Tuesday, July 31, 2012

DC Comics from Diamond Distributors for August 1 2012

DC COMICS

JUN120164 ACTION COMICS #12 $3.99

JUN120167 ACTION COMICS #12 COMBO PACK $4.99

MAY120312 AMAZINGLY STUPID MAD TP $12.99

JUN120206 ANIMAL MAN #12 $2.99

MAY120289 BATMAN NO MANS LAND TP VOL 03 NEW EDITION $34.99

JUN120190 BATWING #12 $2.99

JUN120121 BEFORE WATCHMEN NITE OWL #2 (MR) $3.99

JUN120123 BEFORE WATCHMEN NITE OWL #2 COMBO PACK (MR) $4.99

JUN120181 DETECTIVE COMICS #12 $3.99

JUN120183 DETECTIVE COMICS #12 COMBO PACK $4.99

JUN120204 DIAL H #4 $2.99

JUN120148 EARTH 2 #4 $2.99

DEC110293 FLASH ARCHIVES HC VOL 06 $59.99

JUN120214 GI COMBAT #4 $3.99

JUN120162 GREEN ARROW #12 $2.99

MAY120294 HITMAN TP VOL 07 CLOSING TIME $29.99

MAY120324 HOUSE OF MYSTERY TP VOL 08 DESOLATION (MR) $14.99

JUN120282 IZOMBIE #28 (MR) $2.99

JUN120146 JUSTICE LEAGUE INTERNATIONAL #12 $2.99

JUN120263 LOONEY TUNES #208 $2.99

JUN120203 RED LANTERNS #12 $2.99

JUN120230 SMALLVILLE SEASON 11 #4 $3.99

JUN120215 STORMWATCH #12 $2.99

MAY120285 SUPERBOY TP VOL 01 INCUBATION $14.99

APR120245 SUPERMAN ACTION COMICS HC VOL 01 SUPERMAN MEN OF STEEL $24.99

JUN120207 SWAMP THING #12 $2.99

JUN120285 SWEET TOOTH #36 (MR) $2.99

JUN120150 WORLDS FINEST #4 $2.99

Marvel Comics from Diamond Distributors for August 1 2012

MARVEL COMICS

JUN120676 AGE OF APOCALYPSE #6 $2.99

JUN120609 AVENGERS ACADEMY #34 $2.99

MAY120778 AVENGERS TRIAL OF YELLOWJACKET TP $39.99

MAY128066 AVENGERS VS X-MEN #0 6TH PTG CHO VAR $3.99

MAY128067 AVENGERS VS X-MEN #1 6TH PTG CHEUNG VAR $3.99

MAY128068 AVENGERS VS X-MEN #2 6TH PTG CHEUNG VAR $3.99

JUN120592 AVENGERS VS X-MEN #9 AVX $3.99

JUN120614 AVENGING SPIDER-MAN #10 $3.99

JUN120655 DAREDEVIL #16 $2.99

JUN120700 DEADPOOL KILLS MARVEL UNIVERSE #1 $2.99

JUN120649 DEFENDERS #9 $3.99

JUN120677 FIRST X-MEN #1 $3.99

JUN120704 FURY MAX #5 (MR) $3.99

JUN120659 HAWKEYE #1 $2.99

MAY120777 INCREDIBLE HULK REGRESSION TP $39.99

JUN120651 INVINCIBLE IRON MAN #522 $3.99

MAR120653 IRON MAN PREM HC REVENGE OF MANDARIN $39.99

JUN120674 MUPPETS #2 $2.99

MAR120638 NEW X-MEN OMNIBUS HC NEW PTG $125.00

JUN120624 PETER PARKER SPIDER-MAN #156.1 $2.99

MAY120770 PUNISHER BY GREG RUCKA TP VOL 01 $16.99

MAY120780 THING CLASSIC TP VOL 02 $34.99

JUN120633 ULTIMATE COMICS SPIDER-MAN #13 DWF $3.99

JUN120685 X-FACTOR #241 $2.99

MAR120651 X-FORCE CHILDS PLAY PREM HC $39.99

JUN120689 X-MEN #33 $3.99

MAY120771 X-MEN FF TP $16.99

MAR120649 X-MEN ICEMAN PREM HC $24.99

MAR120655 X-MEN OPERATION ZERO TOLERANCE HC $75.00

IDW Publishing from Diamond Distributors for August 1 2012

IDW PUBLISHING

JUN120408 30 DAYS OF NIGHT ONGOING #9 [DIG] $3.99

JUN120409 30 DAYS OF NIGHT ONGOING TP VOL 02 $17.99

JUN120393 CAPE 1969 #2 [DIG] $3.99

MAY120443 CLASSIC GI JOE TP VOL 15 $24.99

JUN120422 CRAWL TO ME HC EVIL EDGAR ED $24.99

JUN120330 DEADWORLD WAR O/T DEAD #1 [DIG] $3.99

JUN120353 DUNGEONS & DRAGONS DARK SUN TP VOL 01 $19.99

MAY120450 INFECTED #1 [DIG] $3.99

JUN120384 LOVE AND CAPES WHAT TO EXPECT #1 $3.99

JUN120415 MICHAEL KALUTA SKETCHBOOK SERIES SC VOL 02 $9.99

MAY120462 MONOCYTE HC $49.99

MAR120369 TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES ULT COLL HC VOL 03 $49.99

JUN120382 TRANSFORMERS REGENERATION ONE #82 [DIG] $3.99

Dark Horse Comics from Diamond Distributors for August 1 2012

DARK HORSE COMICS

APR120047 ARCHIE ARCHIVES HC VOL 06 $49.99
JUN120009 BEASTS OF BURDEN NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH ONE SHOT $3.50
MAR120059 BLADE OF THE IMMORTAL TP VOL 25 $19.99
APR120051 CLASSIC MARVEL CHARACTERS SERIES 2 #1 THOR $49.95
MAR120060 DRIFTERS TP VOL 02 (MR) $12.99
MAY120020 MIND MGMT #3 $3.99

Image Comics from Diamond Distributors from August 1 2012

IMAGE COMICS

JUN120535 ALPHA GIRL #4 (MR) $2.99
JUN120423 BLACK KISS II #1 (MR) $2.99
MAY128158 DANCER #2 2ND PTG $3.50
JUN120551 EPIC KILL #4 $2.99
JUL110524 GODLAND #36 [DIG] $3.99
JUN120439 HARVEST #1 (MR) $3.50
MAY128286 MANHATTAN PROJECTS #4 2ND PTG $3.50
MAY120618 MIND THE GAP #3 [DIG] $2.99
JAN120592 MONDO #3 (MR) [DIG] $4.99
MAY128149 SAGA #4 2ND PTG (MR) $2.99
MAY128287 THIEF OF THIEVES #6 2ND PTG $2.99
JUN120577 THIEF OF THIEVES #7 $2.99
JUN120435 THINK TANK #1 CVR A EKEDAL & REBER $3.99

