Comics, Magazines and Books from Diamond Distributors for January 13, 2021

COMICS & GRAPHIC NOVELS

NOV201485    2000 AD REGENED TP    $13.99
OCT201886    A CENTAURS LIFE GN VOL 19 (MR)    $13.99
APR201493    AMERICAN MYTHOLOGY MONSTERS #1 CVR A MARTINEZ (MR)    $3.99
APR201494    AMERICAN MYTHOLOGY MONSTERS #1 CVR B RACY LTD ED (MR)    $9.99
OCT201887    ANCIENT MAGUS BRIDE FAERIE CASE FILES GN VOL 02 JACK FLASH (    $12.99
NOV201703    APOSIMZ GN VOL 06 (MR)    $12.95
NOV201618    ASCENCIA #1 CVR A TONY PARKER    $3.99
NOV201619    ASCENCIA #1 CVR B BEN OLIVER    $3.99
OCT201667    AUTUMNAL #4 CVR A SHEHAN    $3.99
OCT201668    AUTUMNAL #4 CVR B GOODEN    $3.99
NOV201071    BETTY & VERONICA FRIENDS FOREVER WINTERFEST #1    $2.99
NOV201546    BLACK PANTHER PARTY GRAPHIC HISTORY SC    $19.99
NOV201553    BLADE RUNNER 2029 #2 CVR A MOMOKO    $3.99
NOV201554    BLADE RUNNER 2029 #2 CVR B MEAD    $3.99
NOV201555    BLADE RUNNER 2029 #2 CVR C CARANFA    $3.99
NOV201556    BLADE RUNNER 2029 #2 CVR D COSPLAY CVR    $3.99
OCT201658    BLEED THEM DRY #6 CVR A RUAN    $3.99
OCT201659    BLEED THEM DRY #6 CVR B GORHAM    $3.99
NOV201594    BLOODSHOT (2019) #10 CVR A BISLEY (RES)    $3.99
NOV201595    BLOODSHOT (2019) #10 CVR B NAKAYAMA (RES)    $3.99
AUG201399    BROOKLYN GLADIATOR #3 (OF 5) (MR)    $3.99
AUG201036    CAGASTER GN VOL 04    $12.99
SEP201161    CAPTAIN CANUCK TP VOL 04 SEASON 4 INVASION    $19.99
SEP201372    CAT & CAT HC VOL 03 MY DADS GOT A DATE EW! (RES)    $14.99
NOV201541    CHICKEN LITTLE SAVES MOON BASE GN    $5.95
NOV200959    CIMMERIAN FROST GIANTS DAUGHTER #2 CVR A MIGUEL MERCADO (MR)    $3.99
NOV200960    CIMMERIAN FROST GIANTS DAUGHTER #2 CVR B CHATZOUDIS (MR)    $3.99
NOV200961    CIMMERIAN FROST GIANTS DAUGHTER #2 CVR C LAUFFRAY (MR)    $3.99
NOV200962    CIMMERIAN FROST GIANTS DAUGHTER #2 CVR D CASAS (MR)    $3.99
NOV201495    CONCRETE JUNGLE #4    $3.99
OCT201711    DESTINY LOVERS GN VOL 05    $13.99
NOV201608    DEVILS RED BRIDE #4 CVR A BIVENS (MR)    $3.99
NOV201609    DEVILS RED BRIDE #4 CVR B DANIEL (MR)    $3.99
APR201800    DF BATMAN #91 TYNION SGN    $29.99
APR201797    DF BATMAN #92 PUNCHLINE VAR CGC GRADED    $89.99
DEC191632    DF BATMAN PENNYWORTH #1 TOMASI SGN    $29.99
FEB201720    DF CATWOMAN 80TH ANNIVERSARY SUPER SPECTACULAR #1 KING SGN    $49.99
OCT201353    DF DCEASED DEAD PLANET #1 4TH PTG CGC GRADED    $89.99
JUL191857    DF FLASH FORWARD #1 LOBELL SGN    $29.99
OCT201326    DF PUNCHLINE #1 YASMINE PUTRI CVR CGC GRADED    $89.99
NOV201296    DF SAVAGE DRAGON #252 2ND PTG CGC GRADED (MR)    $75.00
