Image Comics from Diamond Distributors for January 3, 2018

IMAGE COMICS

NOV170713    BIG HARD SEX CRIMINALS HC VOL 02 (MR)    $39.99
OCT170660    BIRTHRIGHT #29    $3.99
SEP170716    CROSSWIND #6 (MR)    $3.99
OCT170630    ELSEWHERE TP VOL 01    $9.99
NOV170754    EXTREMITY #10    $3.99
OCT170635    GENERATION GONE TP VOL 01 (MR)    $17.99
NOV170761    GRAVEDIGGERS UNION #3 (MR)    $3.99
NOV170770    KILL 6 BILLION DEMONS TP VOL 02 (MR)    $14.99
NOV170785    NO 1 WITH A BULLET #3    $3.99
OCT170800    OUTCAST SIDNEY AF (COMIC VER) (NET) (C: 0-1-2)    $PI
OCT170802    OUTCAST SIDNEY AF (TV VER) (NET) (C: 0-1-2)    $PI
OCT170799    OUTCAST SIDNEY AF BLOODY (COMIC VER) (NET) (C: 0-1-2)    $PI
OCT170801    OUTCAST SIDNEY AF BLOODY (TV VER) (NET) (C: 0-1-2)    $PI
NOV170787    PAPER GIRLS #19    $2.99
NOV170792    RAT QUEENS #7 CVR A GIENI (MR)    $3.99
NOV170793    RAT QUEENS #7 CVR B VALENTINO & GIENI (MR)    $3.99
NOV170800    ROCK CANDY MOUNTAIN #7 (MR)    $3.99
OCT170803    SAGA THE WILL & LYING CAT AF 2-PACK (NET) (C: 0-1-2)    $PI
NOV170830    SCALES & SCOUNDRELS #5    $3.99
OCT170729    SPAWN #281 CVR A ALEXANDER    $2.99
OCT170730    SPAWN #281 CVR B B&W ALEXANDER    $2.99
NOV170846    THROWAWAYS #11 (MR)    $3.99
NOV170604    WALKING DEAD #175 CVR A ADLARD & STEWART (MR)    $3.99
OCT178651    WALKING DEAD #175 CVR B SIENKIEWICZ (MR)    $3.99
OCT170797    WALKING DEAD EZEKIEL SOCKS (C: 0-1-2)    $15.00
OCT170798    WALKING DEAD LUCILLE FULL SIZE 34IN BAT BLOODY (NET) (C: 0-1    $PI