Comics, Magazines and Books from Diamond Distributors for August 1 2012

COMICS & GRAPHIC NOVELS

APR121201 2000 AD #1789 $5.25

MAY121253 2000 AD #1790 $5.25

MAY121254 2000 AD #1791 $5.25

APR121203 ABSALOM GHOSTS OF LONDON GN $17.99

JUN120999 BONE COLOR ED SC VOL 07 GHOST CIRCLES NEW PTG $10.99

JUN121025 BOYS #69 (MR) $3.99

MAR120720 CAVEWOMAN NATURAL SELECTION #1 $3.75

MAY121231 COURTNEY CRUMRIN ONGOING #4 $3.99

NOV111017 DARK SHADOWS COMP SERIES HC VOL 04 $49.99

JUN121014 DARK SHADOWS VAMPIRELLA #1 $3.99

MAY121174 DEAD AHEAD TP VOL 01 $19.95

JUN121109 DF DARK SHADOWS VAMPIRELLA #1 EXC CVR $14.99

MAY120786 DINOCORPS GN $15.99

MAR120741 DIVE GN $12.95

JUN120756 DOUBLE JUMPERS #2 (MR) $3.99

DEC111103 EXTINCTION SEED #3 $2.99

MAY120933 FUTURAMA COMICS #62 $2.99

JUN120956 GARFIELD #4 [DIG] $3.99

FEB120707 GIRL GENIUS HC VOL 11 HAMMERLESS BELL $48.95

FEB120708 GIRL GENIUS TP VOL 11 HAMMERLESS BELL $22.95

MAY120827 HELLDORADO EAST EATS WEST TP (MR) $9.99

MAY120955 HIGHER EARTH #3 MAIN CVRS [DIG] $3.99

JUN120901 HYPERNATURALS #2 MAIN CVRS [DIG] $3.99

MAY121258 JUDGE DREDD INFERNO GN $19.99

MAY120830 KUNG FU PANDA TP VOL 01 EVERYONE IS KUNG FU FIGHTING $19.99

MAY120998 LADY DEATH (ONGOING) HC VOL 02 (MR) $27.99

MAY120999 LADY DEATH (ONGOING) HC VOL 02 SIGNED ED (MR) $34.99

MAY120997 LADY DEATH (ONGOING) TP VOL 02 (MR) $19.99

MAY120855 MEGA MAN TP VOL 03 RETURN OF DR. WILY $11.99

APR121049 MERCILESS RISE OF MING #3 $3.99

APR121167 MONSTER DINOSAUR HC $9.99

DEC111265 NEVERLAND HOOK TP (MR) $12.99

MAY121056 NINJETTES #6 (MR) $3.99

FEB121037 NO STRAIGHT LINES QUEER COMICS HC $35.00

APR120783 PENGUINS OF MADAGASCAR VOL 2 #1 $3.99

MAY120920 PENNY FOR YOUR SOUL FALSE PROPHET #6 (MR) $3.50

MAY120801 PINOCCHIO VAMPIRE SLAYER GN VOL 02 $14.95

JUN120910 PLANET OF THE APES ANNUAL #1 [DIG] $4.99

APR120980 RASL #15 (MR) $4.99

JUN121080 ROBERT JORDAN WHEEL OF TIME EYE O/T WORLD #28 $3.99

DEC111102 ROUTE DES MAISONS ROUGES TP VOL 01 (MR) $19.99

MAY121259 SAVAGE THE GUVNOR GN $24.99

MAY121021 SHADOW #4 $3.99

MAY120935 SIMPSONS ILLUSTRATED #3 $3.99

MAY120856 SONIC THE HEDGEHOG #239 [D+] $2.99

MAY120858 SONIC UNIVERSE TP VOL 03 KNUCKLES RETURNS $11.99

JUN120833 SOULFIRE VOL 4 #1 CVR A DEBALFO $3.99

JUN120834 SOULFIRE VOL 4 #1 CVR B TURNER $3.99

APR120786 STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE VOL 2 #1 $3.99

MAY121260 STRONTIUM DOG LIFE & DEATH OF JOHNNY ALPHA GN $24.99

APR120975 TAROT WITCH OF THE BLACK ROSE TP VOL 10 PX LTD ED (MR) $34.99

JUN121069 THE LONE RANGER #8 $3.99

JUN121044 THE SPIDER #4 $3.99

MAY120921 URSA MINOR #2 (MR) $3.50

MAY121007 WAR GODDESS #9 (MR) $3.99

MAY121008 WAR GODDESS #9 SULTRY CVR (MR) $3.99

MAY121009 WAR GODDESS #9 WRAP CVR (MR) $3.99

MAR120945 WARLORD OF MARS #20 (MR) $3.99

MAY121076 WARLORD OF MARS TP VOL 02 (MR) $24.99

MAR120700 WHITE KNUCKLE GN (MR) $15.99

MAY120862 WORLD OF ARCHIE DOUBLE DIGEST #20 [DIG/D+] $3.99

MAGAZINES
MAY121777 BRICKJOURNAL #20 $8.95
APR121363 CLASSIC MARVEL FIG COLL MAG #178 DOMINO $14.00
APR121364 CLASSIC MARVEL FIG COLL MAG #179 LADY SIF $14.00
APR121376 COMIC HEROES MAGAZINE #13 $17.99
JUN121408 COMIC SHOP NEWS #1311 PI
APR121365 DC CHESS FIG COLL MAG SPECIAL #1 BATMAN AND JOKER $38.00
MAR121322 DC SUPERHERO CHESS FIG COLL MAG #10 COMMISSIONER GORDON WHIT $16.00
APR121366 DC SUPERHERO CHESS FIG COLL MAG #11 RAS AL GHUL BLACK BISHOP $16.00
APR121369 DC SUPERHERO FIG COLL MAG #112 RED HOOD & THE OUTLAWS $14.00
APR121370 DC SUPERHERO FIG COLL MAG #113 METALLO $14.00
MAY121459 DIABOLIQUE #11 $9.98
JUN121482 DOC SAVAGE DOUBLE NOVEL VOL 60 BAMA CVR $14.95
JUN121481 DOC SAVAGE DOUBLE NOVEL VOL 60 REG CVR $14.95
APR121392 DR WHO MAGAZINE #449 $8.99
APR121202 JUDGE DREDD MEGAZINE #325 $12.25
MAY121411 NON SPORT UPDATE VOL 23 #4 $5.99
JUN121483 SHADOW DOUBLE NOVEL VOL 63 $14.95
MAR121409 STAR WARS FIG COLL MAG #52 HOTH REBEL TROOPER $14.00
APR121437 STAR WARS FIG COLL MAG #53 SCOUT TROOPER $14.00
APR121438 STAR WARS FIG COLL MAG #54 ZUCKUSS $14.00
MAY121496 STAR WARS FIG COLL MAG #56 4-LOM $14.00
JUN121488 STAR WARS FIG COLL MAG #58 DENGAR $14.00
MAY121497 STAR WARS INSIDER #135 NEWSSTAND ED $6.99
MAY121498 STAR WARS INSIDER #135 PX ED $6.99

BOOKS
JUN121389 ART OF GEARS OF WAR 3 HC $65.00
MAY121402 BLOOD RITUALS ART OF TOM BAXA SC (MR) $24.99
APR121430 CHRISTOPHER NOLAN BATMAN ART & MAKING DARK KNIGHT TRILOGY $40.00
MAY121424 COMIC BOOKS AND COLD WAR 1946-1962 SC $40.00
JUN121475 DAYS OF DESTRUCTION DAYS OF REVOLT HC $28.00
MAY121308 DISGAEART DISGAEA OFF ILLUST COLL SC $39.99
MAR121350 DOCTOR WHO & LOCH NESS MONSTER MMPB $6.99
MAR121349 DOCTOR WHO THE THREE DOCTORS MMPB $6.99
JUN121468 HARRY POTTER POSTER COLLECTION DEFINITIVE MOVIE POSTERS SC $24.99
MAY121776 LEGO HARRY POTTER CHARACTERS MAGICAL WORLD HC $18.99
MAY121480 LOST IN SPACE ENCYCLOPEDIA II $39.95
MAR121217 SHINING FORCE FEATHER OFF DESIGN WORKS SC $39.99
APR121953 WARHAMMER 40K MACHARIAN CRUSADE ANGEL OF FIRE HC $24.99
APR121955 WARHAMMER VALKIA THE BLOODY MMPB $8.99

Saturday, July 28, 2012

Leroy Douresseaux Keeps it Real @ComicBookBin

On August 8, 2012, the ComicBookBin celebrates its 10th birthday.  I actually didn't start writing for the comic book and pop culture website and web magazine until the summer of 2003.

In celebration, the @ComicBookBin's owner and boss editor-in-chief, Herve St. Louis, is writing a series about the Bin's writers.  Here is the one he wrote about me: http://www.comicbookbin.com/Leroy_Douresseaux001.html

I blushed...

