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MAGAZINES
OCT191795 COMIC SHOP NEWS [90CT BUNDLE] #1695 $PI
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BOOKS
OCT192318 ACCEL WORLD LIGHT NOVEL SC VOL 20 $14.00
JUN191913 BILL SIENKIEWICZ REVOLUTION LTD S&N ED $350.00
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OCT192053 RIVERDALE HE LOVES ME SHE LOVES ME NOT HC $10.99
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SEP192382 TORADORA LIGHT NOVEL VOL 08 $13.99
AUG192283 WORLD`S FINEST BUNDLE $39.95
[“We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.”]
Monday, December 9, 2019
Comics, Magazines and Books from Diamond Distributors for December 11, 2019
Labels:
AfterShock,
Archie Comics,
Art Book,
Batman,
Bill Sienkiewicz,
Book News,
comics news,
Diamond Distributors,
Fantagraphics Books,
Kodansha,
manga news,
Star Trek,
Titan Publishing
Saturday, December 7, 2019
Review: DEADPOOL #1 (2018)
DEADPOOL No. 1 / No. 301 (2018)
MARVEL COMICS – @Marvel
[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]
STORY: Skottie Young
ART: Nic Klein; Scott Hepburn
COLORS: Nic Klein; Ian Herring
LETTERS: Jeff Eckleberry
EDITOR: Jake Thomas
COVER: Nic Klein
VARIANT COVER ARTISTS: Skottie Young with Jean-Francois Beaulieu; Skottie Young; Mike Deodato, Jr. with Rain Beredo; Rob Liefeld with Federico Blee; Rob Liefeld with Jesus Aburtov; Jerome Opena with Jason Keith
36pp, Color, $4.99 U.S. (August 2018)
“Parental Advisory”
Deadpool created by Rob Liefeld and Fabian Nicieza
“Back in Business”
Deadpool is a Marvel Comics anti-hero character. He was created by artist-writer Rob Liefeld and writer Fabian Nicieza and first appeared in The New Mutants #98 (cover dated: February 1991). Deadpool is Wade Winston Wilson, a disfigured and deeply mentally disturbed assassin-for-hire and mercenary with a superhuman physical prowess and an accelerated healing factor. The character is depicted as joking constantly, being sarcastic, and having a tendency to engage in the literary device of “breaking the fourth wall” and speaking to readers.
Marvel Comics recently launched a new Deadpool comic book series, because launching and relaunching comic book series and number-one issues is something for which Marvel has a proclivity. Deadpool 2018 is written by Skottie Young. This issue has two stories. The first is drawn and colored by Nic Klein, and the second is drawn by Scott Hepburn and colored by Ian Herring. Jeff Eckleberry provides lettering for both stories.
Deadpool #1 (“Back in Business”) finds our (anti) hero enjoying a sappy Oscar-bait drama, “Best Friends Buds” at the local movie theater. What Deadpool really wants is a high-paying assassination gig, but his “assistant,” Negasonic Teenage Warhead, informs him that his current target is also enjoying “Best Friends Bud.” Luckily more craziness is, indeed, headed Mr. Wilson's way, in the form of the kind of adversary the Avengers usually handle.
In “Good Night,” Deadpool, post-mind-wipe, wants a new new origin story. He tries on several, most of them riffs on familiar superhero origin tales.
I have not read a Deadpool comic book in over two decades, maybe since that miniseries Joe Madureira drew. I decided to read the first issue of this new Skottie Young-written series because I liked the first issue of the Rocket Raccoon comic book Young wrote and drew a few years ago. I made a good choice, as I really enjoyed this new Deadpool #1.
Young has written a comic book that reads like a partial transcript of the hit 2016 Deadpool film, and Young does joke about the stylistic similarities between that film and this comic book. That's okay. On that rare occasion, a comic book should skew close to its film adaptation. Nic Klein's art blends seamlessly with Young's script to create an entertaining and humorous comic book, and even Klein's coloring has a comic vibe. That makes it complete Deadpool the 2018 comic book is spiritually similar to Deadpool the 2016 movie.
Artist Scott Helpern and artist Ian Herring offer a nice turn in riffs on famous comic book origin stories in the second story, “Good Night.” Of course, letterer Jeff Eckleberry swoops in to assure that the comedy works. I think that some people underestimate how important lettering is to not only creating the tone of a comic book story, but also how important letterers are to making sure that dialogue and exposition have the intended dramatic or humorous impact.
I think a few issues of this new Deadpool series have been published since the debut of this first issue. So I need to hunt some back issues because I think I might want to follow this. It is not a “great” work; sometimes, Young seems to try a little too hard to be funny, but this Deadpool #1 is quite enjoyable.
7 out of 10
Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"
The text is copyright © 2018 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.
-----------------------
MARVEL COMICS – @Marvel
[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]
STORY: Skottie Young
ART: Nic Klein; Scott Hepburn
COLORS: Nic Klein; Ian Herring
LETTERS: Jeff Eckleberry
EDITOR: Jake Thomas
COVER: Nic Klein
VARIANT COVER ARTISTS: Skottie Young with Jean-Francois Beaulieu; Skottie Young; Mike Deodato, Jr. with Rain Beredo; Rob Liefeld with Federico Blee; Rob Liefeld with Jesus Aburtov; Jerome Opena with Jason Keith
36pp, Color, $4.99 U.S. (August 2018)
“Parental Advisory”
Deadpool created by Rob Liefeld and Fabian Nicieza
“Back in Business”
Deadpool is a Marvel Comics anti-hero character. He was created by artist-writer Rob Liefeld and writer Fabian Nicieza and first appeared in The New Mutants #98 (cover dated: February 1991). Deadpool is Wade Winston Wilson, a disfigured and deeply mentally disturbed assassin-for-hire and mercenary with a superhuman physical prowess and an accelerated healing factor. The character is depicted as joking constantly, being sarcastic, and having a tendency to engage in the literary device of “breaking the fourth wall” and speaking to readers.
