Image Comics from Diamond Distributors for November 22, 2017

IMAGE COMICS

SEP170702    ANGELIC #3    $3.99
SEP170715    COPPERHEAD #16    $3.99
SEP170626    DOOMSTERS MONOLOTHIC POCKET ALPHABET HC (MR)    $12.99
JUN170750    ELEPHANTMEN #79 (MR)    $3.99
SEP170628    ETERNAL EMPIRE TP VOL 01    $16.99
SEP170726    GASOLINA #3 (MR)    $3.99
SEP170728    GENIUS CARTEL #4 (OF 5) (MR)    $3.99
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SEP170729    GHOST STATION ZERO #4 (OF 4) CVR A CHANKHAMMA    $3.99
SEP170730    GHOST STATION ZERO #4 (OF 4) CVR B VIECELI    $3.99
SEP170731    GLITTERBOMB FAME GAME #3 CVR A MORISSETTE-PHAN (MR)    $3.99
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SEP170758    RAT QUEENS #6 CVR A GIENI (MR)    $3.99
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SEP170763    REDNECK #7 (MR)    $3.99
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SEP170780    SNOTGIRL #8    $2.99
SEP170786    SUNSTONE HC BOOK 02 (MR)    $49.99
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SEP170684    VOID TRIP #1 (OF 5) (MR)    $3.99
SEP170795    WARFRAME #2    $3.99
SEP170796    WAYWARD #25 CVR A CUMMINGS & BONVILLAIN (MR)    $3.99
SEP170797    WAYWARD #25 CVR B YAOSHITA (MR)    $3.99
SEP170690    WINNEBAGO GRAVEYARD TP    $16.99

Comics, Magazines, and Books from Diamond Distributors for November 22, 2017

COMICS & GRAPHIC NOVELS

SEP172109    ACCA 13 TERRITORY INSPECTION DEPT GN VOL 01    $15.00
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SEP171192    BEST OF ARCHIE AMERICANA TP VOL 01 GOLDEN AGE    $9.99
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SEP171738    NEO PARASYTE M GN (MR)    $13.99
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SEP171300    WWE #11    $3.99
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AUG171917    2000 AD PACK OCT 2017    $21.60
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BOOKS
AUG178940    BRIDGMANS COMP GUIDE DRAWING FROM LIFE 5TH ED SC    $19.95
SEP171711    DISNEY PIXAR COCO STORY OF MOVIE IN COMICS YA GN    $5.99
AUG172312    DOCTOR WHO COMP HIST HC VOL 56 5TH DOCTOR STORIES    $18.99
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SEP173058    WARHAMMER 40K DEVESTATION BAAL PROSE NOVEL SC    $16.00
SEP172089    WOLF & PARCHMENT LIGHT NOVEL SC VOL 01 NEW THEORY    $14.00

Review: BEHIND YOU: One-Shot Horror Stories

BEHIND YOU: ONE-SHOT HORROR STORIES
IDW PUBLISHING – @IDWPublishing

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

AUTHOR/ARTIST: Brian Coldrick
ISBN:  978-1-63140-953-4; hardcover – 6” x 9” (October 31, 2017)
172pp, Color, $15.99 U.S., $21.99 CAN

Introduction by Joe Hill

Behind You: One-Shot Horror Stories is a hardcover collection of cartoons or “comics with no panels” from Irish-born, U.K.-based cartoonist and designer, Brian Coldrick.  Published by IDW Publishing, this full-color, hardcover book arrives just in time for Halloween 2017.

Behind You is a cartoon or illustration series.  It is a single-illustration comic with no panels, and each episode is a separate story – each tale is one image and one piece of text – a one-shot horror story.  The subject of each comic is that of an unsuspecting person/victim with someone or something walking, creeping, hovering, or just around the corner behind them.  New and old episodes of the comic can be found at Coldrick's blog: http://thehairsonthebackofyourneck.tumblr.com/.  [You can financially support Coldrick's work as a patron at https://www.patreon.com/behindyou.]

Brian Coldrick describes his comics thus:

Each page is simply a character with someone, or something, behind them and a line of text. While some of them touch on well worn horror tropes, none are direct adaptions of existing stories, I treat fairytales and myths, old and new, as fair game. Hopefully there is some amusing weirdness and genuine creepiness in the mix.

A small crowd or group of masked entities standing behind you.  A corpse reassembling as an unwary person assembles of puzzles.  Or a twisted figure crawls from the shadows.  Don't turn around.  This is the world Behind You.