Valiant Comics Offers 5 Releases in October 2012

VALIANT Solicitations For OCTOBER 2012

ARCHER & ARMSTRONG #3
Written by FRED VAN LENTE
Art by CLAYTON HENRY
Cover by ARTURO LOZZI
Character Design Cover by DAVID AJA

Fnord!

Those email forwards Grandma sends you? ALL TRUE. Every lurid cover of every supermarket tabloid? ALL TRUE. That impossible-to-read GeoCities site rambling on about truthers, birthers and black ops alien greys working for the U.N.? ALL TRUE. The Sect has dragged a curtain of confusion across the inner workings of your world, but fear not, the conspiracy-busters Archer & Armstrong are here to deliver Truth in the form of ass-kicking! (And ass-kicking in the form of ass-kicking.) Our heroes' newfound friendship will face its greatest test as they battle The Sisters of Perpetual Darkness – the Nunjas ("ninja" + "nun") who guard Rome’s blasphemous secrets. Obadiah Archer thought he had been betrayed by his family before, but nothing can prepare him for this!

Also: the existence of God will be proven for all time. Or disproven. One of the two.
$3.99/Rated T+/32 pgs.
ON SALE OCTOBER 10th

--

BLOODSHOT #4
Written by DUANE SWIERCZYNSKI
Art by MANUEL GARCIA
Cover by ARTURO LOZZI
Character Design Cover by DAVID AJA

They call you Project Bloodshot, but you had a real name once.

You were born, raised, maybe even loved. And at some point, some evil bastards filled your head with dozens of false memories to motivate you, restrain you, control you. And oh, what they made you do in the name of national security… But what if one of those memories wasn’t false? What if you had a real wife and a child somewhere in the world who thought you were dead? Wouldn’t you go through seven kinds of violent hell to find them? Congrats. Your wish is about to be granted…

$3.99/Rated T+/32 pgs.
ON SALE OCTOBER 10th

--

HARBINGER #5
Written by JOSH DYSART
Art by KHARI EVANS
Cover by MICO SUAYAN
Character Design Cover by DAVID AJA

Toyo Harada and Peter Stanchek. Master and apprentice. Creator and destroyer. Alpha and omega.

Humanity’s most powerful psionic, Pete Stanchek, has been run to ground. His few friends and family are gone. He is loved is by no one. At the nadir of his brief, 18-year existence, he has been drugged, deceived and deluded by a corporate master. But now he’s finally had enough. Tonight, the human race will find out exactly how powerful he is. Tonight, the boy who has nothing will go to war against the man who has everything. And soon the Valiant Universe will discover that anything can end – even the world.

$3.99/Rated T+/32 pgs.
ON SALE OCTOBER 17th

--

X-O MANOWAR #6
Written by ROBERT VENDITTI
Art by LEE GARBETT
Cover by DOUG BRAITHWAITE
Variant Cover by PATRICK ZIRCHER
Character Design Cover by JELENA KEVIC-DJURDJEVIC

Ninjak vs. X-O Manowar: Round II!

Aric of Dacia has bonded with the most powerful weapon in the universe, but his command of the sentient X-O Manowar armor will lead him to cross swords with Ninjak, the world’s most skilled weapons specialist. Hired by members of The Vine hidden deep within Earth’s governments, Ninjak has been sent to bring back the Manowar armor at any cost. It’s raw power versus stealth and cunning in the second installment of the espionage-edged thriller that pits two of Valiant’s most popular heroes against each other – to the death.

$3.99/Rated T+/32 pgs.
ON SALE OCTOBER 17th

--

VALIANT MASTERS: BLOODSHOT VOL. 1 HC
BLOOD OF THE MACHINE
Written by Kevin VanHook
Art by Don Perlin, Andrew Wendel and Ted Halsted
Cover by Barry Windsor-Smith

The first in an all-new library of Valiant classics!

Collected for the first time anywhere, the best-selling title of the 90s is back! Re-presenting the first arc of his original adventures in the VH1 Valiant Universe, Bloodshot comes armed to the teeth with bullets, nanites – and questions. With all of New York as his battlefield, Bloodshot wages a one-man war for the secrets to his past. But with the whole of New York’s mafia underground hot on his tail, he’ll soon realize that some questions are better left unanswered! With appearances from Ninjak, Eternal Warrior, Rai and more, no fan can miss this essential piece of Valiant history! Collecting BLOODSHOT (1994) #1-8 and featuring AN ALL-NEW, NEVER–BEFORE-SEEN STORY by the original creative team of Kevin VanHook and Don Perlin.

$24.99/Rated T+/200 pgs.
ON SALE OCTOBER 24th

Friday, July 27, 2012

Review: Karen Marie Moning's Fever Moon

FEVER MOON (OGN)
BALLANTINE BOOKS/DEL REY

STORY/CREATOR: Karen Marie Moning
ADAPTATION/SCRIPT: David Lawrence
PENCILS: Al Rio, Cliff Richards
INKS: Julia Pinto, Joe Pimentel, and Dan Borgones
COLORS: Katrina Mae Hao and Rainier Beredo
LETTERS: Zachary R. Matheny
COVER: Al Rio with Stephen Youll and Mae Hao
ISBN: 978-0-345-52548-2; hardcover
192pp, Color, $25.00 U.S., $29.95 CAN

Karen Marie Moning is a New York Times bestselling author and has won the RITA Award from the Romance Writers of America. Moning is the author of a popular series of urban fantasy novels known as the “Fever Series.” Moning makes her first foray into the world of comic books with Fever Moon, an original graphic novel. Fever Dream corresponds with the events depicted in Moning’s novel, Shadowfever (January 2011).

Moning wrote a new story specifically for this graphic novel, which David Lawrence turned into a script for a comic book. Lawrence is known for his work adapting novels into comic books, having adapted the works of fantasy novelist Patricia Briggs into comic book for Del Rey. Al Rio provided most of the pencil art for this graphic novel before his death; fellow Brazilian artist, Cliff Richards, finished penciling the Fever Moon.

As in the “Fever” novels, the star of Fever Moon is MacKayla Lane, who was a normal 20-something, small town, Georgia girl before tragedy struck. She travels to Ireland to investigate the murder of her sister, where she learns that the Celtic folklore concerning fairies is true. The “Fae” are split into the Light (Seelie) and Dark (Unseelie) and their war has spilled over into the human world. MacKayla becomes a “sidhe-ser,” a person who can see the Fae for who and what they are, even when they use glamour to hide their true appearances.

Now, MacKayla is facing an eerie, dangerous being that steals parts of people faces – an ear here, an eye there, a random mouth, etc. Appearing as a tall, gaunt, faceless man nattily dressed in tailcoat and spats, he is terrorizing Dublin and leaving his victims in a coma. MacKayla not only has to discover what kind of creature the attacker is; she must also find a way to stop him. And time is not on MacKayla’s side.

I must admit that it was not until I received a review copy of Fever Moon with press materials from Del Rey that I learned that Al Rio had died. I had become a fan of his work in recent years because his art style was a funky kind of ersatz J. Scott Campbell. Rio did his Campbell thing on Fever Moon; in fact, MacKayla Lane looks like she came out of Campbell’s infrequently published comic book property, Danger Girl. The art here is such a Danger Girl knockoff that I often found it off-putting. Rio’s style is so prominent that it is hard not to notice the change when Cliff Richards takes over as pencil artist. Richard’ style, at least the one here, is non-descript.

Perhaps, the easy thing to do is to say that the art, regardless of style, works from a storytelling point of view; there is a functional quality to it. Combined with the captions and word balloons, the reader can easily figure out what’s going on in the story because of the clear graphical storytelling. Like the art, the story is also efficient. Lawrence translates Moning’s story and the world of “Fever” in such a way that he quickly gets the reader into the story, lest that reader become frustrated and leave, which you won’t.

Lawrence makes sure you understand the characters, settings, and over-arching plot, and “Fever,” at least as far as Fever Moon is concerned, is a fun place to be. Whatever the novels may be, Fever Moon works as a comic book. It has a weird, pulp-inspired quality that made me think that Fever Moon exists outside of any book series. It is genuinely a comic book, so the people behind this graphic novel succeeded. They created an independent urban fantasy comic book, and a good one, at that.