NOV201557    DOCTOR WHO COMICS #3 CVR A HETRICK    $3.99
NOV201558    DOCTOR WHO COMICS #3 CVR B PHOTO    $3.99
NOV201559    DOCTOR WHO COMICS #3 CVR C JONES    $3.99
NOV201707    DONT TOY WITH ME MISS NAGATORO GN VOL 05    $12.95
NOV201155    E RATIC #2    $3.99
OCT201893    GIGANT GN VOL 04 (MR)    $13.99
NOV201542    GOOSE THAT LAID ROTTEN EGG GN    $5.95
NOV191987    HARBINGER WARS 2 DLX HC    $49.99
OCT201655    HEAVY #4 CVR A DONOVAN    $3.99
OCT201656    HEAVY #4 CVR B DANIEL    $3.99
OCT201894    HIDDEN DUNGEON ONLY I CAN ENTER GN VOL 02    $12.99
NOV201834    HINAMATSURI GN VOL 12    $11.95
NOV201387    IGNITED TP VOL 2 FIGHT THE POWER (MR)    $19.99
SEP201286    IRON MAIDEN LEGACY O/T BEAST VOL 2 NIGHT CITY #5 CVR A FLEMI    $3.99
NOV201438    KAIJUMAX SEASON 5 #6 (MR)    $3.99
NOV201414    KNIGHTS OF THE GOLDEN SUN #9    $3.99
OCT201896    KUMA KUMA KUMA BEAR GN VOL 04    $12.99
JUN208514    LEAGUE OF SUPER FEMINISTS HC    $16.95
OCT201736    LIFE LESSONS WITH URAMICHI ONIISAN GN VOL 02 (MR)    $17.99
NOV201003    LONELY RECEIVER #5    $3.99
NOV201152    MANNS WORLD #1 CVR A RAHZZAH (MR)    $3.99
NOV201153    MANNS WORLD #1 CVR B DEODATO JR (MR)    $3.99
OCT201573    NORAH TP VOL 02 (MR)    $14.99
JUL208456    OKAY UNIVERSE GN    $21.95
NOV201417    PANTOMIME #3 (OF 6)    $3.99
OCT201712    PARALLEL PARADISE GN VOL 04    $13.99
NOV201009    PENULTIMAN #4 (OF 5)    $3.99
OCT201111    PIRATES VS NINJAS COLORING BOOK    $4.99
NOV201543    PUNK ROCK MOUSE & COUNTRY MOUSE GN    $5.95
NOV201000    RED ATLANTIS #3    $3.99
OCT201904    ROZI IN THE LABYRINTH GN VOL 01    $12.99
NOV200979    SERIAL #1    $3.99
NOV201510    SOULSTREAM #1    $1.99
NOV201385    SPACE BASTARDS #1 (MR)    $5.99
OCT209079    SPACE BASTARDS #1 CVR B FOC ROBERTSON (MR)    $5.99
OCT209080    SPACE BASTARDS #1 FOC 1 IN 10 BLACK LIGHT VAR (MR)    $5.99
JUL201165    SPIDER-MAN #1 MCFARLANE FACSIMILE ED CGC GRADED    $89.99
SEP200998    SUPERBABES STARRING FEMFORCE #5    $5.95
OCT201906    TAMAMO CHANS A FOX GN VOL 01    $12.99
NOV201160    THE 27 RUN CRUSH #1 PREMIER EDITION    $3.99
NOV201483    THIRD WORLD WAR BOOK 2 BACK TO BABYLON TP    $25.00
NOV201194    TOM & JERRY YR GN COMPUTER MOUSE    $5.95
NOV201195    TOM & JERRY YR GN GROUCHY CAT    $5.95
NOV201196    TOM & JERRY YR GN PURR FECT GETAWAY    $5.95
NOV201197    TOM & JERRY YR GN RUFF LUCK    $5.95
OCT201714    WELCOME TO SUCCUBUS HIGH GN VOL 02    $13.99
NOV201544    WOLF IN UNICORNS CLOTHING GN    $5.95
OCT201713    YUUNA & HAUNTED HOT SPRINGS GN VOL 12    $12.99