Marvel Comics recently launched a new Deadpool comic book series, because launching and relaunching comic book series and number-one issues is something for which Marvel has a proclivity. Deadpool 2018 is written by Skottie Young. This issue has two stories. The first is drawn and colored by Nic Klein, and the second is drawn by Scott Hepburn and colored by Ian Herring. Jeff Eckleberry provides lettering for both stories.
Deadpool #1 (“Back in Business”) finds our (anti) hero enjoying a sappy Oscar-bait drama, “Best Friends Buds” at the local movie theater. What Deadpool really wants is a high-paying assassination gig, but his “assistant,” Negasonic Teenage Warhead, informs him that his current target is also enjoying “Best Friends Bud.” Luckily more craziness is, indeed, headed Mr. Wilson's way, in the form of the kind of adversary the Avengers usually handle.
In “Good Night,” Deadpool, post-mind-wipe, wants a new new origin story. He tries on several, most of them riffs on familiar superhero origin tales.
I have not read a Deadpool comic book in over two decades, maybe since that miniseries Joe Madureira drew. I decided to read the first issue of this new Skottie Young-written series because I liked the first issue of the Rocket Raccoon comic book Young wrote and drew a few years ago. I made a good choice, as I really enjoyed this new Deadpool #1.
Young has written a comic book that reads like a partial transcript of the hit 2016 Deadpool film, and Young does joke about the stylistic similarities between that film and this comic book. That's okay. On that rare occasion, a comic book should skew close to its film adaptation. Nic Klein's art blends seamlessly with Young's script to create an entertaining and humorous comic book, and even Klein's coloring has a comic vibe. That makes it complete Deadpool the 2018 comic book is spiritually similar to Deadpool the 2016 movie.
Artist Scott Helpern and artist Ian Herring offer a nice turn in riffs on famous comic book origin stories in the second story, “Good Night.” Of course, letterer Jeff Eckleberry swoops in to assure that the comedy works. I think that some people underestimate how important lettering is to not only creating the tone of a comic book story, but also how important letterers are to making sure that dialogue and exposition have the intended dramatic or humorous impact.
I think a few issues of this new Deadpool series have been published since the debut of this first issue. So I need to hunt some back issues because I think I might want to follow this. It is not a “great” work; sometimes, Young seems to try a little too hard to be funny, but this Deadpool #1 is quite enjoyable.
7 out of 10
Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"
The text is copyright © 2018 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.
-----------------------
Labels:
Ian Herring,
Jason Keith,
Jerome Opena,
Marvel,
Mike Deodato,
Rain Beredo,
Review,
Rob Liefeld,
Skottie Young
Friday, December 6, 2019
Review: THE DRIFTING CLASSROOM
THE DRIFTING CLASSROOM: PERFECT EDITION, VOL. 1
VIZ MEDIA – @VIZMedia
[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]
MANGAKA: Kazuo Umezz
TRANSLATION: Sheldon Drzka
ENGLISH ADAPTATION: Molly Danzer
LETTERING: Evan Waldinger
EDITOR: Joel Enos
ISBN: 978-1-9747-0937-3; hardcover (October 2019); Rated “M” for “Mature”
752pp, B&W, $34.99 U.S., $46.99 CAN, £28.00 UK
The Drifting Classroom is a shonen manga from acclaimed manga creator, Kazuo Umezz, who is considered the most influential horror manga artist ever. The Drifting Classroom was originally serialized in the venerable Japanese manga magazine, Weekly Shōnen Sunday, from 1972 to 1974. VIZ Media published the 11-graphic novel series in English from 2006 to 2008.
VIZ recently began publishing a new English language edition of The Drifting Classroom in its “perfect edition” format. According to VIZ, The Drifting Classroom: Perfect Edition features an all-new translation and new content and revised story elements gathered in a deluxe hardcover format. If I understand correctly, the original eleven graphic novels will be collected in three hardcover omnibus books with a trim size of 5 3/4 x 8 1/8.
The Drifting Classroom: Perfect Edition, Vol. 1 (Chapters 1 to 15) introduces sixth-grader Sho Takamatsu. The story opens with a prologue, of sorts, in which Sho speaks to his mother, Emiko Takamatsu, as if he were writing her a letter or telling her a story about his life since he last saw her. The day and evening that led up to the fateful morning when everything changed finds mother and child squabbling over petty disagreements, seeming to deliberately vex one another.
Then, one morning, Sho's school, Yamato Elementary School, is apparently struck by the tremors of an earthquake. People near the school discover that the school has disappeared after the earthquake; at first, they think the school was destroyed in an explosion. However, Sho, the teachers, and students of Yamato Elementary emerge from the school to discover that Yamato Elementary is now surrounded by what seems like an endless wasteland of sand. They come to believe that in the aftermath of the massive earthquake, the school was transported to a hostile world.
But the truth is more terrifying than that. Wherever they are, the students and teachers find themselves besieged by terrifying creatures and short on food and water. Worst of all, madness takes over both the adults and the children, turning them towards tyranny and even murder.