B+


Thursday, July 26, 2012

I Reads You Review: Bad Medicine #2

"Good Medicine, actually"
BAD MEDICINE #2
ONI PRESS

WRITERS: Nunzio DeFilippis and Christina Weir
ART: Christopher Mitten
COLORS: Bill Crabtree
LETTERS: Douglas E. Sherwood
28pp, Color, $3.99 U.S.

Published by Oni Press, Bad Medicine is a new kind of crime comic book series from the husband and wife writing team of Nunzio DeFilippis and Christina Weir and artist Christopher Mitten (Wasteland). In an interview with the website, Comic Book Resources, Weir described Bad Medicine as “a sci-fi/horror medical procedural” that focuses on a team put together by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) to “investigate strange diseases and outbreaks that science can't explain.”

The series opened with the discovery of a corpse without a head, but it turned out that the head was still attached to the body. The head was just invisible. The body belonged to a lab assistant named Matt Dalton, and his superior, Dr. Charles Keefer, is the lead suspect or “person of interest.” Disgraced physician Dr. Randal Horne has been traveling the world studying different alternative medicines and non-western views of science. He returns to New York City to help NYPD Detective Joely Huffman unravel this strange, possible homicide case.

As Bad Medicine #2 (“Unseen” Part 2 of 2) opens, Dr. Keefer, now an invisible man, strikes. How can Horne and Huffman bring in someone they cannot see? Also, surprising decisions from the CDC only complicate matters.

I can happily say that the first issue of Bad Medicine was not a fluke. The opening story arc offers a nice, new take on the crazy invisible man tale, but what has made this series already a success is the excellent character writing. It isn’t the sci-fi gimmick/trope that drives this narrative; the intriguing players are the drivers. I must say, however, that this issue’s epilogue that acts as a prologue to the third issue does offer a killer genre hook.

Readers looking for something different and something good in crime comics will go to Drs. DeFilippis and Weir for a prescription of Bad Medicine.

A

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Bakuman: Artist and Manga Artist

I read Bakuman., Vol. 12

I posted a review at the ComicBookBin (which has free comics).


Saw "The Dark Knight Rises;" Found it Bloated and Self-Important

I forgot to post this link: http://www.negromancer.com/2012/07/the-dark-knight-rises.html from my movie review blog, Negromancer.  I rushed to the local theatre for the earliest show of The Dark Knight Rises, and I knew I was not going to like the movie from the opening air plane hijack set piece.  I don't know if Nolan was desperate to start the film off with a bang or if he just doesn't have an overkill filter.  And Hans Zimmer needs a muzzle.

Tuesday, July 24, 2012

DC Comics from Diamond Distributors for July 25 2012

DC COMICS

MAY120263 ALL STAR WESTERN #11 $3.99

MAY120320 AMERICAN VAMPIRE #29 (MR) $2.99

MAY120201 AQUAMAN #11 $2.99

MAY120220 BATMAN INCORPORATED #3 $2.99 (release reportedly suspended)

MAY120223 BATMAN INCORPORATED #3 COMBO PACK $3.99 (release reportedly suspended)

MAY120231 BATMAN THE DARK KNIGHT #11 $2.99

MAY120188 BEFORE WATCHMEN COMEDIAN #2 (MR) $3.99

MAY120190 BEFORE WATCHMEN COMEDIAN #2 COMBO PACK (MR) $4.99

MAY120307 DC COMICS PRESENTS WONDER WOMAN ADVENTURES #1 $7.99

MAY120207 FLASH #11 $2.99

MAY120209 FURY OF FIRESTORM THE NUCLEAR MEN #11 $2.99

APR120253 GREEN ARROW TP VOL 01 INTO THE WOODS $14.99

MAY120242 GREEN LANTERN #11 $2.99

MAY120244 GREEN LANTERN #11 COMBO PACK $3.99

MAY120246 GREEN LANTERN NEW GUARDIANS #11 $2.99

APR120248 GRIFTER TP VOL 01 MOST WANTED $16.99

MAY120254 I VAMPIRE #11 $2.99

MAY120252 JUSTICE LEAGUE DARK #11 $2.99

MAY120311 MAD PRESENTS BATMAN #1 $5.99

MAY120271 NATIONAL COMICS ETERNITY #1 $3.99

MAY120329 NEW DEADWARDIANS #5 (MR) $2.99

MAY120211 SAVAGE HAWKMAN #11 $2.99

APR120293 SCALPED TP VOL 09 KNUCKLE UP (MR) $14.99

MAY120328 SPACEMAN #8 (MR) $2.99

MAY120216 SUPERMAN #11 $2.99

MAY120305 SUPERMAN FAMILY ADVENTURES #3 $2.99

MAY120266 TEEN TITANS #11 $2.99

MAY120262 VOODOO #11 $2.99

APR120258 WONDER WOMAN ODYSSEY TP VOL 01 $14.99

DC COMICS/DC COLLECTIBLES
APR120305 DC COMICS THE NEW 52 CYBORG BUST $69.95
APR120309 JUST US LEAGUE SER 1 AQUAMAN AF (RES) PI
APR120311 JUST US LEAGUE SER 1 GREEN ARROW AF (RES) PI
APR120313 JUST US LEAGUE SER 1 SUPERMAN AF (RES) PI
MAY128125 JUSTICE LEAGUE AQUAMAN AF WAVE 1 PI
MAY128124 JUSTICE LEAGUE GREEN LANTERN AF WAVE 1 PI

Marvel Comics from Diamond Distributors for July 25 2012

MARVEL COMICS

MAY120668 AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #690 $3.99

MAY120708 ASTONISHING X-MEN #52 $3.99

MAY120649 AVENGERS #28 AVX $3.99

MAY128151 AVENGERS VS X-MEN #3 3RD PTG CHEUNG VAR $3.99

MAY120680 CAPTAIN AMERICA #15 $3.99

MAY120682 CAPTAIN AMERICA AND IRON MAN #634 $2.99

MAY120763 DAREDEVIL BY MARK WAID TP VOL 01 $15.99

MAY120660 DARK AVENGERS #178 $2.99

MAY120723 DEADPOOL #58 $2.99

MAY120692 FF #20 $2.99

MAY120731 HIT-GIRL #2 (MR) $2.99

MAY120688 INCREDIBLE HULK #11 $3.99

MAY120677 JOHN CARTER GODS OF MARS #5 $2.99

MAY120702 MARVEL UNIVERSE ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN #4 $2.99

