Dark Horse Comics from Diamond Distributors for August 16, 2017

DARK HORSE COMICS
JUN170050    BRIGGS LAND LONE WOLVES #3    $3.99
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APR170080    DEAD INSIDE TP VOL 01    $17.99
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JUN170043    NEIL GAIMAN AMERICAN GODS SHADOWS #6 MACK VAR (MR)    $3.99

Image Comics from Diamond Distributors for August 16, 2017

IMAGE COMICS

JUN160612    3 FLOYDS ALPHA KING #4 (OF 5) (MR)    $3.99
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Comics, Magazines and Books from Diamond Distributors for August 16, 2017

COMICS & GRAPHIC NOVELS

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MAGAZINES
APR172378    007 MAGAZINE PRESENTS FRONT HOUSE AND LOBBY CARDS    $25.99
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JUN172332    RUE MORGUE SPECIAL LOVECRAFT    $9.95
JUN172348    SCOOBY DOO MAGAZINE #41    $4.99

BOOKS
MAY172126    BATMAN & ROBIN ADV YR TP CATWOMANS PURRFECT PLOT    $5.95
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Review: NEW SUPER-MAN #1

NEW SUPER-MAN No. 1
DC COMICS – @DCComics

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

WRITERS: Gene Luen Yang
PENCILS: Viktor Bogdanovic
INKS: Richard Friend
COLORS: Hi-Fi
LETTERS: Dave Sharpe
COVER: Viktor Bogdanovic with Kelsey Shannon
VARIANT COVER: Bernard Chang
40pp, Color, $2.99 U.S. (September 2016)

Rated “T” for “Teen”

Superman created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster

“Made in China” Part One

DC Comics is having a “Rebirth,” and that means lots of new comic book series.  One of the new titles is New Super-Man, which uses Superman creators Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster's original spelling for the Man of Steel, whom they named “The Super-Man.”  Even the “S” shield on this “New Super-Man” recalls Joe Shuster's original “S.”

New Super-Man is written by Gene Luen Yang; drawn by Viktor Bogdanovic (pencils) and Richard Friend (inks); colored by Hi-Fi; and lettered by Dave Sharpe.  The series is set in China and introduces “The Super-Man of China.”

New Super-Man #1 (“Made in China” Part One) opens in Shanghai, China.  We meet our lead character, Kenan Kong, who is bullying rich kid, Luo Lixin.  However, Kenan ends up saving Luo from Blue Condor, one of Shanghai's first American-style supervillains and a dangerous dude to boot.  Kenan's interaction with Blue Condor brings him into contact with the Ministry of Self-Reliance, a meeting that will change his life in unbelievable ways.

It is not often that I call a comic book cute, even when describing children's comics, but New Super-Man #1 is cute.  It is an amusing, mildly intriguing, pleasantly entertaining comic book, and while I wouldn't go out of my way to read it, I will read it when the occasion arises – if for no other reason than that I am also intrigued by the Chinese versions of Batman and Wonder Woman.

The art by the team of penciller Viktor Bogdanovic and inker Richard Friend is gorgeous.  That alone tempts me to return to this title.  The New Super-Man has the potential to be a good book, especially with Gene Luen Yang as the writer, but something tells me that the series could just as easily become just another tepid superhero title.

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.

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

Review: VAMPIRE KNIGHT Memories Volume 1

VAMPIRE KNIGHT: MEMORIES VOL. 1
VIZ MEDIA – @VIZMedia

MANGAKA: Matsuri Hino
TRANSLATION: Tetsuichiro Miyaki
ENGLISH ADAPTATION: Nancy Thislethwaite
LETTERS: Inori Fukuda Trant
EDITOR: Nancy Thislethwaite
ISBN: 978-1-4215-9430-9; paperback (August 2017); Rated “T+” for “Older Teen”
200pp, B&W, $9.99 U.S., $12.99 CAN, £6.99 UK

Vampire Knight was a vampire romance and shojo manga from creator Matsuri Hino.  It was published in the magazine, LaLa, from 2004 to 2013.  It was eventually collected in 19 tankōbon (similar to a graphic novel) and was also published in the United States (by VIZ Media).

Vampire Knight: Memories is a collection of four short stories that continues the world of Vampire Knight.  Written and drawn by Matsuri Hino, these stories delve into the past of some characters, and also explores the relationships between new characters and old.