The Drifting Classroom manga is a mixture of horror and science fiction. The science fiction side of the narrative follows the adventures of a group of elementary school students trapped in what resembles a post-apocalyptic world. The horror element focuses, at least early in the narrative, on the breakdown of order in the school as well as on the murderous turn that some of the teachers and students take.
The Drifting Classroom: Perfect Edition Volume 1 is both a terrifying and a terrifically breezy read. I once described the pace of the story being as if Umezz put his readers on a horse that just races at breakneck speeds through a barren landscape of non-stop action and adventure... and, of course, terror. In addition to the depiction of terror, I think that what impresses me in these first 740+ pages of the story is the imaginative and inventive ways in which Umezz depicts the breakdown of Yamato Elementary's society in the shifting factions of hoarders, tyrants, and murderers.
Sheldon Drzka on the translation and Molly Danzer on the English adaptation capture The Drifting Classroom manic ebb and flow of the children investigating, planning, escaping, and fighting for their lives. Drzka and Danzer's work is so good that there were times that I felt that I simply could not stop reading. Believe me when I say that reading this does not feel like an experience of trudging through 740+ pages. Honestly, by the end of it, I wanted more.
I highly recommend the first volume of The Drifting Classroom: Perfect Edition to fans of horror manga. It is a must-read, and, for the collector, a must-have.
8.5 out of 10
Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"
The text is copyright © 2019 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for syndication rights and fees.
-----------------------
VIZ MEDIA – @VIZMedia
[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]
MANGAKA: Kazuo Umezz
TRANSLATION: Sheldon Drzka
ENGLISH ADAPTATION: Molly Danzer
LETTERING: Evan Waldinger
EDITOR: Joel Enos
ISBN: 978-1-9747-0937-3; hardcover (October 2019); Rated “M” for “Mature”
752pp, B&W, $34.99 U.S., $46.99 CAN, £28.00 UK
The Drifting Classroom is a shonen manga from acclaimed manga creator, Kazuo Umezz, who is considered the most influential horror manga artist ever. The Drifting Classroom was originally serialized in the venerable Japanese manga magazine, Weekly Shōnen Sunday, from 1972 to 1974. VIZ Media published the 11-graphic novel series in English from 2006 to 2008.
VIZ recently began publishing a new English language edition of The Drifting Classroom in its “perfect edition” format. According to VIZ, The Drifting Classroom: Perfect Edition features an all-new translation and new content and revised story elements gathered in a deluxe hardcover format. If I understand correctly, the original eleven graphic novels will be collected in three hardcover omnibus books with a trim size of 5 3/4 x 8 1/8.
The Drifting Classroom: Perfect Edition, Vol. 1 (Chapters 1 to 15) introduces sixth-grader Sho Takamatsu. The story opens with a prologue, of sorts, in which Sho speaks to his mother, Emiko Takamatsu, as if he were writing her a letter or telling her a story about his life since he last saw her. The day and evening that led up to the fateful morning when everything changed finds mother and child squabbling over petty disagreements, seeming to deliberately vex one another.
Then, one morning, Sho's school, Yamato Elementary School, is apparently struck by the tremors of an earthquake. People near the school discover that the school has disappeared after the earthquake; at first, they think the school was destroyed in an explosion. However, Sho, the teachers, and students of Yamato Elementary emerge from the school to discover that Yamato Elementary is now surrounded by what seems like an endless wasteland of sand. They come to believe that in the aftermath of the massive earthquake, the school was transported to a hostile world.
But the truth is more terrifying than that. Wherever they are, the students and teachers find themselves besieged by terrifying creatures and short on food and water. Worst of all, madness takes over both the adults and the children, turning them towards tyranny and even murder.
The Drifting Classroom manga is a mixture of horror and science fiction. The science fiction side of the narrative follows the adventures of a group of elementary school students trapped in what resembles a post-apocalyptic world. The horror element focuses, at least early in the narrative, on the breakdown of order in the school as well as on the murderous turn that some of the teachers and students take.
The Drifting Classroom: Perfect Edition Volume 1 is both a terrifying and a terrifically breezy read. I once described the pace of the story being as if Umezz put his readers on a horse that just races at breakneck speeds through a barren landscape of non-stop action and adventure... and, of course, terror. In addition to the depiction of terror, I think that what impresses me in these first 740+ pages of the story is the imaginative and inventive ways in which Umezz depicts the breakdown of Yamato Elementary's society in the shifting factions of hoarders, tyrants, and murderers.
Sheldon Drzka on the translation and Molly Danzer on the English adaptation capture The Drifting Classroom manic ebb and flow of the children investigating, planning, escaping, and fighting for their lives. Drzka and Danzer's work is so good that there were times that I felt that I simply could not stop reading. Believe me when I say that reading this does not feel like an experience of trudging through 740+ pages. Honestly, by the end of it, I wanted more.
I highly recommend the first volume of The Drifting Classroom: Perfect Edition to fans of horror manga. It is a must-read, and, for the collector, a must-have.
8.5 out of 10
Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"
The text is copyright © 2019 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for syndication rights and fees.