MAY120686 MIGHTY THOR #17 $3.99

MAY120738 MMW FANTASTIC FOUR TP VOL 08 $24.99

MAY120775 RED HULK TP HAUNTED $16.99

MAY120657 SECRET AVENGERS #29 $3.99

MAY120754 SECRET AVENGERS BY RICK REMENDER PREM HC VOL 01 $24.99

MAY120774 THOR DEVIANTS SAGA TP $16.99

MAY120768 ULTIMATE COMICS HAWKEYE BY JONATHAN HICKMAN TP $14.99

MAY120662 ULTIMATE COMICS ULTIMATES #13 DWF $3.99

MAY120756 ULTIMATE COMICS X-MEN BY NICK SPENCER PREM HC VOL 02 $24.99

MAY120712 UNCANNY X-FORCE #28 $3.99

MAY120675 VENOM #21 $2.99

MAY120681 WINTER SOLDIER #8 $2.99

MAY120656 WOLVERINE AND X-MEN #14 AVX $3.99

MAY120652 X-MEN LEGACY #270 AVX $2.99

MAY120759 X-MEN STEVE ROGERS ESCAPE FROM NEGATIVE ZONE TP $14.99

MAY120705 X-TREME X-MEN #1 $2.99

IDW Publishing from Diamond Distributors for July 25 2012

IDW PUBLISHING

APR120328 ARAGONES GROO THE WANDERER ARTIST ED HC PI
MAY120457 ART OF MOLLY CRABAPPLE SC VOL 02 DEVIL IN THE DETAILS $12.99
MAY120352 CROW MIDNIGHT LEGENDS GN VOL 01 DEAD TIME $17.99
MAY120396 GHOSTBUSTERS ONGOING #11 $3.99
MAY120424 GODZILLA ONGOING #3 $3.99
JAN120432 HAWKEN #5 $3.99
APR120325 KISS GREATEST HITS TP VOL 01 $19.99
MAY120437 SNAKE EYES & STORM SHADOW #15 $3.99
MAY120417 TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES ONGOING #12 $3.99
MAY120419 TMNT MICRO SERIES #6 CASEY JONES $3.99
MAY120364 TRANSFORMERS AUTOCRACY TP $19.99
APR120354 TRANSFORMERS CLASSICS UK TP VOL 03 $29.99
MAY120366 TRANSFORMERS MORE THAN MEETS EYE ONGOING #7 $3.99
MAY120365 TRANSFORMERS ROBOTS IN DISGUISE ONGOING TP VOL 01 $19.99
MAY120446 TRIO #3 $3.99
MAY120429 TRUE BLOOD ONGOING #3 $3.99
FEB128228 WALLY WOOD EC STORIES ARTIST ED HC 2ND PTG (NEW CVR) $125.00

Dark Horse Comics from Diamond Distributors for July 25 2012

DARK HORSE COMICS

MAY120049 ANGEL & FAITH #12 STEVE MORRIS CVR $2.99
MAY120010 AXE COP PRESIDENT O/T WORLD #1 $3.50
MAY120055 BPRD HELL ON EARTH EXORCISM #2 $3.50
MAR120019 DRAGON AGE HC VOL 01 SILENT GROVE $14.99
MAY120057 GOON #40 $3.50
APR120053 GOON FISH CANNERS JERSEY LG $34.99
APR120052 GOON FISH CANNERS JERSEY MED $34.99
APR120054 GOON FISH CANNERS JERSEY XL $34.99
APR120055 GOON FISH CANNERS JERSEY XXL $36.99
MAR128224 HELLBOY TP 03 CHAINED COFFIN AND OTHERS $19.99
MAR128226 HELLBOY TP VOL 10 CROOKED MAN & OTHERS (NEW PTG) $19.99
MAR120036 KULL TP VOL 03 THE CAT & THE SKULL $15.99
MAY120024 MASS EFFECT HOMEWORLDS #3 PALUMBO CVR $3.50
MAY120026 RESIDENT ALIEN #3 $3.50
MAY120029 STAR WARS BLOOD TIES BOBA FETT IS DEAD #4 $3.50
MAR128225 STAR WARS CRIMSON EMPIRE II COUNCIL BLOOD TP (NEW PTG) $17.99
MAY120027 STAR WARS DARTH MAUL DEATH SENTENCE #1 $2.99

Image Comics from Diamond Distributors for July 25 2012

IMAGE COMICS

NOV110378 ARTIFACTS DELUXE HC $99.99
MAY120523 BATULA HC $16.99
MAY120498 CHEW SECRET AGENT POYO #1 SDCC CVR (MR) $3.50
MAY120516 DEBRIS #1 (MR) $3.50
JAN120583 ELEPHANTMEN #41 (MR) $3.99
MAY120544 ELEPHANTMEN HC VOL 05 DEVILISH FUNCTIONS (MR) $34.99
MAY120550 GATECRASHER TP VOL 01 RING OF FIRE $12.99
OCT110545 GRAVEYARD OF EMPIRES #4 (RES) (MR) $2.99
MAY120609 GRIM LEAPER #3 (MR) $3.50
FEB120506 HAUNT #25 $2.99
MAY120617 MANHATTAN PROJECTS #5 $3.50
MAY128148 MIND THE GAP #2 2ND PTG $2.99
MAY120620 NEAR DEATH #10 $2.99
MAY120623 PROPHET #27 $2.99
MAR120444 REED GUNTHER TP VOL 02 $14.99
MAY120629 SUPER DINOSAUR #12 $2.99
MAY120530 THE MONOLITH HC $17.99

IMAGE COMICS/TOP COW PRODUCTIONS
APR120564 WITCHBLADE #158 CVR A CHRISTOPHER $2.99
APR120565 WITCHBLADE #158 CVR B BERNARD & BENES $2.99