MAGAZINES

NOV201209    COMIC SHOP NEWS [90CT BUNDLE] #1743    $PI
NOV201621    CREEPS #29 (MR)    $5.95
NOV201345    FANGORIA VOL 2 #10    $19.79
OCT201304    G FAN #130    $7.95
AUG201687    HOBBY JAPAN NOVEMBER 2020    $20.00
AUG201686    HOBBY JAPAN OCTOBER 2020    $20.00
AUG201689    MEGAMI NOVEMBER 2020    $20.00
AUG201688    MEGAMI OCTOBER 2020    $20.00
AUG201691    NEWTYPE NOVEMBER 2020    $20.00
AUG201690    NEWTYPE OCTOBER 2020    $20.00
SEP201497    STAR WARS INSIDER SOUVENIR EDITION 2021 NEWSSTAND ED    $14.99
SEP201498    STAR WARS INSIDER SOUVENIR EDITION 2021 PX ED    $14.99

BOOKS

NOV201198    BATMAN & BATGIRL UNITE BOOK ABOUT TEAMWORK HC    $17.99
OCT201909    CLASSROOM OF ELITE LIGHT NOVEL SC VOL 07    $13.99
NOV201537    DC SUPER HEROES BATGIRL YR TP BATGIRL & QUEEN OF GREEN    $6.95
NOV201538    DC SUPER HEROES BATMAN YR TP BATMAN & MORPHING MOVIE STAR (C    $6.95
NOV201539    DC SUPER HEROES SUPERGIRL YR TP SUPERGIRL & MAN OF METAL    $6.95
NOV201540    DC SUPER HEROES SUPERMAN YR TP SUPERMAN & BIG BOUNTY    $6.95
NOV201190    DC SUPER PETS YR TP COAST CITY CARNIVAL CHAOS    $5.95
NOV201191    DC SUPER PETS YR TP HORSE SHOW HEIST    $5.95
NOV201193    DC SUPER PETS YR TP ROBIN ROBIN TO THE RESCUE    $5.95
NOV201389    MARVEL COMICS MINI BOOK OF HEROES HC    $11.99
NOV201390    MARVEL COMICS MINI BOOK OF VILLAINS HC    $11.99
OCT201910    MONSTER GIRL DOCTOR LIGHT NOVEL SC VOL 07 (MR)    $14.99

DC Comics from Lunar Distributors for January 12, 2021

DC COMICS:

100 Bullets Omnibus Volume 1 HC, $150.00
American Vampire 1976 #4 (Of 9)(Cover A Rafael Albuquerque), $3.99
American Vampire 1976 #4 (Of 9)(Cover B Mirka Andolfo), AR
Batman The Chalice TP, $19.99
Birds Of Prey Hero Hunters TP, $29.99
Future State Dark Detective #1 (Of 4)(Cover A Dan Mora), $5.99
Future State Dark Detective #1 (Of 4)(Cover B John Paul Leon Card Stock Variant), AR
Future State Dark Detective #1 (Of 4)(Cover C Stanley Artgerm Lau Wonder Woman 1984 Card Stock Variant), AR
Future State Green Lantern #1 (Of 2)(Cover A Clayton Henry), $5.99
Future State Green Lantern #1 (Of 2)(Cover B Jamal Campbell Card Stock Variant), AR
Future State Justice League #1 (Of 2)(Cover A Dan Mora), $5.99
Future State Justice League #1 (Of 2)(Cover B Kael Ngu Card Stock Variant), AR
Future State Justice League #1 (Of 2)(Cover C Jim Lee Wonder Woman 1984 Card Stock Variant), AR
Future State Kara Zor-El Superwoman #1 (Of 2)(Cover A Paulina Ganucheau), $3.99
Future State Kara Zor-El Superwoman #1 (Of 2)(Cover B Alex Garner Card Stock Variant), AR
Future State Robin Eternal #1 (Of 2)(Cover A Emanuela Lupacchino & Irvin Rodriguez), $3.99
Future State Robin Eternal #1 (Of 2)(Cover B Daniel Warren Johnson Card Stock Variant), AR
Future State Superman Wonder Woman #1 (Of 2)(Cover A Lee Weeks), $3.99
Future State Superman Wonder Woman #1 (Of 2)(Cover B Jeremy Roberts Card Stock Variant), AR
Future State Superman Wonder Woman #1 (Of 2)(Cover C Movie Poster Art Wonder Woman 1984 Card Stock Variant), AR
Future State Teen Titans #1 (Of 2)(Cover A Rafa Sandoval), $3.99
Future State Teen Titans #1 (Of 2)(Cover B Dustin Nguyen Card Stock Variant), AR
Future State Teen Titans #1 (Of 2)(Cover C Gabrielle Dell’Otto Wonder Woman 1984 Card Stock Variant), AR
Heroes In Crisis The Price And Other Stories TP (New Edition), $19.99
Sweet Tooth The Return #3 (Of 6)(Cover A Jeff Lemire), $3.99
We Found A Monster TP, $9.99