Comics, Magazines and Books from Diamond Distributors for January 3, 2018

COMICS & GRAPHIC NOVELS

NOV171378    ADVENTURE TIME #72 (C: 1-0-0)    $3.99
NOV171379    ADVENTURE TIME #72 SUBSCRIPTION MCCORMICK VAR (C: 1-0-0)    $3.99
OCT171094    ANIMOSITY EVOLUTION #3 (MR)    $3.99
NOV171690    ANYAS GHOST GN NEW PTG SQUARE FISH ED    $10.99
NOV171257    ARCHIE JUMBO COMICS DIGEST #285    $6.99
NOV171147    BABYTEETH #7 (MR)    $3.99
NOV171383    BELLADONNA FIRE FURY #2 (MR)    $5.99
NOV171385    BELLADONNA FIRE FURY #2 GLORIOUS (MR)    $5.99
NOV171390    BELLADONNA FIRE FURY #2 GLORIOUS NUDE (MR)    $7.99
NOV171392    BELLADONNA FIRE FURY #2 GLORIOUS SKIMPY (MR)    $5.99
NOV171396    BELLADONNA FIRE FURY #2 GLORIOUS TOPLESS (MR)    $7.99
NOV171395    BELLADONNA FIRE FURY #2 KILLER BODY (MR)    $5.99
NOV171389    BELLADONNA FIRE FURY #2 KILLER BODY NUDE (MR)    $7.99
NOV171404    BELLADONNA FIRE FURY #2 NUDE (MR)    $7.99
NOV171399    BELLADONNA FIRE FURY #2 PLAYTIME NUDE (MR)    $7.99
NOV171387    BELLADONNA FIRE FURY #2 SHIELD MAIDEN (MR)    $5.99
NOV171398    BELLADONNA FIRE FURY #2 SHIELD MAIDEN NUDE (MR)    $7.99
NOV171386    BELLADONNA FIRE FURY #2 STUNNING (MR)    $5.99
NOV171388    BELLADONNA FIRE FURY #2 STUNNING NUDE (MR)    $7.99
NOV171394    BELLADONNA FIRE FURY #2 VIKING VIXEN (MR)    $5.99
NOV171400    BELLADONNA FIRE FURY #2 VIKING VIXEN NUDE (MR)    $7.99
NOV171384    BELLADONNA FIRE FURY #2 WRAP (MR)    $5.99
NOV171402    BELLADONNA FIRE FURY #2 WRAP NUDE (MR)    $7.99
JUN172015    BEST OF STAR WARS INSIDER VOL 07 ICONS    $24.99
SEP171327    BOOM BOX MIX TAPE SC (C: 0-1-2)    $19.99
OCT171856    CAPTAIN KRONOS #4 CVR A MANDRAKE    $3.99
OCT171857    CAPTAIN KRONOS #4 CVR B HAMMER GLAMOUR    $3.99
NOV171759    CATALYST PRIME NOBLE #8    $3.99
NOV171239    CHILLING ADVENTURES OF SORCERY TP    $19.99
NOV171231    COSMO #1 CVR A YARDLEY    $2.99
NOV171232    COSMO #1 CVR B CHARM    $2.99
NOV171233    COSMO #1 CVR C HUNTING    $2.99
NOV171234    COSMO #1 CVR D JAMPOLE    $2.99
NOV171235    COSMO #1 CVR E LOVALLO    $2.99
NOV171971    DAN DARE #4 CVR A FOUCHE    $3.99
NOV171972    DAN DARE #4 CVR B WESTON    $3.99
JAN171250    DAUGHTERS OF THE DARK ORACLE TP VOL 01 SIGNED ED    $24.99
SEP171923    DOCTOR WHO 12TH TP VOL 06 SONIC BOOM    $16.99
OCT171835    DOCTOR WHO 12TH YEAR THREE #11 CVR A SHEDD    $3.99
OCT171836    DOCTOR WHO 12TH YEAR THREE #11 CVR B PHOTO    $3.99
AUG171200    GAO #1    $3.99
NOV171363    GIANT DAYS #34    $3.99
OCT171882    GOLDFISCH MANGA GN VOL 01 (C: 0-1-2)    $10.99
SEP171126    HATCHET #2 BONK MUTILATION CVR (MR)    $3.99
SEP171127    HATCHET #2 LAROCQUE NO MERCY CVR (MR)    $3.99
OCT171142    HATCHET #2 LTD ED PHOTO CVR    $5.99
SEP171128    HATCHET #2 MANGUM PEEKABOO CVR (MR)    $3.99
OCT171038    HERO CATS #20    $3.99
OCT171786    HIGH SCHOOL LIFE OF FUDANSHI GN VOL 03 (MR) (C: 0-1-0)    $12.99
NOV171895    HIS FAVORITE GN VOL 10 (MR) (C: 1-0-1)    $12.99