-----------------------
Labels:
Joel Enos,
Kazuo Umezu,
manga,
Molly Danzer,
Review,
Sheldon Drzka,
VIZ Media,
VIZ Signature
Thursday, December 5, 2019
Review: FIREFLY #1 (2018)
FIREFLY No. 1 (2018)
BOOM! Studios – @boomstudios
[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]
STORY: Greg Pak
ARTIST: Dan McDaid
COLORS: Marcelo Costa
LETTERS: Jim Campbell
EDITOR: Jeanine Schaefer
COVER: Lee Garbett
VARIANT COVER ARTISTS: Jock; Joe Quinones; Tula Lotay; J.G. Jones; Bill Sienkiewicz; Adam Riches; Diego Galindo
32pp, Colors, $3.99 U.S. (November 2018)
Firefly created by Joss Whedon
“Firefly” was a science fiction and Western-themed television series created by Joss Whedon. It was originally broadcast on the Fox Television Network during the 2002-2003 television season, although Fox only televised 11 of the 14 episodes that were produced.
The series was set in the year 2157 in a star system where human immigrants from Earth settled some time in the distant past. The primary characters are the crew of nine people traveling aboard the “Firefly-class” spaceship named “Serenity.” The lead character is Malcolm “Mal” Reynolds, the owner and captain of the Serenity. Like his second-in-command, Zoe Alleyne Washburne, Mal is a veteran of the human civil war known as the “Unification War,” fighting on the side of the “Independent Army.”
The other characters are Hoban “Wash” Washburne, Serenity's pilot and Zoe's husband, and Kaywinnet Lee “Kaylee” Frye, the ship's mechanic. There are also Inara Serra, a “Companion” (a kind of sex-worker) who resides aboard one of Serenity's two shuttles; Derrial Book, a “Shepherd” (equivalent of a pastor); and the mercenary, Jayne Cobb. The final two passengers are Dr. Simon Tam, a top trauma surgeon; and River Tam, his sister who is a child prodigy who was part of some kind of “Alliance” science experiment.
From 2005 to 2017, Dark Horse Comics produced four miniseries, two one-shots, and one original graphic novel based on the “Firefly” franchise, under the title, “Serenity,” the name of the 2006 film based on the TV series. BOOM! Studios recently obtained the license to produce comic books based on “Firefly.”
BOOM!'s debut title is the comic book series, Firefly. It is written by Greg Pak; drawn by Dan McDaid; colored by Marcelo Costa; and lettered by Jim Campbell. Firefly the comic book 2018 will apparently delve into Mal and Zoe's past in the Unification War (also known as “War of Unification”).
Firefly #1 finds the Serenity suffering from the purchase of bad replacement parts. Things get worse when the ship is attacked by the federals in the form of an Alliance Army dreadnaught. Forced to land on a moon named “Bethlehem,” the crew of the Serenity must find jobs that will earn them the one thousand in platinum credits that it will take to buy the new replacement parts that will allow Serenity to return to space. A new job is the least of their worries, however, as two of the crew members find themselves with high bounties placed on their heads.
I became a huge fan of the “Firefly” TV series after a friend gave me a box-set collection of the series as a gift. I liked that the show was as much a Western drama as it was a space adventure. Greg Pak writes in his afterword that he will use this comic book to explore three different sub-genres within the larger Western genre. Firefly #1 seems to borrow the well-worn Western sub-genre that involves a wagon train of outcasts slash misfits employing “hired guns” to escort them on a perilous journey.
In this case, the “hired guns” are our heroes from the Serenity. I'll go with this scenario because this Firefly comic book reminds me of the American Western TV series, “Wagon Train” (1957 to 1965). I am a fan of this mostly black-and-white series, which focused on a “wagon master” and his employees. Each episode also detailed the trials and tribulations a guest character or characters (usually portrayed by well-know film and television stars of the day). Elements of Firefly 2018 also remind me of the 1950 John Ford Western film, Wagon Master, which apparently inspired “Wagon Train.”
I like what I have read in this new Firefly comic book, although I will admit that this story is simply a slight variation on familiar television characters and themes in addition to the elements taken from the “Firefly” TV series and the Serenity film. Much of Dan McDaid's art for Firefly #1 is unattractive, and the characters' faces are “fugly.” Still, the art is highly functional, from a graphical storytelling point of view, and the coloring and lettering is good. So let's see where this goes.
[This volume includes an “Afterword” by Greg Pak and short text pieces from Joss Whedon and Dan McDaid.]
7 out of 10
Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"
The text is copyright © 2018 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.
--------------------
BOOM! Studios – @boomstudios
[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]
STORY: Greg Pak
ARTIST: Dan McDaid
COLORS: Marcelo Costa
LETTERS: Jim Campbell
EDITOR: Jeanine Schaefer
COVER: Lee Garbett
VARIANT COVER ARTISTS: Jock; Joe Quinones; Tula Lotay; J.G. Jones; Bill Sienkiewicz; Adam Riches; Diego Galindo
32pp, Colors, $3.99 U.S. (November 2018)
Firefly created by Joss Whedon
“Firefly” was a science fiction and Western-themed television series created by Joss Whedon. It was originally broadcast on the Fox Television Network during the 2002-2003 television season, although Fox only televised 11 of the 14 episodes that were produced.
The series was set in the year 2157 in a star system where human immigrants from Earth settled some time in the distant past. The primary characters are the crew of nine people traveling aboard the “Firefly-class” spaceship named “Serenity.” The lead character is Malcolm “Mal” Reynolds, the owner and captain of the Serenity. Like his second-in-command, Zoe Alleyne Washburne, Mal is a veteran of the human civil war known as the “Unification War,” fighting on the side of the “Independent Army.”