#IReadsYou Film Review: "AQUAMAN" is a Tsunami of Fun

Aquaman

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

Running time:  143 minutes
MPAA – PG-13 for sequences of sci-fi violence and action, and for some language
DIRECTOR:  James Wan
WRITERS:  David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick and Will Beall; from a story by Geoff Johns, James Wan, Will Beall (based on the character created by Paul Norris and Mort Weisinger and appearing DC Comics)
PRODUCERS:  Rob Cowan and Peter Safran
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Don Burgess    
EDITOR:  Kirk Morri
COMPOSER:  Rupert Gregson-Williams

SUPERHERO/FANTASY/SCI-FI/ACTION/ADVENTURE

Starring:  Jason Momoa, Amber Heard, Willem Dafoe, Patrick Wilson, Dolph Lundgren, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Ludi Lin, Temuera Morrison, Randall Park, Michael Beach, and Nicole Kidman

Aquaman is a 2018 superhero science fiction and fantasy film from director James Wan.  It is the sixth film in the DC Extended Universe (DCEU), which is comprised of films based upon DC Comics characters.  Aquaman was created by artist Paul Norris and editor Mort Weisinger and first appeared in More Fun Comics #73 (cover dated: November 1941).  Aquaman the film focuses on a half-breed who is heir to the throne of an underwater kingdom and his quest to prevent an all-out war between the worlds of the land and the seas.

Aquaman opens in 1985.  Thomas Curry (Temuera Morrison), a lighthouse keeper in Amnesty Bay, Maine, rescues Atlanna (Nicole Kidman), the queen of the underwater kingdom of Atlantis, during a storm.  They fall in love and have a son named Arthur, who has the power to communicate with sea creatures.  Eventually, however, Atlantean soldiers arrive to retrieve Atlanna, who had fled her arranged marriage in Atlantis.

The film movies to the present day, several months after the events depicted in the film, Justice League.  Arthur Curry (Jason Momoa), now also known as the “Aquaman,” attempts to live a normal life in Amnesty Bay, but his Atlantean heritage is about to intrude on his life.  Arthur has a half-brother, Orm Marius (Patrick Wilson), who is the current King of Atlantis and who is also the second son of Atlanna.  Orm is attempting to rally the undersea kingdoms to his cause.  He wants to unite and to attack the surface world for polluting the oceans.  Princess Y'Mera Xebella Challa, also known simply as Mera (Amber Heard), is betrothed to Orm, but refuses to aid him or her father, King Nerius of Xebel (Dolph Lundgren), in their plans.

Mera travels to the surface where she meets Arthur and tries to convince him to help her in stopping Orm.  She also wants Arthur to take his rightful place as King of Atlantis.  Before he does that, however, Arthur must recover a magic artifact, the lost “Sacred Trident of Atlan,” which will mark its possessor as the rightful ruler of Atlantis.  The problem is that Arthur does not want to be King of Atlantis nor anywhere else for that matter.

Watching Aquaman, I could not help but notice that many of its story points and plot elements were glaringly similar to that of Marvel Studios' Black Panther, which debuted earlier in the same year that Aquaman hit theaters, 2018.  Whereas Black Panther was edgy, philosophically in tune with Pan-Africanism, and socially relevant, Aquaman is simply a grand, old-fashioned, action-adventure fantasy film, and there is nothing wrong with that.  Aquaman is solidly entertaining.

If Aquaman must be accused of copying other films, in terms of visual concepts and world-building, Aquaman leans heavily on the Star Wars prequel films and on Tron: Legacy.  And once again, there is nothing wrong with that.  Many big-budget, tent-pole films borrow from other movies of similar to its type.  Aquaman dazzles the eyes and blows the mind.  It is such a spectacular visual effects feast for the eyes, senses, and imagination that I am surprised that it did not get any Oscar nominations in the categories of visual effects, art direction-set decoration, and costume design.  That such a visually resplendent film did not get in Oscar nominations says something about the nominating process of the Academy Awards in many areas.