SEP171727    HUNTERS OF SALAMANSTRA TP VOL 02 (MR)    $14.99
NOV172049    IMPERFECT GIRL GN VOL 02 (OF 3) (MR) (C: 0-1-0)    $12.95
OCT171812    JOHN CARPENTER TALES OF SCI FI VORTEX #3 (OF 8) (MR)    $3.99
NOV171763    LITTLE TAILS ON THE FARM HC VOL 05 (OF 6) (C: 0-0-1)    $14.99
SEP171955    MILLENNIUM GIRL WHO PLAYED WITH FIRE TP    $19.99
OCT171845    MINKY WOODCOCK GIRL WHO HANDCUFFED HOUDINI #2 CVR A DALTON    $3.99
OCT171846    MINKY WOODCOCK GIRL WHO HANDCUFFED HOUDINI #2 CVR B VON BUHL    $3.99
NOV172075    NARUTO 3IN1 TP VOL 21 (C: 1-0-1)    $14.99
OCT178579    NINJA-K #1 2ND PTG    $3.99
NOV172054    NISEKOI FALSE LOVE GN VOL 25 (C: 1-0-1)    $9.99
SEP171887    NOT LIVES GN VOL 07 (C: 0-1-0)    $12.99
OCT171795    NURSE HITOMIS MONSTER INFIRMARY GN VOL 07 (MR) (C: 0-1-0)    $12.99
NOV171682    OLYMPIANS GN VOL 04 HADES LORD OF DEAD (NEW PTG) (C: 0-1-0)    $10.99
OCT171843    PENNY DREADFUL #8 CVR A CALDWELL    $3.99
OCT171844    PENNY DREADFUL #8 CVR B PHOTO    $3.99
NOV171299    PLANET OF THE APES URSUS #1 MAIN & MIX    $3.99
NOV171300    PLANET OF THE APES URSUS #1 SUBSCRIPTION CAREY VAR    $3.99
OCT171847    QUARRYS WAR #2 CVR A CONRAD    $3.99
OCT171848    QUARRYS WAR #2 CVR B IANNICIELLO    $3.99
NOV172021    SECRET WEAPONS #0 CVR A ALLEN    $3.99
NOV172022    SECRET WEAPONS #0 CVR B FISH    $3.99
NOV172023    SECRET WEAPONS #0 CVR C MEYNET    $3.99
NOV171585    SHADOW BATMAN #4 (OF 6) CVR A NOWLAN    $3.99
NOV171586    SHADOW BATMAN #4 (OF 6) CVR B TAN    $3.99
NOV171587    SHADOW BATMAN #4 (OF 6) CVR C PETERSON    $3.99
NOV171588    SHADOW BATMAN #4 (OF 6) CVR D ACO    $3.99
NOV171589    SHADOW BATMAN #4 (OF 6) CVR E EXC SUBSCRIPTION VAR    $3.99
NOV171924    SHERLOCK GREAT GAME #6 (OF 6) CVR A MYERS    $4.99
NOV171925    SHERLOCK GREAT GAME #6 (OF 6) CVR B PHOTO    $4.99
NOV171468    SHERLOCK HOLMES MURDER AT CABARET GN    $8.99
OCT171048    SHINOBI NINJA PRINCESS LIGHTNING ONI #4    $3.99
OCT171234    SIMPSONS COMICS GAME ON GN    $16.99
SEP178489    SINK #1 (OF 5) 2ND PTG (MR)    $3.99
NOV171469    SNOW QUEEN ADV IN FROZEN KINGDOM GN    $10.99
OCT171776    SOLAR FLARE SEASON 2 #3    $3.99
SEP171444    SUGAR BOOGARZ #2    $3.99
SEP171112    UNDERDOG 1975 GALVAN THROWBACK HOMAGE CVR    $3.99
SEP171113    UNDERDOG 1975 OWSLEY CLASSIC CVR    $3.99
SEP171111    UNDERDOG 1975 ROPP ROGUES MAIN CVR    $3.99
NOV172126    VAN HELSING VS ROBYN HOOD #1 (OF 4) A CVR RIVEIRO    $3.99
NOV172127    VAN HELSING VS ROBYN HOOD #1 (OF 4) B CVR GOH    $3.99
NOV172128    VAN HELSING VS ROBYN HOOD #1 (OF 4) C CVR TUCCI    $3.99
NOV172129    VAN HELSING VS ROBYN HOOD #1 (OF 4) D CVR MEGURO    $3.99
NOV172130    VAN HELSING VS ROBYN HOOD #1 (OF 4) E CVR BLANK SKETCH    $10.00
NOV171094    WATCHVARK #1    $4.00
NOV171701    WINGS OF FIRE HC GN VOL 01 DRAGONET PROPHECY (C: 0-1-0)    $24.99
NOV171700    WINGS OF FIRE SC GN VOL 01 DRAGONET PROPHECY (C: 0-1-0)    $12.99
OCT171799    YOKAI RENTAL SHOP GN VOL 02 (C: 0-1-0)    $12.99