The bestselling dark fantasy/horror author, Joe Hill, the pen name of Stephen King's son, Joseph Hillstrom King (cause it's good to be the king's son), writes an introduction for Behind You: One-Shot Horror Stories.  Hill describes Coldrick's cartoons as if they were masterpieces of terror or as if they were true horror comics.  I don't agree completely with that.

I think Brian Coldrick is in the tradition the late Edward Gorey and the late Charles Addams, especially the latter.  Like Addams, Coldrick's cartoons are macabre and darkly humorous, although Coldrick's comics may be a bit too much like fairy tales and fantasy comics to fit in with the cartoons at The New Yorker, where Charles Addams cartoons appeared.  Coldrick's comics are also similar, in some aspects, to the late newspaper single-panel comic, The Far Side, by Gary Larson.  The Far Side, however, is surreal and features anthropomorphic characters, whereas Behind You is related to fairy tales and myths, and plays with, as Coldrick says, “well worn horror tropes.”

I love Coldrick's comics, and Behind You: One-Shot Horror Stories is one of the best comics collections of the year.  Coldrick could rapidly become a modern master of the scary story; the writer and illustrator who reformatted spooky tales for the digital world of webcomics (although he says that he does consider his comics to be webcomics).  I agree with Joe Hill on one thing about Behind You; these comics are alive.

A
9 out of 10

Tumblr:  http://thehairsonthebackofyourneck.tumblr.com/
Patreon:  https://www.patreon.com/behindyou
Publisher:  www.idwpublishing.com

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.

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

I Reads You Review: SCOOBY-DOO, Where Are You? #87

SCOOBY-DOO, WHERE ARE YOU? No. 87
DC COMICS – @DCComics

STORY: Sholly Fisch; Paul Kupperberg
PENCILS: Walter Carzon; Roberto Barrios
INKS: Horacio Ottolini
COLORS: Sylvana Brys; Heroic Age
LETTERS: Saida Temofonte; John J. Hill
EDITORS: Robin Levin; Harvey Richards
COVER: Walter Carzon and Horacio Ottolini with Sylvana Brys
32pp, Color, $2.99 U.S. (January 2018)

Rated “E” for “Everyone”

Several years ago, I had a subscription to the Scooby-Doo, Where Are You? comic book series.  I let it expire after a year, but recently renewed it.  I just received the second issue of that new subscription.

Scooby-Doo, Where Are You? #87 opens with “Woods or Wouldn't” (written by Sholly Fisch and drawn by Walter Garzon and Horacio Ottolini).  Conservationists and lumberjacks square of over the fate of a forest of redwood trees, but both sides find themselves under attack by the Wraith of the Redwoods!  Now, Mystery Incorporated has to negotiate peace between two sides and has to solve the mystery of what Shaggy calls a “freaky forest phantom.”

The second story is “The Black Katz” (written by Paul Kupperberg and drawn by Roberto Barrios and Horacio Ottolini), a story originally published in Scooby-Doo #150, a 2010 issue of the Scooby-Doo comic book series that began in 1997.  Mystery Inc. travels to Katzburg, New York, a small town overrun by a pest of pampered black cats that call Katz Manor their base of operations.  The citizens swear that these cats, which belonged to the late millionairess, Felicity Katz, have brought nothing but bad luck to Katzburg.  Sounds like a mystery to solve.

“Woods or Wouldn't” isn't a great story.  It is basically a story about working together.  I wouldn't call it a “morality tale,” but it does offer a lesson about working together, or it at least insists that people learn to comprise.  And no, a comprise between lumberjacks and conservationists would not be a case of comprising with evil.

The reprint tale, “The Black Katz,” is the better of the two stories.  First, I like the art by Roberto Barrios (pencils) and Horacio Ottolini (inks).  The composition is strong, and the layout and graphic design are strong visually potent.  This is some of the best Scooby-Doo comic book art I have ever seen; I would dare say that Barrio and Ottolini are a perfect Scooby comic book art team.

As for Paul Kupperberg's writing on “The Black Katz,” it is surprisingly strong for a mystery short story written for a children's comic book.  It feels like a full-length or single-issue story, and I think it is worthy of being adapted for a Scooby-Doo direct-to-DVD movie.  I wonder if any Scooby-Doo comic book stories have been adapted for animation.  The Scooby-Doo powers-that-be might want to think about it, considering the quality of stories like Kupperberg's tale, “The Black Katz.”

B+
7 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 syndication rights and fees.

