINCARNATION MAN #2     $2.99
JAN161530     RETROWORLD GN (MR)     $19.95
AUG151672     ROY THOMAS PRESENTS PLANET COMICS HC VOL 12     $59.99
JAN161695     SAMURAI #1 CVR A GENET (MR)     $3.99
JAN161696     SAMURAI #1 CVR B MACK (MR)     $3.99
JAN161377     SHAFT IMITATION OF LIFE #2 (MR)     $3.99
JAN161230     SNOW BLIND #4     $3.99
JAN161181     SPONGEBOB COMICS #54     $3.99
JAN161399     STAR WARS ORIGINAL TRILOGY GN HC     $19.99
NOV151040     STEAM WARS STRIKE LEADER #1     $3.99
DEC151106     STEVEN UNIVERSE TP VOL 02     $14.99
DEC150970     STREET DAWGZ (MR)     $5.00
JAN161728     STREET FIGHTER V CHARLIE NASH CVR A CRUZ     $4.99
JAN161729     STREET FIGHTER V CHARLIE NASH CVR B BLANK SKETCH     $4.99
NOV151225     TEENAGE ROMANCES #14     $14.99
JAN161698     THE TROOP #4 CVR A CASSARA (MR)     $3.99
JAN161699     THE TROOP #4 CVR B ZULLO (MR)     $3.99
JAN161174     THE UNMENTIONABLES (ONE SHOT)     $6.00
DEC151267     THROUGH THE HABITRAILS LIFE BEFORE AFTER CAREER IN CUBICLES     $14.95
JAN161310     TOMMY #1 (MR)     $3.99
DEC151249     VOLTRON FROM THE ASHES #6     $3.99
JAN161005     VORACIOUS #2 CVR A MUHR (MR)     $3.99
JAN161006     VORACIOUS #2 CVR B MUHR (MR)     $4.99
DEC151057     WAR STORIES #17 (MR)     $3.99
DEC151059     WAR STORIES #17 GOOD GIRL NOSE ART CVR (MR)     $3.99
DEC151058     WAR STORIES #17 WRAP CVR (MR)     $3.99

MAGAZINES
JAN161947     COMIC SHOP NEWS #1499     PI
DEC151855     DOCTOR WHO MAGAZINE #496     $9.99
JAN161956     FAMOUS MONSTERS OF FILMLAND #277     $9.99
DEC151399     HEAVY METAL #279 COVER A MITCHELL & HORKEY (MR)     $7.95
DEC151400     HEAVY METAL #279 COVER B DEKAL (MR)     $7.95
JAN161939     ILLUSTRATORS MAGAZINE #13     $24.99
DEC151535     JUDGE DREDD MEGAZINE #369     PI
DEC151847     JUXTAPOZ #182 MAR 2016     $6.99
JAN161940     JUXTAPOZ #183 APR 2016     $6.99
OCT151963     MEGAMI JAN 2016     $18.00
OCT151964     NEWTYPE JAN 2016     $18.00
NOV151917     SCREAM MAGAZINE #34 (MR)     $8.99
NOV151926     X-FILES MAGAZINE SPECIAL SHOW COMPANION VOL 02     $19.99

BOOKS
JAN161887     ART OF DEAN CORNWELL HC (MR)     $44.95
NOV151848     BATMAN COLLECTABLES SC     $22.95
JAN161901     POWERS SECRET HISTORY OF DEENA PILGRIM NOVEL HC     $26.99
JAN161904     ROCKET & GROOT YR NOVEL STRANDED ON PLANET STRIPMALL     $13.99
DEC151785     SKETCHBOOK GATIGNOL     $30.00
DEC151786     SKETCHBOOK LERECULEY     $30.00
JAN161937     THE STRANGE CASE OF ORIGAMI YODA SC     $7.95
JAN161902     TIME OUT SHORTLIST GOTHAM METROPOLIS GUIDEBOOK     $12.95
JAN162776     WARHAMMER 40K CRUSADES END SC     $19.00
JAN162778     WARHAMMER 40K WAR OF THE FANG SC     $17.00
DEC151793     WORLD ACCORDING TO SUPERMAN HC     $16.99