MAGAZINES
MAY172196    FAMOUS MONSTERS OF FILMLAND #288 FORREST J ACKERMAN VAR (C:    $9.99
NOV172236    RUE MORGUE MAGAZINE #180 (C: 0-1-1)    $9.95
SEP172250    STAR WARS THE LAST JEDI COLLECTORS EDITION HC    $19.99

BOOKS
JUN171522    ART OF ATARI HC SGN ED    $59.99
OCT172071    BATGIRL CLASSIC ON THE CASE YR SC (C: 0-1-0)    $3.99
OCT172072    BATMAN NIGHTWALKER YA HC (C: 1-0-0)    $18.99
NOV172179    BLACK PANTHER LITTLE GOLDEN BOOK (C: 1-1-0)    $4.99
OCT172066    CAPTURING ARCHETYPES VOL 03 ASTONISHING AVENGERS ADVERSARIES    $50.00
NOV172181    DC MY GIRL POWER JOURNAL SC (C: 0-1-0)    $16.99
NOV172182    DC SUPER FRIENDS FAST AS THE FLASH YR SC (C: 1-0-0)    $4.99
NOV172183    DC SUPER FRIENDS LITTLE GOLDEN BOOK FLASH (C: 1-1-0)    $4.99
NOV172184    DC SUPER HERO GIRLS BIG SPLASH YR PICTUREBACK (C: 0-1-0)    $5.99
NOV172185    DC SUPER HERO GIRLS BUTTERFLY BATTLE (C: 0-1-0)    $4.99
NOV172186    DC SUPER HERO GIRLS COLOR CAPER BOOK (C: 0-1-0)    $7.99
NOV172187    DC SUPER HERO GIRLS YR HC HARLEY QUINN AT SUPER HERO HIGH (C    $13.99
OCT172077    DOCTOR WHO BOOK OF WHONIVERSAL RECORDS SC (C: 0-1-0)    $19.99
NOV172161    MARVEL BLACK PANTHER ULTIMATE GUIDE HC (C: 1-1-0)    $24.99
NOV172162    MARVELS BLACK PANTHER ILLUSTRATED HIST OF A KING HC (C: 0-1-    $45.00
OCT172069    MICHAEL ALLRED CONVERSATIONS SC (C: 0-1-0)    $25.00
NOV172195    POKEMON DELUXE PICTUREBACK VOL 03 FAVORITE FIRST FRIENDS (C:    $5.99
OCT172084    POKEMON ORIGAMI SC FOLD YOUR OWN ALOLA REGION POKEMON (C: 0-    $12.99
OCT172091    SHADOW DOUBLE NOVEL VOL 125 DEATH TOWER & SILENT SEVEN (C: 0    $14.95
OCT172092    SHADOW HIST & MYSTERY OF RADIO PROGRAM 1930-54 SC (C: 0-1-0)    $44.95
NOV172221    STAR WARS BIG GOLDEN BOOK ALIENS CREATURES & BEASTS (C: 1-1-    $10.99
NOV173126    WARHAMMER 40K CRISIS OF FAITH PROSE NOVEL SC    $16.00
NOV173128    WARHAMMER 40K FULGRIM PROSE NOVEL HC (C: 0-0-1)    $19.00
NOV173125    WARHAMMER VAMPIRE WARS PROSE NOVEL SC (C: 0-0-1)    $21.00
NOV172216    X-FILES ORIGINS AGENT OF CHAOS SC (C: 0-1-0)    $10.99
NOV172217    X-FILES ORIGINS DEVILS ADVOCATE SC (C: 0-1-0)    $10.99

I Reads You Juniors December 2017 - Update #61

Support Leroy on Patreon.

Leroy's Amazon Comics and Graphic Novels Page:

From Newsarama:  December 28th 2017 was Stan Lee's 95th birthday and industry pros wished him a happy birthday.

From ComicBook:  Batman co-creator, the late Bill Finger, had a street in New York City named for him - "Bill Finger Way."

From ComicBook:  Dr. Strange is apparently set to become the "God of Magic."

From BleedingCool:  The Max Landis story that was removed from The DC Holiday Special 2017 is available again on digital copies bought via comiXology.

OBIT - From BleedingCool:  British comic book creator and artist, Jim Baikie, died at the age of 77, Friday, December 29, 2017.  A mainstay of the venerable British comics magazines, "2000AD," Baikie created the alien science fiction comic strip, "Skizz" with Alan Moore.  He also created with Moore the comics, "The First American," for Moore's America's Best Comics (ABC) line.

From TheBeat:  In his column, "Tilting at Windmills #266, Brian Hibbs writes an open letter to new Marvel Comic EiC C.B. Cebulski, with some good suggestions for the publisher - that will ultimately be ignored.

From BleedingCool:  A list of rumors about upcoming creator changes at Marvel, including Nick Spencer on "The Amazing Spider-Man."

From AldotCom:  Alabama.com profiles Alabama favorite son, Jason Aaron.

From BleedingCool:  Marvel's "Weapon X" comic book could become "X-Men: Black."

From BleedingCool:  Marvel Comics is launching an app that will allow fans to create their own comics - which Marvel will completely own.

From ComicBook:  There is a controversial "Boruto: Naruto Next Generations" cover that has fans fuming.

OBIT - From Newsarama:  Veteran comic book inker, Victor Llamas, has died at the age of 41, Friday, December 22, 2017.  He broke into the industry via Top Cow and inked then emerging artists like David Finch and Joe Benitez.  There is a GoFundMe page here to help his family with expenses.

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COMIC BOOK THEFTS:
From ABCActionNews:   Thousands of dollars in comic books stolen from IDC Comics Toys & Collectibles in Avon Park, Florida.

From BostonHerald: $20,000 in comic books stolen The Hall of Comics store in Southborough, Massachusetts.

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From ComicBookBin:  New Johnny Bullet episode #148 in English.
From ComicBookBin:  New Johnny Bullete episode #148 in French.

From BleedingCool:  Sony Would Have Liked the Rights to a Gay Miles Morales Spider-Man.

From BleedingCool:  Brian Michael Bendis announces that his "Punisher" comic book, "Punisher: End of Days," has been cancelled, as well as some of his other Marvel projects of which we have never heard.