The series was set in and around Cross Academy, a private boarding school with two classes:  the Day Class and the Night Class.  At twilight, the Day Class students returned to their dorm and crossed paths with the Night Class.  They did not know that the Night Class students were actually vampires.

The series lead was Yuki Cross, the adopted daughter of school headmaster, Kaien Cross, but she later learned that she was also a pure-blood vampire.  Her first love interest was Zero Kiryu, a human suffering from the curse of the vampire.  Together, Yuki and Zero were the Guardians of the school, patrolling the hallways and school grounds to protect the Day Class humans from the Night Class vampires.  Yuki eventually fell in love with Kaname Kuran, her fiancé who was raised as Yuki's sibling.  At the end of Vampire Knight, Kaname sacrificed his body to create new vampire-killing weapons for the Hunter Society.

As Vampire Knight: Memories, Vol. 1 opens, a peace has been established between the Hunters and the few remaining vampires.  Kaname continues to sleep in an ice coffin, and Yuki has given her heart so that he can be revived as a human.  Yuki and Zero begin a new relationship.  Yuki's birth daughter, Ai, and her adopted son, Ren, seek to learn more about Kaname.  Memories contain four stories that tell about life during the 1,000 years of Kaname's slumber in an ice coffin.

I was not crazy about the end of the Vampire Knight manga, especially the “death” of Kaname.  In general, however, I really liked the series, and I enjoyed the prettiness of creator Matsuri Hino's art.

Vampire Knight: Memories Volume 1 contains four manga short stories:  “Life,” “I Love You,” “Love's Desire,” and “Between Death and Heaven.”  The most poignant segment of this volume is the “Seiren's Side Story” part of “Between Death and Heaven,” which reiterates that while the vampire leads of this series are adorable, most other vampire characters are monsters.

If I understand correctly, there will be more of these “Memories” stories, which I hope is the case.  A lot happens in a thousand years, and there are a number of shocking deaths and demises in the stories of Memories Vol. 1 that need some narrative expanding.  These four stories are, for the most part, a really good addition to Vampire Knight, and I think fans will want to read them and want to read more.

A-
7.5 out of 10

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


The text is copyright © 2017 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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

Review: DEFENDERS #1

DEFENDERS No. 1 (2017)
MARVEL COMICS – @Marvel

[This review was originally posted in Patreon.]

STORY: Brian Michael Bendis
ART: David Marquez
COLORS: Justin Ponsor
LETTERS: VC's Corey Petit
MISC. ART: Michael Gaydos with Matt Hollingworth; Mike Mayhew; Olivier Coipel and Mark Morales with Jose Villarrubia; Jason Latour; Dave Cockrum and Rich Buckler with Paul Mounts; Lenil Francis Yu
COVER: David Marquez with Justin Ponsor
VARIANT COVERS: Jack Kirby, John Verpoorten and Paul Mounts with Joe Frontirre; Ron Lim with Rachelle Rosenberg; David Mack; Alex Maleev; Neal Adams with Paul Mounts; Skottie Young
36pp, Color, $4.99 U.S. (August 2017)

Rated T+

The Defenders is a Marvel Comics superhero team.  The original version of the team first appeared in the comic book, Marvel Feature #1 (cover dated:  December 1971).  The team's original lineup included the characters Doctor Strange, Hulk, and Namor.  Since that time, there have been several versions of the team with differing and fluctuating memberships, and differing mission statements from team to team.

Now, Marvel Comics is introducing a new version in the new comic book series, Defenders.  It is written by Brian Michael Bendis; drawn by David Marquez; colored by Justin Ponsor; and lettered by Corey Petit.  The members of the Defenders are Daredevil, Luke Cage, Jessica Jones, and Iron Fist – the lineup that will be featured in the Marvel/Netflix series, “Defenders.”

Defenders #1 opens with the return of a villain that was supposed to be dead, Diamondback.  He is determined to prove to everyone that the streets of New York City are his.  When he launches an attack on a Defender, he gets to prove just how formidable he is, but is it enough?

I remember reading The Defenders comic book series in the 1980s, and it was terrible.  I kept reading it because I thought that it had the kind of characters that could yield a really good comic book, but it never did, in my estimation.  I abandoned it, and never read a Defenders comic book again – not even Secret Defenders... until now.

I believe in Brian Michael Bendis, so that is why I picked up this new Defenders comic book.  Plus, Bendis is working with artist David Marquez, with whom Bendis produced a nice run on Miles Morales: Ultimate Spider-Man and on Invincible Iron Man.  So how is the latest Bendis-Marquez joint?