The other characters are Hoban “Wash” Washburne, Serenity's pilot and Zoe's husband, and Kaywinnet Lee “Kaylee” Frye, the ship's mechanic. There are also Inara Serra, a “Companion” (a kind of sex-worker) who resides aboard one of Serenity's two shuttles; Derrial Book, a “Shepherd” (equivalent of a pastor); and the mercenary, Jayne Cobb. The final two passengers are Dr. Simon Tam, a top trauma surgeon; and River Tam, his sister who is a child prodigy who was part of some kind of “Alliance” science experiment.
From 2005 to 2017, Dark Horse Comics produced four miniseries, two one-shots, and one original graphic novel based on the “Firefly” franchise, under the title, “Serenity,” the name of the 2006 film based on the TV series. BOOM! Studios recently obtained the license to produce comic books based on “Firefly.”
BOOM!'s debut title is the comic book series, Firefly. It is written by Greg Pak; drawn by Dan McDaid; colored by Marcelo Costa; and lettered by Jim Campbell. Firefly the comic book 2018 will apparently delve into Mal and Zoe's past in the Unification War (also known as “War of Unification”).
Firefly #1 finds the Serenity suffering from the purchase of bad replacement parts. Things get worse when the ship is attacked by the federals in the form of an Alliance Army dreadnaught. Forced to land on a moon named “Bethlehem,” the crew of the Serenity must find jobs that will earn them the one thousand in platinum credits that it will take to buy the new replacement parts that will allow Serenity to return to space. A new job is the least of their worries, however, as two of the crew members find themselves with high bounties placed on their heads.
I became a huge fan of the “Firefly” TV series after a friend gave me a box-set collection of the series as a gift. I liked that the show was as much a Western drama as it was a space adventure. Greg Pak writes in his afterword that he will use this comic book to explore three different sub-genres within the larger Western genre. Firefly #1 seems to borrow the well-worn Western sub-genre that involves a wagon train of outcasts slash misfits employing “hired guns” to escort them on a perilous journey.
In this case, the “hired guns” are our heroes from the Serenity. I'll go with this scenario because this Firefly comic book reminds me of the American Western TV series, “Wagon Train” (1957 to 1965). I am a fan of this mostly black-and-white series, which focused on a “wagon master” and his employees. Each episode also detailed the trials and tribulations a guest character or characters (usually portrayed by well-know film and television stars of the day). Elements of Firefly 2018 also remind me of the 1950 John Ford Western film, Wagon Master, which apparently inspired “Wagon Train.”
I like what I have read in this new Firefly comic book, although I will admit that this story is simply a slight variation on familiar television characters and themes in addition to the elements taken from the “Firefly” TV series and the Serenity film. Much of Dan McDaid's art for Firefly #1 is unattractive, and the characters' faces are “fugly.” Still, the art is highly functional, from a graphical storytelling point of view, and the coloring and lettering is good. So let's see where this goes.
[This volume includes an “Afterword” by Greg Pak and short text pieces from Joss Whedon and Dan McDaid.]
7 out of 10
Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"
The text is copyright © 2018 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.
--------------------
Labels:
Bill Sienkiewicz,
BOOM Studios,
Greg Pak,
J.G. Jones,
Jock,
Joss Whedon,
Review,
Tula Lotay
Wednesday, December 4, 2019
Review: SPIDER-MAN: Life Story #2
SPIDER-MAN: LIFE STORY No. 2
MARVEL COMICS – @Marvel
[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]
STORY: Chip Zdarsky
PENCILS: Mark Bagley
INKS: Drew Hennessy
COLORS: Frank D'Armata
LETTERS: Travis Lanham
EDITOR: Tom Brevoort
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Akira Yoshida a.k.a. C.B. Cebulski
COVER: Chip Zdarsky
VARIANT COVER ARTIST: Michael Cho
36pp, Color, $4.99 U.S. (June 2019)
Rated “T”
Spider-Man created by Steve Ditko and Stan Lee
Spider-Man is a classic Marvel Comics superhero. Over the years, readers followed the adventures of Spider-man and his secret identity, that of teenager and high school student, Peter Parker.
In 1962, in Amazing Fantasy #15 (cover dated: August 1962), 15-year-old Peter Parker was bitten by a radioactive spider and became the Amazing Spider-Man. Fifty-seven years have passed in the real world since that event. What would have happened if the same amount of time passed for Peter as well? Spider-Man: Life Story is a new comic book miniseries that tells the story of Peter Parker and Spider-Man in real time, depicting his life from beginning to end. Spider-Man: Life Story is written by Chip Zdarsky; drawn by Mark Bagley (pencils) and Drew Hennessy (inks); colored by Frank D'Armata; and letterer Travis Lanham. “Life Story” is set against the events of the decades through which Spider-Man has lived.
Spider-Man: Life Story #2 opens in sometime in the mid-1970s. Peter Parker and his wife, Gwen Stacy, visit the grave of Eugene “Flash” Thompson. Flash, Peter's high school rival and erstwhile friend, was killed in Vietnam War/Conflict. Peter is in a constant state of existential crisis. He believes that he and others with great powers should be using their talents and creations to make the world a better place. Peter still believes that he should have played a part in Vietnam. But not everyone is feeling Peter's feelings or worldview. And an old enemy reaches out to touch Peter.
For the last two decades, especially since the beginning of Joe Quesada's reign as Editor-in-Chief of Marvel Comics (in the year 2000), Marvel has been rebooting, re-imagining, and re-purposing the fictional histories of its comic books. Maybe, that is a way to introduce classic story lines, story arcs, characters, concepts, etc. to a new readers. One could say that this also allows older (and old) readers to experience the stories of the past retold to one extent or another.