From BleedingCool:  Rumor is that Brian Michael Bendis will write a Superman book in 2018.

From Mashable:  This article explains the difference between the 2003 film, "Old Boy," and the manga from which it was adapted.

From BleedingCool:  It's Alive is bringing back Trina Robbins' long out-of-print graphic novel, "The Silver Metal Lover" with a Kickstarter campaign.

From CBLDF and LatuffCartoons:  Lawyers for Turkey‘s President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan pressure Twitter to delete the content of 80 of Brazilian cartoonist, Carlos Latuff's posts, including 11 of Latuff's ‘toons,

From ScienceFiction:  Gail Simone has advice for aspiring comic book writers.

From FortressofSolitude:  An embarrassing (and typical) "best comic books of 2017" list.

From NYT:  The New York Times profiles a Philadelphia, Pennsylvania comic book store, Amalgam Comics & Coffeehouse, that promotes diversity.

From BleedingCool:  Joe Quesada takes to Twitter to discuss Marvel Comics' recent cancellation of titles starring LGBTQ characters, characters of color, and female characters.

From BleedingCool:  Joe Glass examines the victims of the Marvel Comics cancellation bloodbath.

From BleedingCool:  Writer David L. Walker has confirmed that his "Luke Cage" series is being cancelled due to low sales.

From CBR:  The site ranks every comic book movie in 2017 from worst (Netflix's "Death Note") to best ("Logan").

From Newsarama:  The "Black Comic Book Festival" is back.  According to Newsarama:  "The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture has opened registration for its "6th Annual Black Comic Book Festival" that will be held on January 12-13, 2018 at the Schomburg Center. Registration is free and open to the public and is available at schomburgcenter.eventbrite.com."

From THR:  Joe R. Lansdale has announced a comic book prequel to his prose novella, "Bubba Ho-Tep," which inspired a 2002 cult film from director Don Coscarelli (creator of the "Phantasm" film franchise).

From WashPost:  Novelist Brad Meltzer has also written comic books, like "Justice League" and "Identity Crisis" for DC Comics.  Now, he is announcing a graphic novel about "Ghandi."

From MyAJC:  Two brothers launch a line of Black superhero comic books in hopes to catch the upcoming "Black Panther" movie wave.

From Crunchyroll:  Masashi Kishimoto, the creator of the manga, "Naruto," has a new manga due next year.  Japanese fans caught to see a sneak preview of draft pages from the upcoming and still unnamed manga.

From BleedingCool:  Japan's "Shonen Magazine" (Kodansha) is running a "Marvel manga" contest to recruit new talent.

From BleedingCool:  Trade paperback and collections from Dynamite Entertainment for March 2018.

From BleedingCool:  The DC Comics imprint, "Young Animal," curated by Gerard Way ("The Umbrella Academy") will be relaunched in March with four new titles.

From JeffLemireBlog:  Acclaimed writer, Jeff Lemire, talks about his plans for 2018.

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From BleedingCool:  In Lafayette, Louisiana, comic shop owner, Teresa Moran, is trying to buy the shopping center, where her store, Acadian Comics & Collectibles, is located.  She has started a GoFundMe campaign to raise one million dollars.  [I know Teresa Moran a.k.a. "Miss Teresa," and her shop is the descendant of the comic shop I first patronized when I entered college. - Leroy]

From GoFundMe:  Teresa Moran's GoFundMe page to buy a shopping center.

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From Kotaku:  The "Terra Formars" returns to Japan's "Young Jump" next April.

From Newsarama:  Yen Press March 2018 solicitations.

From Newsarama:  A first look at "Rise of the Black Panther #1."

From ComicBookBin:  New Johnny Bullet episode #147 in English.
From ComicBookBin:  New Johnny Bullet episode #147 in French.

From BleedingCool:  Marc Silvestri's "Cyber Force" returns (again) with Matt Hawkins and Bryan Hill writing and Silvestri "overseeing" the project.

From BleedingCool:  Marvel announces a digital first Avengers comic books, "Avengers: Back to Basics," written by Peter David.

From BleedingCool:  Editorial changes are happening at DC Comics, including for the Superman line, which Brian Michael Bendis will apparently join as a writer (Action Comics?).

From Gizmodo:  The site explains Patreon's recent fee change announcement, which has caused an uproar.  The changes will affect small press and indie comics creators who use the platform.

From IrishTime:  Controversial film director Takashi Miike talks about how important manga was to his generations of boyhood.

From KotakuAustralia:  The best selling manga of 2017 in Japan - actually December 5, 2016 to November 27, 2017.  "One Piece" is #1.

From ComicBookBin:  New Johnny Bullet episode #146 in English.
From ComicBookBin:  New Johnny Bullet episode #146 in French.