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

#IReadsYOu Review: FALCON #1

FALCON No. 1
MARVEL COMICS – @Marvel

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

STORY: Rodney Barnes
ART: Joshua Cassara
COLORS: Rachelle Rosenberg
LETTERS: VC's Joe Caramagna
COVER: Jesus Saiz
VARIANT COVERS: Joshua Cassara with Rachelle Rosenberg; John Tyler Christopher with Jesús Saiz; Mike McKone with Rachelle Rosenberg; Alex Ross; Elizabeth Torque (after Ron Wilson and Mike Esposito); Chip Zdarsky
28pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (December 2017)

Rated T+

Sam Wilson created by Stan Lee and Gene Colan; Falcon costumed designed by Alex Ross

“Take Flight” Part 1: “Bad Kid, Mad City”

“Steve [Rogers, Captain America] being a traitor validated every cynic who felt America was an idealized metaphor for the dominant culture's survival and the minority's suffering.” - Sam Wilson-The Falcon, (p. 15 of the book; p. 13 of the story)

As Marvel's new “Legacy” initiative begins, one of the new series is Falcon, a comic book starring classic Marvel Comics character, Sam Wilson a.k.a. The Falcon.  Wilson first appeared in Captain America #117 (cover date: September 1969).  Wilson uses mechanical wings to fly, and he has limited telepathic and empathic control over birds.

The new series is written by Rodney Barnes; drawn by Joshua Cassara; colored by Rachelle Rosenberg; and lettered by Joe Caramagna.  Barnes is a noted African-American television writer, having written for such diverse TV series as “Everybody Hates Chris,” “My Wife and Kids,” and the animated series, “The Boondocks.”

I hope that the above quote will, going forward, define Falcon, as the hero tries to prove that America is not a metaphor for white supremacy.  I do not believe that it is a metaphor for white supremacy, but that it is a country whose foundation is white supremacy.  This is not so much inherent as it is the result of the will of at least a third of America's white population that has racial animus towards African-Americans and, to varying degrees, other non-white populations.  Perhaps, Falcon will imagine an America that can move beyond its racism.

Falcon #1 (“Bad Kid, Mad City”) finds our titular hero headed for Chicago in hopes that he can broker a peace between the city's two largest gangs, the Southstone Rangers and the Spanish Kings.  After battling aliens, gods, and monsters, Falcon wants to address the needs of people like Sam Wilson.  Falcon has a protege to help him in his mission, Rayshaun Lucas a.k.a. the Patriot.  However, there are quite a few individuals and entities that do not want a cessation of gang hostilities, and they will do anything to not keep the peace.

I really enjoyed reading Falcon #1.  I liked its measured pace, and artist Joshua Cassara draws storytelling that offers violent action sequences and high tension, while holding firm to that measured pace of Barnes' storytelling, which is social, political, and philosophical.  As usual, Rachelle Rosenberg's coloring is pitch perfect, by turns striking and explosive and hot and dramatic.

It seems as if Barnes and Cassara are creating a superhero comic book that will be strikingly different from others.  They will give us hot superhero action, but the story will focus on a superhero who addresses the extraordinary needs of the ordinary people.  However, that hero will recognize that the ordinary needs of the people will need to be addressed by themselves and other ordinary people.  I look forward to more Falcon.

At the end of each Legacy first issue or Legacy first chapter, there is a three-page story that summarizes the history of that issue's lead character or characters.  Falcon's three-page summary is written by Robbie Thompson; drawn by Mark Bagley (pencils) and Andrew Hennessy (inks); colored by Israel Silva; and lettered by Joe Caramagna.

A
9 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: SPIRITS OF VENGEANCE #1

SPIRITS OF VENGEANCE No. 1
MARVEL COMICS – @Marvel

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

STORY: Victor Gischler
ART: David Baldeon
COLORS: Andres Mossa
LETTERS: VC's Cory Petit
COVER: Dan Mora with David Curiel
VARIANT COVERS: John Tyler Christopher; Ken Lashley with David Curiel; Mike McKone with Rachelle Rosenberg; Chip Zdarsky; Mark Texeira; Lenticular Variant based on Giant-Size X-Men #1 by Gil Kane and Dave Cockrum
28pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (December 2017)

Rated T+

War at the Gates of Hell Part 1

Johnny Blaze – the second Ghost Rider.  Eric Brooks – Blade the vampire hunter.  Damian Hellstrom – a.k.a. Son of Satan a.k.a. “Hellstorm.”  Satana – Damian's sister and the daughter of Satan.  They are the stars of a new five-issue miniseries from Marvel Comics, entitled Spirits of Vengeance.

This comic book is written by Victor Gischler; drawn by David Baldeón; colored by Andres Mossa; and lettered by Cory Petit.  The series follows a mission to keep the balance the power in an ancient war from tipping to one side.