I don't see Spider-Man: Life Story as a swipe of the fictional history and mythology of Spider-Man. Instead Chip Zdarsky is representing the conflicts and melodramas that The Amazing Spider-Man and other Spider-Man publications depicted as the life experiences of a character who is aging in “real time.” These are no longer just the adventures and misadventures and trial and tribulations of a young man and his superhero alter-ego who has been (mostly) no older than his mid-20s for the better part of six decades and is often eternally on the edge of graduating high school.
I am loathe to discuss the Spider-Man moments that Zdarsky represents, but I can say that by the end of Spider-Man: Life Story #2, Peter is 30 or 31. He no longer has the eternal optimism of youth that will allow him to overlook a clone of himself. He isn't a teenager or a college student or mid-20s professional who can brush off Spider-Man's darkest moments when it is time for him to play civilian the day after.
Spider-Man: Life Story does not quite take the real world approach to superheroes the way Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons' Watchmen did. Spider-Man: Life Story #2, however, does take the approach to time and tide – the outward flow of time – that Kurt Busiek and Alex Ross' Marvels does. No matter how many fantastic things are occurring, the players in this story age. And life takes its toll.
What Zdarsky and artist Mark Bagley are offering is a chance to see one of the greatest superheroes forced to face his trials as a maturing man and not as an eternal boy or boyish man. Spider-Man: Life Story #2 tells me that this series is for real.
9 out of 10
Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"
The text is copyright © 2019 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.
-------------------------
MARVEL COMICS – @Marvel
[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]
STORY: Chip Zdarsky
PENCILS: Mark Bagley
INKS: Drew Hennessy
COLORS: Frank D'Armata
LETTERS: Travis Lanham
EDITOR: Tom Brevoort
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Akira Yoshida a.k.a. C.B. Cebulski
COVER: Chip Zdarsky
VARIANT COVER ARTIST: Michael Cho
36pp, Color, $4.99 U.S. (June 2019)
Rated “T”
Spider-Man created by Steve Ditko and Stan Lee
Spider-Man is a classic Marvel Comics superhero. Over the years, readers followed the adventures of Spider-man and his secret identity, that of teenager and high school student, Peter Parker.
In 1962, in Amazing Fantasy #15 (cover dated: August 1962), 15-year-old Peter Parker was bitten by a radioactive spider and became the Amazing Spider-Man. Fifty-seven years have passed in the real world since that event. What would have happened if the same amount of time passed for Peter as well? Spider-Man: Life Story is a new comic book miniseries that tells the story of Peter Parker and Spider-Man in real time, depicting his life from beginning to end. Spider-Man: Life Story is written by Chip Zdarsky; drawn by Mark Bagley (pencils) and Drew Hennessy (inks); colored by Frank D'Armata; and letterer Travis Lanham. “Life Story” is set against the events of the decades through which Spider-Man has lived.
Spider-Man: Life Story #2 opens in sometime in the mid-1970s. Peter Parker and his wife, Gwen Stacy, visit the grave of Eugene “Flash” Thompson. Flash, Peter's high school rival and erstwhile friend, was killed in Vietnam War/Conflict. Peter is in a constant state of existential crisis. He believes that he and others with great powers should be using their talents and creations to make the world a better place. Peter still believes that he should have played a part in Vietnam. But not everyone is feeling Peter's feelings or worldview. And an old enemy reaches out to touch Peter.
For the last two decades, especially since the beginning of Joe Quesada's reign as Editor-in-Chief of Marvel Comics (in the year 2000), Marvel has been rebooting, re-imagining, and re-purposing the fictional histories of its comic books. Maybe, that is a way to introduce classic story lines, story arcs, characters, concepts, etc. to a new readers. One could say that this also allows older (and old) readers to experience the stories of the past retold to one extent or another.
I don't see Spider-Man: Life Story as a swipe of the fictional history and mythology of Spider-Man. Instead Chip Zdarsky is representing the conflicts and melodramas that The Amazing Spider-Man and other Spider-Man publications depicted as the life experiences of a character who is aging in “real time.” These are no longer just the adventures and misadventures and trial and tribulations of a young man and his superhero alter-ego who has been (mostly) no older than his mid-20s for the better part of six decades and is often eternally on the edge of graduating high school.
I am loathe to discuss the Spider-Man moments that Zdarsky represents, but I can say that by the end of Spider-Man: Life Story #2, Peter is 30 or 31. He no longer has the eternal optimism of youth that will allow him to overlook a clone of himself. He isn't a teenager or a college student or mid-20s professional who can brush off Spider-Man's darkest moments when it is time for him to play civilian the day after.
Spider-Man: Life Story does not quite take the real world approach to superheroes the way Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons' Watchmen did. Spider-Man: Life Story #2, however, does take the approach to time and tide – the outward flow of time – that Kurt Busiek and Alex Ross' Marvels does. No matter how many fantastic things are occurring, the players in this story age. And life takes its toll.
What Zdarsky and artist Mark Bagley are offering is a chance to see one of the greatest superheroes forced to face his trials as a maturing man and not as an eternal boy or boyish man. Spider-Man: Life Story #2 tells me that this series is for real.
9 out of 10
Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"
The text is copyright © 2019 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.