Comics, Magazines and Books from Diamond Distributors for July 25 2012

PREVIEWS PUBLICATIONS
JUN120004 PREVIEWS #287 AUG 2012 CUSTOMER ORDER FORM PI
JUN120001 PREVIEWS #287 AUGUST 2012 $4.50

COMICS & GRAPHIC NOVELS
MAR121165 2000 AD #1782 $5.25

APR120781 AIRBOY DEADEYE #3 $3.50

MAY120841 ARCHIE #635 REG CVR $2.99

MAY120844 ARCHIE & FRIENDS DOUBLE DIGEST #18 $3.99

MAY120843 ARCHIE CLASH OF THE NEW KIDS TP $11.99

APR121130 ARISA GN VOL 08 $10.99

MAY120848 B & V FRIENDS DOUBLE DIGEST #227 $3.99

MAY120932 BART SIMPSON COMICS #73 $2.99

MAY121352 BLACK BUTLER TP VOL 10 $11.99

MAY120919 CRITTER (ONGOING) #2 $3.50

MAY120897 CROSSED BADLANDS #10 (MR) $3.99

MAY120900 CROSSED BADLANDS #10 RED CROSSED CVR (MR) $6.60

MAY120899 CROSSED BADLANDS #10 TORTURE CVR (MR) $3.99

MAY120898 CROSSED BADLANDS #10 WRAP CVR (MR) $3.99

MAY121217 DANCE CLASS HC VOL 02 ROMEO & JULIETS $10.99

JAN121008 DARK SHADOWS #6 $3.99

MAY121073 DEJAH THORIS & WHITE APES OF MARS #4 (MR) $3.99

MAY121354 DURARARA GN VOL 03 $11.99

APR121230 EVERYBODY LOVES TANK GIRL #1 (MR) $3.99

APR120929 EXILE PLANET O/T APES #4 $3.99

APR128253 EXTERMINATION #1 MAIN CVR (2ND PTG) $1.00

APR121223 FICTIONAUTS GN (MR) $12.99

MAY121222 GARFIELD & CO HC VOL 06 MOTHER GARFIELD $7.99

MAR120724 GEARHEARTS STEAMPUNK GLAMOR REVUE #3 $3.99

MAY121223 GERONIMO STILTON HC BOX SET VOL 4-6 $29.99

MAY121391 GFT BAD GIRLS #1 A CVR REYES (MR) $2.99

MAY121392 GFT BAD GIRLS #1 B CVR (MR) $2.99

APR121323 GFT JUNGLE BOOK #4 A CVR GRANDA (MR) $2.99

APR121324 GFT JUNGLE BOOK #4 B CVR GRANDA (MR) $2.99

APR121325 GFT JUNGLE BOOK #4 C CVR PATTERSON (MR) $2.99

MAY121387 GFT SWIMSUIT SPECIAL 2012 A CVR DEBALFO $5.99

MAY121388 GFT SWIMSUIT SPECIAL 2012 B CVR TYNDALL $5.99

MAY121377 GFT WONDERLAND ANNUAL 2012 A CVR SEJIC (MR) $5.99

MAY121378 GFT WONDERLAND ANNUAL 2012 B CVR CHEN (MR) $5.99

MAR120725 GOLD DIGGER PLATINUM TP VOL 04 $14.95

MAY121364 GRIMM FAIRY TALES #75 A CVR CAMPBELL (MR) $5.99

MAY121365 GRIMM FAIRY TALES #75 B CVR SPAY (MR) $5.99

MAY121366 GRIMM FAIRY TALES #75 C CVR MYCHAELS (MR) $5.99

MAY121367 GRIMM FAIRY TALES #75 D CVR SEJIC (MR) $5.99

MAY121181 HAMMER AND THE ANVIL GN $24.95

MAY120976 HELLRAISER #16 (MR) $3.99

MAY121355 HIGH SCHOOL OF DEAD GN VOL 07 (MR) $13.99

APR128386 HIGHER EARTH #2 (2ND PTG) $3.99

APR121336 IRRESISTIBLE #1 A CVR GARZA (MR) $3.99

APR121337 IRRESISTIBLE #1 B CVR CHEN (MR) $3.99

APR121030 KEVIN SMITH BIONIC MAN #11 $3.99

MAY121062 KEVIN SMITH BIONIC MAN TP VOL 01 SOME ASSEMBLY REQUIRED $29.99

APR128214 KIMI NI TODOKE GN VOL 14 FROM ME TO YOU $9.99

MAR120727 LAST ZOMBIE NEVERLAND #5 $3.99

APR120872 LEGEND OF OZ THE WICKED WEST #5 (MR) $3.50

MAR120962 LORD OF THE JUNGLE #6 (MR) $3.99

MAR121257 NAOKI URASAWA 20TH CENTURY BOYS GN VOL 21 $12.99

JAN120804 NAZI ZOMBIES #3 $3.99

JAN121079 NOWHERE MAN #4 $3.99

MAY121357 PANDORA HEARTS GN VOL 11 $11.99

NOV111035 PHOENIX WRIGHT GN VOL 05 $10.99

MAY120799 PINOCCHIO VAMPIRE SLAYER GN VOL 03 WOOD & BLOOD PT 1 $10.95

MAY120945 PLANET OF THE APES #16 $3.99

APR121055 RED SONJA WITCHBLADE #5 $3.99

MAY121157 RESISTANCE GN VOL 03 VICTORY $17.99

MAY121319 SAKURAN GN VOL 01 $16.95

MAY121350 SOUL EATER NOT TP VOL 01 $11.99

MAY120875 SOULFIRE GRACE #1 CVR A RYAN $3.99

MAY120876 SOULFIRE GRACE #1 CVR B QUALANO $3.99

MAY120873 SOULFIRE POWER #1 CVR A RYAN $3.99

MAY120874 SOULFIRE POWER #1 CVR B RANDOLPH $3.99

MAY120863 STAN LEES MIGHTY 7 #3 REG CVR $2.99

MAY120938 TAROT WITCH OF THE BLACK ROSE #75 (MR) $2.95

MAY121358 TWILIGHT MANGA TP VOL 02 $14.99

JUN121298 UNDERWATER WELDER GN $19.95

MAR121214 VIC BOONE TP $14.99

APR120767 VICTORIAN SECRET GIRLS OF SUMMER #1 $3.99

MAY121360 WONDERLAND #1 A CVR CAMPBELL (MR) $2.99

MAY121361 WONDERLAND #1 B CVR HORN (MR) $2.99

MAY121362 WONDERLAND #1 C CVR BASALDUA (MR) $2.99

MAY121363 WONDERLAND #1 D CVR GARZA (MR) $2.99

APR121210 WORLDS OF PHAZER TP $19.99

MAGAZINE
MAY121420 ALTER EGO #111 $8.95
MAY121421 BACK ISSUE #58 $8.95
MAY121414 CLASSIC MARVEL FIG COLL MAG SPECIAL TERRAX $32.00
MAY121428 COMIC SHOP NEWS #1310 PI
DEC111285 DC SUPERHERO CHESS FIG COLL MAG #6 TWO FACE BLACK KNIGHT $16.00
MAR121321 DC SUPERHERO CHESS FIG COLL MAG #9 POISON IVY BLACK PAWN $16.00
MAY121488 LOCUS #618 $6.95
APR121401 RUE MORGUE MAGAZINE #124 $9.95
MAR121391 SFX #222 $10.99
MAY121484 SUPERNATURAL MAGAZINE #34 NEWSSTAND ED $6.99
MAY121485 SUPERNATURAL MAGAZINE #34 PX ED $6.99

BOOKS
AUG111223 APPLE SELECTION SC VOL 02 $39.99
MAY121359 BOOK GIRL & THE WAYFARERS LAMENTATION NOVEL $11.99
MAY121423 CEREBUS THE BARBARIAN MESSIAH SC $45.00
MAY121438 DC SUPER PETS YR TP BIGGEST LITTLE HERO $4.95
MAY121441 DC SUPER PETS YR TP CAT CRIME CLUB $4.95
MAY121439 DC SUPER PETS YR TP DEEP SEA DUEL $4.95
MAY121442 DC SUPER PETS YR TP FANTASTIC FLEXY FROG $4.95
MAY121440 DC SUPER PETS YR TP NIGHT OF SCAREDY CROWS $4.95
MAY121443 DC SUPER PETS YR TP SWAMP THING VS ZOMBIE PETS $4.95
APR121157 KOLCHAK NECRONOMICON HC $59.95
APR121065 MAOHDEN NOVEL VOL 01 (MR) $12.95
MAY121304 MARIE SEVERIN MIRTHFUL MISTRESS OF COMICS SC $24.95
MAY121432 MEANING OF SUPERHERO COMIC BOOKS SC $40.00
APR128215 METAL GEAR SOLID GUNS O/T PATRIOTS NOVEL $15.99
MAY121481 MICKEY SPILLANE ON SCREEN SC $45.00
APR121242 MODERN MASTERS SC VOL 28 ERIC POWELL $15.95
APR121395 ONCE CROWDED SKY NOVEL HC $26.00
MAY121434 SEXUAL IDEOLOGY IN THE WORKS OF ALAN MOORE SC $40.00
JAN121111 SIGNIFICANT OBJECTS SC $24.99
APR121952 WARHAMMER 40K BEST OF HAMMER AND BOLTER $15.00

Sunday, July 22, 2012

Saturday, July 21, 2012

Review: NATSUME’S BOOK OF FRIENDS, VOL. 12

NATSUME’S BOOK OF FRIENDS, VOL. 12
VIZ MEDIA

CARTOONIST: Yuki Midorikawa
TRANSLATION & ENGLISH ADAPTATION: Lillian Olsen
LETTERS: Sabrina Heep
ISBN: 978-1-4215-4231-7; paperback, Rated “T” for “Teen”
192pp, B&W, $9.99 U.S. $12.99 CAN, £6.99 UK

Yuki Midorikawa is a Japanese female mangaka (manga artist). Her best known work is Natsume’s Book of Friends, a fantasy manga. The series began being serialized in the shojo manga magazine, LaLa DX (from publisher Hakusensha), in 2005. As of 2008, Natsume’s Book of Friends appears in another shojo magazine, LaLa.

The series stars troubled high school student Takashi Natsume. The teenaged boy can see the spirits and demons called “yokai.” This ability, however, has been a curse that has set Takashi, who is an orphan, apart from others. He finds a stable home with the Fujiwaras, a kind couple who are distant relatives. He also has a companion in Nyanko Sensei, a guardian yokai. Takashi learns that he has inherited two things from his mysterious grandmother, Reiko Natsume: the Sight and her “Book of Friends,” a tome in which Reiko wrote the names of yokai.

As Natsume’s Book of Friends, Vol. 12 begins, Takashi meets a kindhearted yokai who has in his possession a letter ruined by age and exposure to the elements. This yokai knows of another yokai with the ability to restore paper, but this mysterious yokai’s name is in the Book of Friends. Will this unknown yokai be willing to help the grandson of Reiko Natsume? Next, a female yokai wants to return a mirror given to her by a human woman, so will Takashi help her find the mirror’s owner?

Later, Takashi finds himself in a trap sprung by a yokai looking for a gift. Why does a yokai need a gift? The legendary yokai, Lord Omibashira, has returned, and there is a par-tay! in his honor, and Takashi is a welcome-home present. Now, the teen loner must turn to his human acquaintances for help. Can Shuichi Natori, the actor and yokai exorcist, and Kaname Tanuma, a fellow high school student who can sense when yokai are present, help Takashi?

Initially, I didn’t know what to make of the Natsume’s Book of Friends manga. It is one of the few manga that would seem to fit in at Vertigo, the DC Comics’ imprint which focuses on adult oriented fantasy and crime comics. In fact, Natsume’s Book of Friends reminds me of the classic Vertigo series, The Sandman.