I must admit that I think that this film does have a few sizable problems.  Aquaman's stiff, overly-formal, highfalutin' dialogue hampers the acting, which isn't all that good to begin with.  The character writing is also average, so it is not as if the actors have much to work with in building strong dramatic characters.  Still, I'd have to be feeling generous to say that Jason Momoa was more than average as Arthur Curry/Aquaman, although he does appear to be trying hard.  Patrick Wilson and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II overact and ham-it-up as Orm and Black Manta, respectively.  Willem Dafoe is practically a wooden idol as Vulko, and Amber Heard seems to think that she is playing Mera in a spoof of a superhero movie rather than acting in a “serious” superhero film.

I would normally give a film with such average character drama on the part of the screenplay and such awkward acting a grade of “B.”  The directing by James Wan is strong enough, however, and, once again, the film is such a visual effects orgasm that I will bump up Aquaman's final grade a little.

B+
7 of 10

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


The text is copyright © 2020 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for syndication rights and fees.

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#IReadsYou Review: SUPER SONS Volume 1: The Polarshield Project

SUPER SONS V. 1: THE POLARSHIELD PROJECT
DC COMICS/DC Zoom – @DCComics

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

STORY: Ridley Pearson – @RidleyPearson
ART: Ile Gonzalez
COLORS: Ile Gonzalez
LETTERS: Saida Temofonte
EDITORS: Ben Abernathy and Michele R. Wells
ISBN:  978-1-4012-8639-2; paperback; (April 2, 2019)
176pp, Color, $9.99 U.S., $13.50 CAN

Age Range: 8 to 12

Superman created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster; Batman created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger; Superboy created by Jerry Siegel

They are the sons of Superman and Batman.  Damian Wayne is the son of Batman/Bruce Wayne and Talia al Ghul (the daughter of Batman nemesis, Ra's al Ghul).  Jonathan “Jon” Samuel Kent is the son of Superman/Clark Kent and Lois Lane.

Jon and Damian became the stars of the comic book series/franchise, Super Sons.  Now, these young heroes make their graphic novel debut in the DC Zoom original graphic novel, Super Sons Book 1: The Polarshield Project, the first book in a three-book series.  The Polarshield Project is written by bestselling novelist, Ridley Pearson; drawn and colored by Ile Gonzalez; and lettered by Saida Temofonte.  Set in the near future, The Polarshield Project finds the sons of Superman and Batman trying to uncover a global conspiracy that begins with an epidemic.

Super Sons Book 1: The Polarshield Project is set on an alternate Earth and not in the mainstream DC Universe.  In the city of Metropolis, Superman is trying to repair the sea walls that protect the city from the rising oceans.  The polar ice caps have nearly melted away, causing devastation to coastal cities like Metropolis.  Even the technology of Bruce Wayne and Wayne Enterprises is struggling to stop Metropolis from drowning.

Erratic, deadly weather forces everyone inland, tearing families apart.  When Metropolis is abandoned, Clark Kent and his family: reporter Lois Lane and their son, Jon Kent, relocate to Wyndemere.  Bruce Wayne and his son, Damian “Ian” Wayne, are also new residents of Wyndemere.

Jon Kent and Damian Wayne are opposites in every way except one; they are the sons of the world's greatest heroes, and these two boys also want to do their heroic best to help the world.  To unravel the the conspiracy of a mystery illness, this unlikely dynamic duo is forced to trust each other and to work together to save the Earth.  Joined by a mysterious girl named Candace and by Jon's friend, a teen girl named Tilly, Jon and Ian will find adventure and danger.

DC Comics' Super Sons has turned out to be an enjoyable teen superhero comic book franchise, in a decade that has seen the arrival of several stellar comic titles featuring teen heroes, including Marvel Comics' Mile Morales/Ultimate Spider-Man and Ms. Marvel.  Jon Kent's affable nature and Damian Wayne's arrogant kid-ninja-assassin are like oil and water, but writer Peter J. Tomasi made them work, in the original Super Sons series, as a believable crime-fighting, adventure-having unit.