-------------------------
Labels:
Chip Zdarsky,
Frank D'Armata,
Mark Bagley,
Marvel,
Michael Cho,
Review,
Spider-Man
Tuesday, December 3, 2019
Review: JOOK JOINT #1
JOOK JOINT No. 1 (OF 5)
IMAGE COMICS – @ImageComics
[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]
STORY: Tee Franklin
ART: Alitha E. Martinez
COLORS: Shari Chankhamma
LETTERS: Taylor Esposito
EDITOR: Brenda Wright
COVER: Alitha E. Martinez with Shari Chankhamma.
VARIANT COVER ARTISTS: Mike Hawthorne with Jordie Bellaire
28pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (October 2018)
Rated M/Mature
Jook Joint is a new comic book series from writer Tee Franklin (Bingo Love) and artist Alitha E. Martinez (Black Panther: World of Wakanda). The series focuses on a voodoo priestess who is the proprietor of a strange music and social club that resides somewhere outside New Orleans.
Jook Joint #1 opens in the 1950s. Everyone knows that the hottest spot in all of New Orleans is the Jook Joint, where the jazz is always popping and people keep on a-bobbing. The women who work in the club are to die for... and men literally die if they don't follow the Jook Joint's only rule: “Keep your hands to yourself.” Of course, some men don't believe that rules apply to them, and that is when the Jook Joint's owner, Mahalia, and her coven get to enjoy themselves delivering punishment.
Joint Joint #1 is a timely publication in these times when women are pushing forward and coming out of the dark to tell the truth about the abuse, degradation, and violence that they have faced and continue to face at the hands of (mostly) men. In an afterword at the end of this first issue, writer Tee Franklin talks about how Jook Joint emerged from her recovery and healing from the years of hurt and pain she experienced in numerous abusive relationships. Text pieces in Jook Joint #1 offer three phone numbers and two website addresses where abused women and men can seek help after they experience domestic and sexual violence or if they are considering suicide.
Jook Joint #1 does not offer a story so much as it presents an introduction to the world of Mahalia and her Jook Joint. It is an introduction that glorifies in revenge against and punishment of men who plot domestic and sexual violence against women and of men whose sense of entitlement will lead them to commit wanton acts of sexual violence. I think the second issue of Jook Joint is where the story will really begin.
Artist Alitha E. Martinez, who was brilliant in Black Panther: World of Wakanda, offers powerful illustrations and graphics in service of this taste of honeyed revenge. Colorist Shari Chankhamma's old-school, earthy hues recall classic horror comic book coloring, like that found in the Joe Orlando-edited DC Comics titles.
I'm not sure how to describe Taylor Esposito's lettering. It is like a musical accompaniment, conveying the threats of abusive men while capturing the sly sultriness of the warnings given to those men. Then, Esposito's lettering blasts out the avante-garde sounds of bloody punishment.
When I was a kid, a “jook joint” was a trashy club owned or frequented by Black folks, where a jukebox filled the club with music that was intermittently interrupted by gunfire. Jook Joint the comic book ain't trashy, but there will be blood.
9 out of 10
Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"
The text is copyright © 2018 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.
----------------------
IMAGE COMICS – @ImageComics
[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]
STORY: Tee Franklin
ART: Alitha E. Martinez
COLORS: Shari Chankhamma
LETTERS: Taylor Esposito
EDITOR: Brenda Wright
COVER: Alitha E. Martinez with Shari Chankhamma.
VARIANT COVER ARTISTS: Mike Hawthorne with Jordie Bellaire
28pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (October 2018)
Rated M/Mature
Jook Joint is a new comic book series from writer Tee Franklin (Bingo Love) and artist Alitha E. Martinez (Black Panther: World of Wakanda). The series focuses on a voodoo priestess who is the proprietor of a strange music and social club that resides somewhere outside New Orleans.
Jook Joint #1 opens in the 1950s. Everyone knows that the hottest spot in all of New Orleans is the Jook Joint, where the jazz is always popping and people keep on a-bobbing. The women who work in the club are to die for... and men literally die if they don't follow the Jook Joint's only rule: “Keep your hands to yourself.” Of course, some men don't believe that rules apply to them, and that is when the Jook Joint's owner, Mahalia, and her coven get to enjoy themselves delivering punishment.
Joint Joint #1 is a timely publication in these times when women are pushing forward and coming out of the dark to tell the truth about the abuse, degradation, and violence that they have faced and continue to face at the hands of (mostly) men. In an afterword at the end of this first issue, writer Tee Franklin talks about how Jook Joint emerged from her recovery and healing from the years of hurt and pain she experienced in numerous abusive relationships. Text pieces in Jook Joint #1 offer three phone numbers and two website addresses where abused women and men can seek help after they experience domestic and sexual violence or if they are considering suicide.
Jook Joint #1 does not offer a story so much as it presents an introduction to the world of Mahalia and her Jook Joint. It is an introduction that glorifies in revenge against and punishment of men who plot domestic and sexual violence against women and of men whose sense of entitlement will lead them to commit wanton acts of sexual violence. I think the second issue of Jook Joint is where the story will really begin.
Artist Alitha E. Martinez, who was brilliant in Black Panther: World of Wakanda, offers powerful illustrations and graphics in service of this taste of honeyed revenge. Colorist Shari Chankhamma's old-school, earthy hues recall classic horror comic book coloring, like that found in the Joe Orlando-edited DC Comics titles.
I'm not sure how to describe Taylor Esposito's lettering. It is like a musical accompaniment, conveying the threats of abusive men while capturing the sly sultriness of the warnings given to those men. Then, Esposito's lettering blasts out the avante-garde sounds of bloody punishment.