Spirits of Vengeance #1 finds Johnny Blaze, the second Ghost Rider and the first supernatural and first superhero Ghost Rider, stopped at a bar on Route 66.  Nursing a beer, Blaze gets a fiery visit from a winged being.  Left with an item wanted by dark forces, Blaze turns to Damian Hellstrom for help and information.  A dead angel, a silver bullet; and a kept promise – Blaze and Hellstrom will find themselves caught in a war between Heaven and Hell.  They will need some help.

Writer Victor Gischler is good with dark and edgy action, but he is also an imaginative writer, as seen in his miniseries, Sally of the Wasteland (Titan Comics, 2014).  Spirits of Vengeance #1 offers the dark and the inventive, and it is a shame that what was supposed to be a regular series is only a miniseries.  Gischler could have done something good with this, and I feel safe saying that after reading only the first issue of this series.

Of course, Gischler has an excellent collaborator and storyteller in artist David Baldeón.  The Spanish artist reminds me of artist Joe Madureira.  Here, Baldeón presents elastic and supple figure drawings that give the characters life and also give them distinct personalities – even the characters who are not around for long.  This is dynamic graphical storytelling, with an excellent sense of the dark and the supernatural.  And Baldeón simply makes Spirits of Vengeance look different from other Marvel titles.

Well, I'll enjoy this comic book while I can.

A
8 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.


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

DC Comics from Diamond Distributors for November 15, 2017

DC COMICS

AUG170353    AMERICAN WAY THOSE ABOVE AND BELOW #4 (OF 6) (MR)    $3.99
SEP170267    AQUAMAN #30    $3.99
SEP170268    AQUAMAN #30 VAR ED    $3.99
SEP170276    BATMAN #35    $2.99
SEP170277    BATMAN #35 VAR ED    $2.99
JUN170396    BATMAN THE GOLDEN AGE OMNIBUS HC VOL 04    $75.00
AUG170173    BATMAN WHO LAUGHS #1 (METAL)    $3.99
SEP170279    BATWOMAN #9    $3.99
SEP170280    BATWOMAN #9 VAR ED    $3.99
AUG170318    BATWOMAN TP VOL 01 THE MANY ARMS OF DEATH (REBIRTH)    $16.99
SEP170361    BOMBSHELLS UNITED #6    $2.99
SEP170381    BUG THE ADVENTURES OF FORAGER #5 (OF 6) (RES) (MR)    $3.99
SEP170382    BUG THE ADVENTURES OF FORAGER #5 (OF 6) VAR ED (RES) (MR)    $3.99
MAY170380    DC COMICS BOMBSHELLS VIXEN STATUE    $125.00
AUG170320    FLASH TP VOL 04 RUNNING SCARED (REBIRTH)    $14.99
SEP170389    FUTURE QUEST PRESENTS #4    $3.99
SEP170390    FUTURE QUEST PRESENTS #4 VAR ED    $3.99
SEP170299    GREEN LANTERNS #35    $2.99
SEP170300    GREEN LANTERNS #35 VAR ED    $2.99
SEP170367    INJUSTICE 2 #14    $2.99
AUG178985    JUSTICE LEAGUE #1 SPECIAL EDITION    $PI
SEP170261    JUSTICE LEAGUE #33 METAL    $2.99
SEP170262    JUSTICE LEAGUE #33 VAR ED METAL    $2.99
AUG170323    JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA REBIRTH DLX COLL HC BOOK 01    $34.99
AUG170338    LEGEND OF WONDER WOMAN ORIGINS TP    $19.99
SEP170319    NIGHTWING #33    $2.99
SEP170320    NIGHTWING #33 VAR ED    $2.99
SEP170331    SUPER SONS #10    $3.99
SEP170332    SUPER SONS #10 VAR ED    $3.99
SEP170329    SUPERMAN #35    $2.99
SEP170330    SUPERMAN #35 VAR ED    $2.99
SEP170342    TRINITY #15    $3.99
SEP170343    TRINITY #15 VAR ED    $3.99
SEP170378    WILD STORM #9    $3.99
SEP170380    WILD STORM #9 HITCH VAR ED    $3.99
SEP170379    WILD STORM #9 LEE VAR ED    $3.99
SEP170374    WONDER WOMAN CONAN #3 (OF 6)    $3.99
SEP170375    WONDER WOMAN CONAN #3 (OF 6) VAR ED    $3.99
MAY170372    WONDER WOMAN TIARA BRACELETS LASSO PROP SET    $300.00
AUG170329    WONDER WOMAN TP VOL 04 GODWATCH (REBIRTH)    $16.99