In Super Sons Book 1: The Polarshield Project, Ridley Pearson presents his own version of Jon and Damian.  Pearson's Jon Kent is stubborn, more proactive, and uses his powers with a rapidly growing confidence.  Pearson's Damian Wayne does not at all want to be called Damian and goes by the name “Ian.”  Ian is less elite-assassin-in waiting and more like a Batman, Jr.; he is a superhero-in-training, working his way up to having his own real superhero costume.

Pearson's Super Sons is set on an alternate Earth, and the concept is a near-future scenario that is a kind of juvenile science fiction.  This world looks familiar, and young readers will recognize that story's ecological and environmental dangers could very well be our own world's fate.

I don't know to what extent young readers will identify with the characters here or how much they will recognize of our world in the world of The Polarshield Project.  I think that they will identify with the conflicts, dilemmas, and obstacles facing these young characters.  They will identify with the personal and relationship issues.  I think they will also find themselves taking in by Jon, Ian, Candace, and Tilly's call to adventure.  Ridley Pearson, known for his mystery and young adult adventure novels, offers readers engaging mysteries and thrilling adventures here.

DC Comics has been hiring the writers of bestselling young adult novels to author its DC Zoom (readers 8 to 12) and DC Ink (readers 13+) graphic novels.  On the book covers of these graphic novels, the young adult authors get top billing, but the names of the artists are at the very bottom of the cover.

In the case of The Polarshield Project's artist/co-author, Ile Gonzalez, this placement is crock of shit.  Gonzalez is every bit as important as Pearson to the creation of this graphic novel.  She has a wonderful energetic graphic style, and her rich coloring makes this story vibrant.  Here, Gonzalez's art is spiritually related to the comic book art of the early Superman and Batman comic book artists:  Joe Shuster in Action Comics (Superman) and Bob Kane in Detective Comics (Batman).

In terms of graphical storytelling, Gonzalez makes Super Sons Book 1: The Polarshield Project seem like something entirely new.  It is as if Ridley Pearson's Jon Kent, Ian Wayne, the other characters, and the world in which they live are not an alternate take of an established universe, but are instead something fresh and different.

Super Sons Book 1: The Polarshield Project is not perfect.  There are lapses in the narrative that make it seem as if a page or two is missing in some spots.  However, that does not take away from the fact that The Polarshield Project is a damn fun comic book to read.  In fact, it should say so on the cover, “Damn fun to read.”

8 out of 10

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


[This book contains two previews.  The first is preview is of Super Sons Book 2: The Foxglove Mission.  The second is a preview of Dear Justice League by writer Michael Northrop and artist Gustavo Duarte.]


The text is copyright © 2019 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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#IReadsYou Review: NYANKEES Volume 6

NYANKEES VOL. 6
YEN PRESS

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

MANGAKA: Atsushi Okada
TRANSLATION: Caleb D. Cook
LETTERS: Rochelle Gancio
ISBN: 978-1-9753-1109-4; paperback (May 2020); Rated “T” for “Teen”
226pp, B&W, $13.00 U.S., $17.00 CAN

Nyankees is a shonen-action manga written and illustrated by Atsuchi Okada.  It was serialized in the manga magazine, Shounen Ace, from July 2016 to August 2019.  Yen Press is publishing an English-language edition of the manga as a six-volume graphic novel series.

Nyankees is the story of stray cats sometimes told as a fable of human street thugs.  The stray cats are mostly male street cats protecting their turf, keeping other guy-cats from pawing at their girl-cats, and showing everyone who is really boss.

Nyankees, Vol. 6 (Chapters 26 to 31) opens with the tale of Madara, a “calico tom” cat, as told to series regular, Ryuusei.  Madara is connected to Ryuusei's former mentor, Gekka, who is also a calico tom.  Humans believe that a calico tom brings good luck, but many cats believe that calico toms bring nothing but bad luck.

Triggered by his tale, Ryuusei strikes out at Madara with a mighty cat punch, but he realizes that there is more to the calico tom than meets the eye.  Now, untold grudges and secrets and lies are laid bare as the strife in Nekonaki draws to a close... hopefully with a happy ending.

[This volume includes bonus art.]