Sunday, March 6, 2016

Review: STAR-LORD #1

STAR-LORD No. 1
MARVEL COMICS – @Marvel

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

WRITER: Sam Humphries
PENCILS: Javier Garron
COLORS: Antonio Fabela with Frank D'Armata
LETTERS: VC’s Joe Caramagna
COVER: Dave Johnson
VARIANT COVERS: Yasmine Putri; Tradd Moore; Val Staples (Hip-Hop Variant)
28pp, Color, $3.99 (January 2016)

Rated “T”

Year One, Chapter One: “Free Falling”

Star-Lord a/k/a Peter Quill is a Marvel Comics superhero and science fiction character.  Star-Lord was created by writer Steve Englehart and artist Steve Gan and first appeared in Marvel Preview #4 (cover dated: January 1976).  Quill is the son of a human mother and an alien father, and he assumes the mantle of Star-Lord, an interplanetary policeman.

After the success of Marvel Studios’ 2014 film, Guardians of the Galaxy, Star-Lord became a star.  Last year, he even got his first solo comic book series, entitled Legendary Star-Lord.  With the arrival of the “All-New, All-Different Marvel” comes another Star-Lord solo series.  The new Star-Lord is also written by Sam Humphries, but this time it is drawn by Javier Garron.  It is colored by Antonio Fabela with Frank D'Armata , and lettered by Joe Caramagna.

Star-Lord #1 (“Free Falling”) opens with a flashback and then moves on to a NASA operations launch facility in Long Beach, California.  It is the site of the Asterion One Program, a project to train young astronauts who will be the first humans to colonize another planet.  There, we find 18-year-old Peter Quill, who is about to fail out of the program.  He isn't a popular guy, but what his distractors don't realize is that young Peter is the one person who can actually figure out how to crack the faster-than-light warp drive on an alien ship.

I read a few issues of Legendary Star-Lord, the previous Star-Lord comic book, and I enjoyed the story and scripting of series writer, Sam Humphries.  He has a knack for this character and plays up Peter Quill's most endearing traits.  Quill is a cocky underdog, a rogue with a heart of gold, and a never-say-die good guy.  Quill is Harrison Ford's two most famous movie roles, Han Solo and Indiana Jones, rolled into one.

In this new series, Humphries goes back to the beginnings of young Peter Quill's star-faring escapades.  This could have been yet another “year one” ripoff story, but Humphries offers Peter Quill's personality from several angles:  the good, the bad, and the cocky.  And every bit of it is engaging.

I don't want to give short-shrift to series artist, Javier Garron, who ably replaces Paco Medina from the previous series.  Garron's storytelling is good, and his graphic style is just right for this sci-fi, outer-space adventure comedy.  I think I'll come back for more, and I recommend this to fans of Guardians of the Galaxy, the comic books and the movie.

A-

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux


The text is copyright © 2015 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog for reprint and syndication rights and fees.


Friday, March 4, 2016

Review: MS. MARVEL #1

MS.MARVEL (2016) No. 1
MARVEL COMICS – @Marvel

[This review originally appeared on Patreon.]

WRITER: G. Willow Wilson
ART: Takeshi Miyazawa (Pg. 1-21); Adrian Alphona (pg. 21-30)
COLORS: Ian Herring
LETTERS: VC's Joe Caramagna
COVER: Cliff Chiang
VARIANT COVERS: John Tyler Christopher; Sara Pichelli with Justin Ponsor; Jenny Frison (Hip-Hop Variant); Soni Balestier photographed by Judy Stephens (cosplay variant)
36pp, Color, $4.99 U.S. (January 2016)

Rated T+

“Super Famous” Part One of Three

Ms. Marvel is a Marvel Comics female superhero character.  The original version of Ms. Marvel was created by writer Gerry Conway and artist John Buscema.  First appearing in Ms. Marvel #1 (cover dated: January 1977), she was meant to be the female counterpart of Marvel's Captain Marvel (who first appeared in 1967), not to be confused with Fawcett Comics' Captain Marvel (which is now owned by DC Comics).