From BleedingCool:   An article about calculating history and the sale of the color cover proof for Action Comics #1 - the one that introduced Superman.

From IGN:  What the Star Wars comic books and novels can tell us about "The Last Jedi."

From BleedingCool:  Upcoming "Power Rangers" comic book will featuring killing off of some Rangers.

From BleedingCool:  Dark Horse Comics will release "Dave McKean: Short Film as a hardcover  book and a Blu-ray.

From ComicBook:  "One Piece" creator Eiichiro Oda makes a statement about his manga's record breaking sales.

From DangerousMinds:  A look at the comic book story that inspired John Carpenter's 1988 film, "They Live."

From ComicBook:  The "Hunter x Hunter" manga returns next year (2018) in Japan's "Weekly Shonen Jump."

From LRMOnline:  Kouhei Horikoshi, the creator of the manga, "My Hero Academia," will create a poster that brings Star Wars and his manga together.  The poster will appear in a February 2018 issue of "Weekly Shonen Jump."

From Kotaku:  "Junji Ito Collection" is an upcoming anime series that will adapt the super-creepy horror comics of mangaka, Junji Ito.

From LawOfficer:  Police officer Greg Granderson creates a comic book as an outreach to kids.

From ComicBook:  Marvel announces a six issue New Mutants miniseries, "New Mutants: Dead Souls."

From SideshowToys:  Sideshow talks to pretend comic book artist J. Scott Campbell about his new line of statues/figures from Sideshow.  They call Campbell a legend, apparently not really knowing what a legend actually is.

From ComicBookBin:  New Johnny Bullet episode #145 in English.
From ComicBookBin:  New Johnny Bullet episode #145 in French.

From Twitter/BBCArchive:  This archival video is from a 1975 BBC profile of the great and influential artist, Frank Hampson, who created the classic British sci-fi comic, Dan Dare.  Hampson apparently had been experiencing hardship at the time.

From BleedingCool:  When a monthly Batman comic book artist lives on the edge of poverty.

Review: AW YEAH!: Hasbro Action Figure Jam

AW YEAH!: HASBRO ACTION FIGURE JAM
IDW PUBLISHING – @IDWPublishing

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

CARTOONIST: Art Baltazar
MISC: Art Baltazar; Jay Fosgitt
ISBN: 978-1-63140-987-5; hardcover 6” x9” (November 7, 2017)
72pp, Color, $14.99 U.S., $19.99 CAN

Recommended for readers age 7 to 10 and grades 2 to 5

Aw Yeah!: Hasbro Action Figure Jam is a hardcover comic book and children's graphic novel written, drawn, and colored by Eisner Award-winning comic book creator, Art Baltazar (Tiny Titans).  Aw Yeah! collects the three-issue comic book miniseries, Revolution: Aw Yeah!, that Baltazar produced and IDW Publishing released earlier this year.

Revolution: Aw Yeah! was a media tie-in comic book that brought together action figure and merchandise franchises that belong to toy company giant, Hasbro.  That includes Hasbro's big two, G.I. Joe and Transformers, but the stars of Action Man, M.A.S.K.: Mobile Armored Strike Kommand, Micronauts, and Rom also appear.

The story begins beyond the galaxy in the land of “Microspace,” the home of the Micronauts and their arch-nemesis, Baron Karza.  The villain's latest plot to grab “ultimate power in the universe,” takes him to Earth, where he will find the “Orbsah Gem.”  Earth is also the home of one of two players in Karza's plan, the Transformer, Optimus Prime, whom Karza must control.  In another part of the galaxy is the second player, the warrior Rom.

The Transformers, of course, will try to rescue their colleague, Optimus, and before long, G.I. Joe and the Micronauts join the good fight.  However, bad guys, COBRA and the Dire Wraiths, do not plan on sitting out this fight on the sidelines.  The battle is joined.

I have never been a big fan of Art Baltazar, not because his work is not any good, but because I assumed that his work was not for me.  Aw Yeah!: Hasbro Action Figure Jam is making me reconsider such assumptions.

Aw Yeah!: Hasbro Action Figure Jam is just a fun comic book to read.  It is the kind of kids' comic book that I think the North American market needs more.  By that, I mean a humorous comic book featuring favorite heroes, from comic books, toys, or elsewhere, that is produced by someone who knows how to create genuinely humorous situations in which our favorite heroes play funny parts.  This comic should be playful, but also true to the spirit of these characters, even as it makes fun of their conflicts, rivalries, and machinations.

In Aw Yeah!: Hasbro Action Figure Jam, Art Baltazar has produced a winning package that even adult fans of these media franchises can like.  Why?  It's simple: this is a good comic book, and comic books should be good.