The Nyankees manga is entirely new to me.  I did like how creator Atsushi Okada draws the characters as street cats and then, as human street thugs.  It is a little off-putting, at first, but soon, the allegory kicks in.

Nyankees Graphic Novel Volume 6 is the final volume of the series.  First, I want to say that the English translation by Caleb D. Cook, one of the best translators of Japanese comics, is wonderfully composed.  These final chapters are epic in scope, but intimate in character drama; Vol. 6 is poignant and sad, but also joyous and hopeful.

Okada gives us a closing suite of chapters that is timeless, as the conflicts, plots, and relationships could repeat themselves for an untold amount of time.  Nyankees Vol. 6 does not say that life is what you make of it or even that it is about the choices you make.  Nyankees ends by saying that life is who not what.  With whom do you make your life, now what you do with it.

Vol. 6 is the only volume of this series that I read (thanks to a review copy).  I can say, however, that it makes me interested in the earlier volumes.

7.5 out of 10

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

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The text is copyright © 2020 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and  syndication rights and fees.


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#IReadsYou Review: HELLBOY WINTER SPECIAL (2016)

HELLBOY WINTER SPECIAL 2016
DARK HORSE COMICS – @DarkHorseComics

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

STORY: Mike Mignola, Scott Allie, Chris Roberson, Chelsea Cain, Dean Rankine
ARTISTS: Tim Sale; Michael Walsh; Michael Avon Oeming; Dean Rankine
COLORS: Dave Stewart; Dean Rankine
LETTERS: Clem Robins
COVER: Tim Sale with Dave Stewart
EDITOR: Scott Allie
VARIANT COVER: Mike Mignola with Dave Stewart
32pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (January 2016)

Hellboy is both a superhero and horror comic book character.  Created by writer-artist Mike Mignola, Hellboy first appeared in San Diego Comic-Con Comics #2 (cover date: August 1993).  The character's debut in his own comic book was Hellboy: Seed of Destruction #1 (March 1994).  However, some of the best Hellboy stories are short stories, and for over two decades, Hellboy shorts have appeared in a number of Hellboy comic books and also in the classic anthology, Dark Horse Presents.

Hellboy Winter Special is a recently published Hellboy anthology that offers four Hellboy short stories and features two covers – a Tim Sale regular cover and a Mike Mignola variant.  The first of the three snowbound stories is “Broken Vessels,” written by Mignola and Scott Allie and drawn by Tim Sale (in his Hellboy or “Mignolaverse” debut).  In the story, which is set in Mignolaverse prehistoric mythology, a warrior shares his campfire with a seemingly deranged man who claims to be a shaman.

Writer Chris Roberson and artist Michael Walsh enter the world of Hellboy in “Wandering Souls,” a Hellboy and the B.P.R.D.: 1953 story.  This tale opens in Sweetwater County, Wyoming in 1953.  Hellboy and Agent Susan Xiang are investigating a seemingly haunted camp, a place where Xiang will discover why she felt so compelled to accompany Hellboy on this mission.

In “Mood Swings,” Chelsea Cain (another Mignolaverse debut) and Michael Avon Oeming present Liz in a bad Christmas mood.  Also, writer-artist Dean Rankine finds fun with Chinese takeout in “Kung Pao Lobster.”

Simply put, I would recommend Hellboy Winter Special not only to Hellboy fans, but also to anyone who has ever read even a single Hellboy short story, let alone a full comic book.  Hellboy is a true fantasy and horror comic book in a way that Doctor Strange and Doctor Fate comic books have never really been.  Hellboy is a superhero, but Hellboy comics and stories (as well as those of the B.P.R.D.) are fantasy that encompasses action-adventure, mystery, ghost stories, fairy tales, folk tales, myth, etc.

Hellboy is truly unique, and Mike Mignola and his collaborators have executed the long narrative of Hellboy and company with inventiveness and imagination.  In a way, what Hellboy is can be said to be largely unseen in North American comic books.  Hellboy Winter Special is a sampler pack, a taste of that Hellboy and Mignolaverse special way.

The one thing I hate about Hellboy Winter Special is that there isn't more of it.  Yeah, I'm ungrateful, but winter is long, so I wish there was a Hellboy “Mid-Winter” special and a “end-of-winter/turn-of-spring” special and “Ides of March” special and a....

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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