When I was a kid, a “jook joint” was a trashy club owned or frequented by Black folks, where a jukebox filled the club with music that was intermittently interrupted by gunfire. Jook Joint the comic book ain't trashy, but there will be blood.
9 out of 10
Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"
The text is copyright © 2018 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.
----------------------
Labels:
Alitha Martinez,
Black Comics,
Image Comics,
Jordie Bellaire,
Mike Hawthorne,
Neo-Harlem,
Review,
Taylor Esposito,
Tee Franklin
Monday, December 2, 2019
BOOM! Studios from Diamond Distributors for December 4, 2019
BOOM! STUDIOS
AUG191427 ADVENTURE TIME MARCY & SIMON TP $19.99
OCT191403 BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER #10 CVR A MAIN ASPINALL $3.99
OCT191404 BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER #10 CVR B WADA $3.99
OCT191405 BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER #10 CVR C CONNECTING REBELKA VAR $3.99
OCT191406 BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER #10 CVR D PREORDER INZANA VAR $3.99
SEP198918 BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER #10 FOC MERCADO VAR $3.99
SEP198912 FOLKLORDS #1 (OF 5) (3RD PTG) $3.99
OCT191428 GHOSTED IN LA #6 CVR A KEENAN $3.99
OCT191429 GHOSTED IN LA #6 CVR B GRACE VAR $3.99
AUG191391 GO GO POWER RANGERS TP VOL 05 $16.99
SEP191295 JIM HENSON DARK CRYSTAL AGE RESISTANCE #3 CVR A FINDEN $3.99
SEP191296 JIM HENSON DARK CRYSTAL AGE RESISTANCE #3 CVR B MATTHEWS $3.99
SEP198700 JIM HENSON DARK CRYSTAL AGE RESISTANCE #3 FOC KHALIDAH VAR $3.99
OCT191433 OVER GARDEN WALL SOULFUL SYMPHONIES #5 (OF 5) CVR A YOUNG (C $3.99
OCT191434 OVER GARDEN WALL SOULFUL SYMPHONIES #5 (OF 5) PREORDER PENA $3.99
SEP198917 POWER RANGERS TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES #1 BLANK $4.99
OCT191380 POWER RANGERS TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES #1 CVR A MORA $4.99
OCT191381 POWER RANGERS TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES #1 CVR B MONTES ( $4.99
OCT191382 POWER RANGERS TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES #1 CVR C MONTES ( $4.99
OCT191383 POWER RANGERS TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES #1 CVR D MONTES ( $4.99
OCT191384 POWER RANGERS TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES #1 CVR E MONTES ( $4.99
SEP198916 POWER RANGERS TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES #1 FOC VAR $4.99
AUG191421 SMOOTH CRIMINALS TP VOL 02 $14.99
OCT191412 STRANGE SKIES OVER EAST BERLIN #3 $3.99
SEP198913 STRANGE SKIES OVER EAST BERLIN #3 FOC ALLEN VAR $3.99
AUG191427 ADVENTURE TIME MARCY & SIMON TP $19.99
OCT191403 BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER #10 CVR A MAIN ASPINALL $3.99
OCT191404 BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER #10 CVR B WADA $3.99
OCT191405 BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER #10 CVR C CONNECTING REBELKA VAR $3.99
OCT191406 BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER #10 CVR D PREORDER INZANA VAR $3.99
SEP198918 BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER #10 FOC MERCADO VAR $3.99
SEP198912 FOLKLORDS #1 (OF 5) (3RD PTG) $3.99
OCT191428 GHOSTED IN LA #6 CVR A KEENAN $3.99
OCT191429 GHOSTED IN LA #6 CVR B GRACE VAR $3.99
AUG191391 GO GO POWER RANGERS TP VOL 05 $16.99
SEP191295 JIM HENSON DARK CRYSTAL AGE RESISTANCE #3 CVR A FINDEN $3.99
SEP191296 JIM HENSON DARK CRYSTAL AGE RESISTANCE #3 CVR B MATTHEWS $3.99
SEP198700 JIM HENSON DARK CRYSTAL AGE RESISTANCE #3 FOC KHALIDAH VAR $3.99
OCT191433 OVER GARDEN WALL SOULFUL SYMPHONIES #5 (OF 5) CVR A YOUNG (C $3.99
OCT191434 OVER GARDEN WALL SOULFUL SYMPHONIES #5 (OF 5) PREORDER PENA $3.99
SEP198917 POWER RANGERS TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES #1 BLANK $4.99
OCT191380 POWER RANGERS TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES #1 CVR A MORA $4.99
OCT191381 POWER RANGERS TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES #1 CVR B MONTES ( $4.99
OCT191382 POWER RANGERS TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES #1 CVR C MONTES ( $4.99
OCT191383 POWER RANGERS TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES #1 CVR D MONTES ( $4.99
OCT191384 POWER RANGERS TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES #1 CVR E MONTES ( $4.99
SEP198916 POWER RANGERS TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES #1 FOC VAR $4.99
AUG191421 SMOOTH CRIMINALS TP VOL 02 $14.99
OCT191412 STRANGE SKIES OVER EAST BERLIN #3 $3.99
SEP198913 STRANGE SKIES OVER EAST BERLIN #3 FOC ALLEN VAR $3.99
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Cartoon Network,
comics news,
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