The new Ms. Marvel is Kamala Khan (the fourth character to take the name Ms. Marvel).  Created by Sana Amanat, G. Willow Wilson, and Adrian Alphona, Kamala first appeared in Captain Marvel #17 (cover dated: November 2013).  She is a 16 year-old Pakistani-American from Jersey City, New Jersey.  She idolizes Carol Danvers, the original Ms. Marvel who is now the new Captain Marvel.  Kamala was given her own Ms. Marvel series, which premiered in February 2014, becoming Marvel Comics' first Muslim character to star in her own comic book.

With the dawn of the “All-New, All-Different Marvel Universe” comes the new Ms. Marvel comic book series.  It is written by G. Willow Wilson; drawn by Takeshi Miyazawa and Adrian Alphona, colored by Ian Herring, and lettered by Joe Caramagna.

Ms. Marvel #1 (“Super Famous” Part One of Three) opens with Ms. Marvel participating in superhero activities with her Avengers teammates.  This new life, however, is becoming a problem for Kamala, as she is juggling Avengers duties, school, and online gaming (of course).  Suddenly, Kamala realizes that she has missed something, like the new situation in her friend, Bruno Carrelli's life.  Who is Michaela “Mike” Miller?  And what is “Hope Yards Development,” and what is their connection to Ms. Marvel?

I have thought about it, and I cannot think of another title that might surpass it.  Thus, I feel safe in saying that Ms. Marvel is the best superhero comic book that Marvel Comics is publishing.  It is so different from everything else, and G. Willow Wilson's superb writing makes being different work, while still fitting Ms. Marvel firmly in the Marvel Universe.

Basically Wilson has resurrected what Steve Ditko and Stan Lee did so well in the early years of The Amazing Spider Man:  the merging of the Marvel Comics superhero with teen drama.  The last time someone did a high school superhero comic book this well was Milestone Media's Static, which also recalled the early Spider-Man.  Both Static and Ms. Marvel did it with characters who were ethnically and socially different from 1960s Peter Parker, but Wilson, like Static's writer, proves that Spider-Man's template is universal and could be applied to someone who looks differently and lives in a different place from Peter Parker.  [One could argue that the original Peter Parker/The Amazing Spider-Man is universal because it has been updated and applied to Spider-Man characters that are different form Peter Parker.]

As she did with her first Ms. Marvel series from 2014, Wilson proves that Kamala Kahn can work in the Marvel Universe.  In fact, this series can be a gateway comic book, as The Amazing Spider-Man was over 50 years ago.

A+

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux


The text is copyright © 2015 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog for reprint and syndication rights and fees.


Thursday, March 3, 2016

#IReadsYou Review: ULTRAMAN Volume 3

ULTRAMAN, VOL. 3
VIZ MEDIA – @VIZMedia

STORY: Eiichi Shimizu
ART: Tomohiro Shimoguchi
TRANSLATION: Joe Yamazaki
ENGLISH ADAPTATION: Stan!
LETTERING: Evan Waldinger
ISBN: 978-1-4215-8184-2; paperback (February 2016); Rated “T” for “Teen”
188pp, B&W, $12.99 U.S., $14.99 CAN, £8.99 UK

The character, Ultraman, 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. 3 (Chapter 15 to 20) opens, the Science Special Search Party (SSSP) goes deeper into a sinister investigation to learn the identity of a mysterious new serial killer.  The victims are human, but the killer may not be human.  Meanwhile, Dan Moroboshi takes Shinjiro to a mysterious alien city, but the location of that city shocks Shinjiro.

THE LOWDOWN:  The Ultraman manga is an easy and enjoyable read.  In fact, it is such an easy read that I find myself finishing too quickly and wishing that there were more.  Ultraman is something like an American superhero, and I think of Iron Man with a touch of Neon Genesis Evangelion.

Ultraman Graphic Novel Volume 3 continues to expand the world of this new Ultraman character.  At the same time, the creative team continues to tease the ghosts of the past, which might entertain readers already familiar with earlier incarnations of the character.  I'm invested in this series, and being unfamiliar with old Ultraman only makes me even more interested in getting answers.  I won't act as if this is an instant classic, but the mixture of science fiction action and mystery really work for this new Ultraman.

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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Wednesday, March 2, 2016

I Ides of March You

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