I like it, but not for the reasons you might normally guess, dear reader.  I like this depiction of Diamondback.  I am intrigued by everything about him – his character, his motivations, his machinations.  I can't say that I particularly care about these individual Defenders, at least not yet, but I'm sure that Bendis will work on that.  If there is one thing he does very well, it is produce page after page of dialogue, philosophizing, blather, rumination, etc. that make for great character probing.

Marquez's satiny compositions and Justin Ponsor's rich colors hit the eyes with milk shake smoothness.  The mood of the story constantly shifts, however, and the character drama seems to meander.  Where Marquez and Ponsor really shine is on Diamondback.  The art makes you believe he is every bit as bad-ass as Luke Cage.

I am willing to follow this series for a bit because of my affinity for Bendis with Marquez, but I won't lie.  This is not standout material, overall, and I expected more from this team for a first issue.  But I want to see where Diamondback takes crusade.

B+
7.5 out of 10

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


The text is copyright © 2017 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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

Review: SURFSIDE GIRLS, Book One: The Secret of Danger Point

SURFSIDE GIRLS, BOOK ONE: THE SECRET OF DANGER POINT
IDW PUBLISHING/Top Shelf Productions – @IDWPublishing @topshelfcomix

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

CARTOONIST: Kim Dwinell
EDITOR: Chris Staros
ISBN: 978-1-60309-411-5; paperback (6” x 9”) with French flaps (July 2017)
236pp, Color, $19.99 U.S., $25.99 CAN

Diamond Order Code: APR17-0634

Rating:  Ages Middle-grade (8 to 12 and up)

Surfside Girls, Book One: The Secret of Danger Point is a 2017 full-color graphic novel from cartoonist, animator, and educator, Kim Dwinell.  The first in a new series of graphic novels, The Secret of Danger Point focuses on two middle school girls who find ghosts, strange creatures, and a hometown conspiracy during their summer vacation.

Surfside Girls, Book One opens during the height of summer in the sleepy west coast beach town of Surfside.  We meet 12-year-old Samantha Lynn “Sam” Taylor and her best friend, Jade Lee.  Lately, Jade always seems to be in a fit of giggles whenever she is around boys, and Sam thinks that this is ruining their summer plans to surf and hang-out.

While having fun on the water, Sam discovers a secret underwater cave that surprisingly leads to the cliff-side area known as “Danger Point.”  Sam is even more shocked to discover that Danger Point is occupied by ghosts!  One of the spirits, Mr. Jian Wu, insists that it is Sam's “duty to do what needs to be done.”  What is he talking about?!  Well, Sam needs Jade's help if they are going to get to the bottom of this mystery in time to save their town.

One of the defining moments of my young life was the discovery of the classic Saturday morning animated television series, “Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!” (1969).  It began a life-long love of mystery fiction, as I moved from youthful mystery to adult stories of crime and mystery-solving.  However, part of me has never let go of Scooby-Doo and mysteries with a supernatural bent.

Surfside Girls, Book One: The Secret of Danger Point recalls Scooby-Doo and his pals (known as “Mystery Inc.”), as well as other classic Hanna-Barbera Saturday morning cartoon kid-detectives.  Dwinell's heroines, Sam and Jade, are the plucky, resourceful, meddling kids who never take “No!” for answer and also do what they have to do to get around their parents' admonitions.

The Secret of Danger Point, however, is true and pure comic book.  Kim Dwinell's page design and layout is perfect just about every page.  Panel size and type is just right.  Pages 92 and 93, which recount young pirate Robert's life, are good examples of how design and layout can evoke feelings and emotions in the readers, as well as tell them a story.

Sam and Jade are sparkling, likable characters, the kind young readers will want to follow.  Very few of the supporting characters seem extraneous, and everything in and around the town of Surfside is worth discovering – from beaches and secret caves to neighborhoods and the town square.  These are the ingredients of a great summer graphic novel read, and the sunny colors Dwinell uses in her art could chase away the chill during a winter read.

There is a timeless quality to The Secret of Danger Point.  It is set during a summer vacation that feels endless in a place that is perfect for an endless summer vacation, with supernatural mystery-solving thrown into the mix.  I highly recommend The Secret of Danger Point... for all ages.

A
9 out of 10

www.topshelfcomix.com

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


The text is copyright © 2017 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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