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.

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Book Review: MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS - Movie Tie-In Edition

MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS – Movie Tie-In Edition
HARPCOLLINS/William Morrow – @HarperCollins @WmMorrowBks

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

AUTHOR: Agatha Christie
ISBN: 978-0-06-268966-5; paperback (October 31, 2017)
288pp, B&W, $14.99 U.S., $18.50 CAN

Murder on the Orient Express is a detective novel written by Agatha Christie.  First published in the United Kingdom in1934 as “Murder in the Calais Coach,” Murder on the Orient Express is, according to its American publisher (HarperCollins), the most widely read mystery of all time.  The novel stars Christie's beloved Belgian detective, Hercule Poirot, who must solve a murder that occurred in a locked first-class compartment aboard a passenger train.

The novel opens and finds private detective Hercule Poirot traveling to Istanbul, when he receives a telegram prompting him to cancel his arrangements and return to London.  He manages to book a compartment aboard the train, the Simplon-Orient Express.  The morning after the second night of his journey, Poirot is informed  that a passenger, the mysterious businessman, Samuel Edward Ratchett, has been murdered.  M. Bouc, a fellow Belgian who is a director of the train line (Compagnie Internationale des Wagons-Lits), asks Poirot to investigate the murder, to which the detective agrees.

With the assistance of M. Bouc and the Greek physician, Dr. Constantine, Poirot discovers that he has 13 murder suspects.  This includes Ratchett's employees, Hector Willard McQueen, his secretary, and Edward Henry Masterman, his valet.  The Wagon Lit conductor, Pierre Michel, is a suspect.  A Russian princess, Natalia Dragomiroff, and her maid, Hildegarde Schmidt, are suspects.  An American lady, Caroline Martha Hubbbard, and a Swedish lady, Greta Ohlsson, are suspicious.  A British officer, Colonel Arbuthnot, and Mary Hermione Debenham, the British governess the officer befriends, could be murderers.  The suspects also include two American traveling salesman, Cyrus Bethman Hardman, and Antonio Foscarelli, an Italian immigrant who is a naturalized United States citizen.  Finally, there are the Count and Countess Andrenyi.

Who has committed this murder?  Who is lying?  Where is the truth?  And what is the real story behind the mysterious American who is the victim?  Poirot must discover the answers before the murderer strikes again aboard a train that becomes snowbound.

Thanks to a review copy given me by HarperCollins, I read Murder on the Orient Express for the first time.  Now, I can see why this novel is so famous and so beloved.  It is like nothing that I have ever read, and its ending and resolution make it, quite frankly, a brilliant work of fiction.

Although Poirot, M. Bouc, and Dr. Constantine do investigate the crime scene, most of Poirot's investigation involves interviews he conducts with each suspect in the presence of M. Bouc and the doctor.  Every word and utterance and how and when they occur and the circumstances behind those words and utterances are subject to Poirot intense examinations.  Secrets and lies; truth and falsehoods; the past – all play a part in Poirot's inquiry, and his memory and recollection are seemingly without fault.  In Hercule Poirot, Agatha Christie fashioned an engaging, unforgettable character.

Murder on the Orient Express is also unforgettable.  I think it is essential reading for readers in general, and not just for lovers of mystery and detective novels.  The novel was the subject of a recent film adaptation by Oscar-nominated director, Kenneth Branagh, who also stars in the film as Hercule Poirot.  William Morrow, the HarperCollins imprint, recently released the novel in a movie-tie edition, complete with a cover that uses elements of a movie poster for the film as cover art.  I hope the movie can live up to this amazing book.

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.

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I Reads You Review: SCOOBY-DOO, Where Are You? #88

SCOOBY-DOO, WHERE ARE YOU? No. 88
DC COMICS – @DCComics

STORY: Derek Fridolfs; John Rozum
PENCILS: Randy Elliot; Fabio Laguna
INKS: Randy Elliot; Fabio Laguna
COLORS: Sylvana Brys; Heroic Age
LETTERS: Saida Temofonte; John J. Hill
COVER: Derek Fridolfs with Pamela Lovas
32pp, Color, $2.99 U.S. (February 2018)

Rated “E” for “Everyone”

I am still enjoying the fruits of the renewal of my subscription to the Scooby-Doo, Where Are You? comic book series.  I recently received the third issue of that renewed subscription.

Scooby-Doo, Where Are You? #88 opens with “Used Scars” (written by Derek Fridolfs and drawn by Randy Elliot).  All that mileage!  Maybe, it is time for Mystery Incorporated to replace the Mystery Machine.  The need for something affordable takes Scooby-Doo, Shaggy, Fred, Daphne, and Velma to “Earnest Eddie's Used Car Emporium.”  The gang does indeed find low prices, but our heroes also find rundown vehicles and a monster called “the Slimmer Man.”