Although this is a fantasy series full of mythological creatures, creator Yuki Midorikawa focuses on the characters. The story of the yokai with the weather-beaten note is a tragic story of unrequited love that Midorikawa plays in such a way that you might think the characters are human. The yokai-with-a-mirror story is about keeping promises and about sacrifice that transcends genres. I previously described this series as a celebration of life, but it also celebrates the bonds that hold people to one another.

A


Thursday, July 19, 2012

Review: Stan Lee's How to Draw Comics

STAN LEE’S HOW TO DRAW COMICS
WATSON-GUPTILL PUBLICATIONS/Dynamite Entertainment

WRITERS: Stan Lee with David Campiti
COVER: John Romita with Dean White (limited edition cover: Francesco Francavilla)
ISBN: 978-0-8230-0083-8; paperback
224pp, Color, $24.99 U.S., $27.99 CAN

He was born Stanley Martin Lieber in 1922, but the world of arts and entertainment knows him as Stan Lee. For Marvel Comics, Lee has been a writer, editor, and publisher and has been associated with Marvel Comics since 1939 when it was Timely Comics.

Collaborating with artists Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko, Lee created such characters as Spider-Man, the X-Men, the Fantastic Four, and the Hulk, among many others. In addition to writing comic books, Lee has also authored several books. Perhaps, Lee’s best known non-comic book, book is How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way (1978), which he co-authored with the late artist, John Buscema.

Stan Lee’s latest how-to book is Stan Lee’s How to Draw Comics. Co-written with David Campiti, Stan Lee’s How to Draw Comics is essentially an update of How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way, but with less emphasis on “the Marvel Way.” In his introduction, Stan writes that it was time for a new book, one with “a cornucopia of cutting-edge, techno-savvy instructions.”

I have a copy of How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way, one through which I’ve thumbed countless times, and the difference between the 1978 book and this one is jarring. Stan Lee’s How to Draw Comics is, for one thing, bigger, and there is much information on digital lettering and computer coloring. How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way is essentially analog, but obviously that’s because computers weren’t being used to produce comic book art and graphics when it was written. Campiti’s hand is all over the sections on computers and digital processes to create comics because he runs Glasshouse Graphics, a company that provides everything from story and art to pre-press and custom publishing for comic book publishers and other clients.

Stan Lee’s How to Draw Comics provides a broad overview of creating visuals for comic books. There are sections on penciling, inking and coloring; lettering and word balloons. Readers can learn about creating costumes; what makes great action; perspective and foreshortening; page and panel layout; and how to create visually appealing covers. There is information on digital advances, creating a portfolio, and getting work in the industry.

Not to dismiss the earlier book, Stan Lee’s How to Write Comics, but Stan Lee’s How to Draw Comics is a complete book offering both theory and procedure. A budding comic book creator can get tips on penciling, inking, coloring, and lettering a comic book using both new and traditional methods, and he or she can examine numerous black and white diagrams that illustrate the basics of creating comic book graphics. Stan Lee’s How to Draw Comics is a text book because it explains the why’s and how’s, often using the advise and expertise of industry professionals. There is even a section on using Google Sketchup to create skyscrapers, buildings, and other exterior landscapes.

There is apparently a limited edition of Stan Lee’s How to Draw Comics. I don’t know whether or not it’s a hardcover, but this paperback edition is the one to get if you have an eye on becoming a professional comic book artist. The paperback is made to be handled a lot.

A-

CONTRIBUTING ARTISTS:
Neal Adams, Erica Awano
Dan Borgones, Nick Bradshaw, Ariel Burgess
Aaron Campbell, J. Scott Campbell, Chris Caniano, Eman Casallos, John Cassaday, Frank Cho, Vince Colletta
Bong Dazo, Mike Deodato, Jr., Steve Ditko
Tina Francisco
Ken Haeser, Tabitha Haeser
Bob Kane, Gil Kane, Michael Kelleher, Jack Kirby
Fabio Laguna, Jonathan Lau, Jae Lee, Jim Lee, Jun Lofamia
Gemma Magno, Jezreel Morales
Earl Norem,
Ariel Padilla
Cliff Richards, Al Rio John Romita, Alex Ross, Mel Rubi
Steve Sadowski, Gaspar Saladino, Edgar Salazar, Mel Joy San Juan, Alexander Sicat, Joe Sinnott
Anthony Tan, Wilson Tortosa, Michael Turner


Wednesday, July 18, 2012

2012 Eisner Award Winners - Complete List

Will Eisner Comic Industry Award Winners 2012

SAN DIEGO - The following awards were given out at the 24th annual Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, Friday night July 13, at the Indigo Ballroom in the Hilton San Diego Bayfront Hotel, as part of Comic-Con International: San Diego.

Best Short Story
"The Seventh," by Darwyn Cooke, in Richard Stark's Parker: The Martini Edition (IDW)

Best Single Issue (or One-Shot)
Daredevil #7, by Mark Waid, Paolo Rivera, and Joe Rivera (Marvel)

Best Continuing Series
Daredevil, by Mark Waid, Marcos Martin, Paolo Rivera, and Joe Rivera (Marvel)

Best Limited Series
Criminal: The Last of the Innocent, by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips (Marvel Icon)

Best Publication for Early Readers (up to age 7)
Dragon Puncher Island, by James Kochalka (Top Shelf)

Best Publication for Kids (ages 8-12)
Snarked, by Roger Langridge (kaboom!)

Best Publication for Young Adults (Ages 12-17)
Anya's Ghost, by Vera Brosgol (First Second)

Best Anthology
Dark Horse Presents, edited by Mike Richardson (Dark Horse)

Best Humor Publication
Milk & Cheese: Dairy Products Gone Bad, by Evan Dorkin (Dark Horse Books)

Best Digital Comic
Battlepug, by Mike Norton, http://www.battlepug.com/

Best Reality-Based Work
Green River Killer: A True Detective Story, by Jeff Jensen and Jonathan Case (Dark Horse Books)

Best Graphic Album - New
Jim Hensons Tale of Sand, adapted by Ramon K. Perez (Archaia)

Best Graphic Album - Reprint
Richard Stark's Parker: The Martini Edition, by Darwyn Cooke (IDW)

Best Archival Collection/Project - Comic Strips
Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse vols. 1-2, by Floyd Gottfredson, edited by David Gerstein and Gary Groth (Fantagraphics)

Best Archival Collection/Project - Comic Books
Walt Simonson's The Mighty Thor Artist's Edition (IDW)

Best U.S. Edition of International Material
The Manara Library, vol. 1: Indian Summer and Other Stories, by Milo Manara with Hugo Pratt (Dark Horse Books)

Best U.S. Edition of International Material - Asia
Onward Towards Our Noble Deaths, by Shigeru Mizuki (Drawn & Quarterly)

Best Writer
Mark Waid, Irredeemable, Incorruptible (BOOM!); Daredevil (Marvel)

Best Writer/Artist
Craig Thompson, Habibi (Pantheon)

Best Penciller/Inker or Penciller/Inker Team
Ramón K. Pérez, Jim Henson's Tale of Sand (Archaia)

Best Cover Artist
Francesco Francavilla, Black Panther (Marvel); Lone Ranger, Lone Ranger/Zorro, Dark Shadows, Warlord of Mars (Dynamite); Archie Meets Kiss (Archie)

Best Coloring
Laura Allred, iZombie (Vertigo/DC); Madman All-New Giant-Size Super-Ginchy Special (Image)

Best Lettering
Stan Sakai, Usagi Yojimbo (Dark Horse)

Best Comics-Related Journalism
The Comics Reporter, produced by Tom Spurgeon, http://www.comicsreporter.com/

Best Educational/Academic Work (tie)
1. Cartooning: Philosophy & Practice, by Ivan Brunetti (Yale University Press)
2. Hand of Fire: The Comics Art of Jack Kirby, by Charles Hatfield (University Press of Mississippi)

Best Comics-Related Book
MetaMaus, by Art Spiegelman (Pantheon)

Best Publication Design
Jim Henson's Tale of Sand, designed by Eric Skillman (Archaia)

Hall of Fame
Judges' Choices: Rudolf Dirks, Harry Lucey Bill Blackbeard, Richard Corben, Katsuhiro Otomo, and Gilbert Shelton

Russ Manning Promising Newcomer Award:
Tyler Crook

Bob Clampett Humanitarian Award:
Morrie Turner

Bill Finger Excellence in Comic Book Writing Award:
Frank Doyle and Steve Skeates

Will Eisner Spirit of Comics Retailer Award:
1. Akira Comics, Madrid, Spain - Jesus Marugan Escobar
2. The Dragon, Guelph, ON, Canada - Jennifer Haines

The Eisner Awards are part of, and underwritten by, Comic-Con International, a nonprofit educational organization dedicated to creating awareness of and appreciation for comics and related popular art forms, primarily through the presentation of conventions and events that celebrate the historic and ongoing contributions of comics to art and culture.