The second story is “Fright Ride” (written by John Rozum and drawn by Fabio Laguna), a story originally published in Scooby-Doo #151 (cover dated: February 2010).  Ryan is a reporter for the New Kirk City Daily News, but he is stuck covering items that belong in the local society page.  He believes he needs to find the kind of story that will break him into serious journalism.

Ryan thinks that he may have that potential breakthrough story in Mystery Inc.  He decides to ride along with Fred, Daphne, Velma, Shaggy, and Scooby-Doo as these mystery-solvers search for a new supernatural case to tackle.  When a weird painting keeps appearing and disappearing at “Andrew's Art Gallery,” Ryan thinks that he is finally in on some action, but Mystery Inc. seems to have run into a case that it cannot solve.

There is something neat and whacky about “The Slimmer Man,” the villain in “Used Scars.”  I think this character would really shine in animation, where animators can make him wriggle, shimmy-shake, and twerk.  He certainly works as a comic book boogeyman, even in story that is underdeveloped in terms of narrative, which I like anyway.

“Fright Ride” is quite enjoyable, and I would say that it is one of my favorite Scooby-Doo comic book stories.  Writer John Rozum fills the story with delightful twists and turns.  All those narrative sleights of hand make for a surprise ending, of sorts.  Karma can be a witch.

It has happened again.  Scooby-Doo, Where Are You? #88 makes me ready for the next issue.

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 syndication rights and fees.

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Review BATMAN/TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES #1

BATMAN/TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES No. 1 (OF 6)
DC COMICS/IDW Publishing – @DCComics @IDWPublishing

[This review was originally posted in Patreon.]

SCRIPT: James Tynion IV
ART: Freddie E. Williams II
COLORS: Jeremy Colwell
LETTERS: Tom Napolitano
COVER: Freddie E. Williams II
VARIANT COVER: Kevin Eastman with Tomi Varga
32pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (February 2016)

Rated “T”

“Knights in a Half Shell”

Batman created by Bob Kane with Bill Finger; Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird

The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (also known as TMNT and Ninja Turtles) are a group of fictional characters that first appeared in comic books.  Created by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles debuted in the comic book, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #1 (cover dated: May 1984), which was published by Eastman and Laird's Mirage Studios.

The Ninja Turtles are teenage anthropomorphic turtles, meaning they walk and talk like humans.  Each turtle is named for an Italian Renaissance artist: Donatello, Leonardo, Michelangelo, and Raphael.  The Turtles were adopted by an anthropomorphic rat, Splinter, who was their sensei and who trained them in the art of ninjutsu.  The Turtles live in the sewers of New York City and battle every bad guy from petty criminals and overlord-mastermind types to alien invaders and mutated creatures.

Marvel and DC Comics no longer publish comic books featuring both their characters uniting for adventure and battle.  However, over the past several years, DC and IDW Publishing have published cross over comic books that featured DC's characters playing with characters for which IDW has the license to publish comics.  An example is the recent comic book miniseries that brought the worlds of Star Trek and Green Lantern together.  The two publishers have come together again for Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, a six-issue miniseries written by James Tynion IV; drawn by Freddie E. Williams II; colored by Jeremy Colwell; and lettered by Tom Napolitano.

Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #1 (“Knights in a Half Shell”) finds Gotham in the midst of a strange crime wave.  Several research labs have been attacked, and the only things the intruders have stolen is experimental military-grade technology.  Witness claim that the attackers are monsters, something like “turtles.”  Batman's own investigation leads him to believe that some of the attackers are trained in ninjutsu.  Batman and those witnesses are closer to the truth than they imagine.

I wanted to be cynical about the first issue of Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, but I can't.  I had thought that this crossover comic book would be silly, but instead, it's simply fun to read.  Thanks to the art of Freddie E. Williams II, Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #1 looks like the early TMNT comic books that Mirage Studios published back in the mid-1980s.  Williams presents a Batman that looks like the Dark Knight of DC's “The New 52,” but he also looks like he belongs in the funky world of TMNT.  Stylistically, Batman and TMNT don't seem strange together.

Writer James Tynion IV makes every word count, moving the story forward and whetting our appetites for more.  He seems dead serious about taking this miniseries seriously, but that doesn't mean he does not realize how much fun it is in bringing Batman and the Ninja Turtles together.  This is a good, old-fashioned fun-to-read comic book.  Did I mention fun?  As I write this, the second issue of Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is available, and I'm ready for it.

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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