For a list of past winners, go to http://www.comic-con.org/cci/cci_eisners_pastwinners.php

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

DC Comics from Diamond Distributors for July 18 2012

DC COMICS

MAY120273 BATMAN BEYOND UNLIMITED #6 $3.99

APR120246 BATWING TP VOL 01 THE LOST KINGDOM $14.99

MAY120234 BATWOMAN #11 $2.99

MAY120184 BEFORE WATCHMEN SILK SPECTRE #2 (MR) $3.99

MAY120186 BEFORE WATCHMEN SILK SPECTRE #2 COMBO PACK (MR) $4.99

MAY120238 BIRDS OF PREY #11 $2.99

MAY120265 BLUE BEETLE #11 $2.99

MAY120205 CAPTAIN ATOM #11 $2.99

MAY120239 CATWOMAN #11 $2.99

MAY120206 DC UNIVERSE PRESENTS #11 $2.99

MAY120332 DOMINIQUE LAVEAU VOODOO CHILD #5 (MR) $2.99

MAY120318 FABLES #119 (MR) $2.99

MAY120245 GREEN LANTERN CORPS #11 $2.99

MAY120323 HELLBLAZER #293 (MR) $2.99

MAY120192 JUSTICE LEAGUE #11 $3.99

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APR120249 MEN OF WAR TP VOL 01 UNEASY COMPANY $19.99

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APR120257 SHOWCASE PRESENTS RIP HUNTER TIME MASTER TP VOL 01 $19.99

MAY128114 SMALLVILLE SEASON 11 #1 2ND PTG $3.99

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MAY120331 UNWRITTEN #39 (MR) $2.99

MAY120203 WONDER WOMAN #11 $2.99

MAY120309 YOUNG JUSTICE #18 $2.99

DC COMICS/DC COLLECTIBLES
APR120303 DARK KNIGHT RISES BANE 1/12 SCALE STATUE $79.95
APR120304 DARK KNIGHT RISES BATMAN 1/12 SCALE STATUE $79.95
APR120302 DARK KNIGHT RISES CATWOMAN 1/12 SCALE STATUE $79.95

Marvel Comics from Diamond Distributors for July 18 2012

MARVEL COMICS

MAY120650 AVENGERS ACADEMY #33 AVX $2.99

MAY120643 AVENGERS VS X-MEN #8 AVX $3.99

MAY120779 AVENGERS WEST COAST AVENGERS TP FAMILY TIES $29.99

MAY120761 CAPTAIN AMERICA AND BUCKY TP LIFE OF BUCKY BARNES $14.99

MAY120693 CAPTAIN MARVEL #1 $2.99

MAY120776 COUNTER X TP X-FORCE RAGE WAR $19.99

MAY120696 DAREDEVIL #15 $2.99

MAY120678 DARK TOWER GUNSLINGER MAN IN BLACK #2 $3.99

MAY120689 FANTASTIC FOUR #608 $2.99

MAY120764 FF BY JONATHAN HICKMAN TP VOL 02 $19.99

MAY120767 GHOST RIDER TP COMPLETE SERIES BY ROB WILLIAMS $29.99

MAY120766 HERC TP COMPLETE SERIES BY PAK AND LENTE $29.99

MAY120698 INFERNAL MAN-THING #2 $3.99

MAY120684 INVINCIBLE IRON MAN #521 $3.99

MAY120685 JOURNEY INTO MYSTERY #641 $2.99

MAY120699 MARVEL ZOMBIES DESTROY #5 $3.99

FEB120654 MMW GOLDEN AGE MARVEL COMICS HC VOL 07 $74.99

MAY120714 NEW MUTANTS #46 $2.99

APR120682 SECRET SERVICE #3 (MR) $2.99

MAY120744 SPIDER-MAN COMPLETE BEN REILLY EPIC TP BOOK 05 $39.99

MAY120740 SPIDER-MAN ENDS OF EARTH HC $29.99

MAY120755 ULT COMICS ULTIMATES BY HICKMAN PREM HC VOL 02 $24.99

MAY120654 UNCANNY X-MEN #16 AVX $3.99

MAY120724 UNTOLD TALES OF PUNISHER MAX #2 (MR) $3.99

MAY120717 WOLVERINE #309 $4.99

MAY120716 X-FACTOR #240 $2.99

MAY120709 X-MEN #32 $3.99

IDW Publishing from Diamond Distributors for July 18 2012

IDW PUBLISHING

MAY120439 COBRA ONGOING #15 $3.99
MAY120432 DANGER GIRL GI JOE #1 $3.99
MAY120421 KISS #2 $3.99
MAY120403 MARS ATTACKS #2 $3.99
MAY120453 NIGHT OF 1000 WOLVES #3 $3.99
MAY120463 SPIKE COMPLETE SERIES TP $29.99
MAY120410 STAR TREK ONGOING #11 $3.99
APR128349 STAR TREK TNG DOCTOR WHO ASSIMILATION #2 2ND PTG $3.99
MAY120408 STAR TREK TNG DOCTOR WHO ASSIMILATION #3 $3.99

Dark Horse Comics from Diamond Distributors for July 18 2012

DARK HORSE COMICS

MAY120051 ALABASTER WOLVES #4 $3.50
MAY120053 BPRD HELL ON EARTH DEVILS ENGINE #3 FEGREDO CVR $3.50
MAY120012 CONCRETE THREE UNEASY PIECES ONE SHOT $2.99
MAY120023 DARK HORSE PRESENTS #14 $7.99
MAY120019 FATIMA THE BLOOD SPINNERS #2 $3.99
MAY120061 RESET #4 $3.50
MAY120028 STAR WARS DARTH VADER GHOST PRISON #3 $3.50

Image Comics from Diamond Distributors for July 18 2012

IMAGE COMICS

MAY120595 ACTIVITY #7 $3.50
APR120435 ARTIFACTS TP VOL 04 $16.99
APR120423 CARBON GREY VOL 2 #1 CVR A EVANS & LOH $3.99
APR120424 CARBON GREY VOL 2 #1 CVR B NGUYEN $3.99
MAY120608 GLORY #28 $2.99
MAY128120 SAGA #2 3RD PTG (MR) $2.99
MAY120624 SAGA #5 (MR) $2.99
MAY120626 SKULLKICKERS #16 $3.50
MAY120526 SUNSET HC (MR) $19.99

IMAGE COMICS/TOP COW PRODUCTIONS
MAY120603 DARKNESS #105 (MR) $2.99

Comics, Book and Magazines from Diamond Distributors for July 18 2012

PREVIEWS PUBLICATIONS
MAY120009 PREVIEWS BACKLIST CATALOG 2012 $1.50

COMICS & GRAPHIC NOVELS
MAY120994 ADVENTURE TIME #6 $3.99

FEB121042 ADVENTURES OF VENUS HC $9.99

APR121302 AFTERSCHOOL CHARISMA TP VOL 06 $12.99

APR121215 ALICE I/T COUNTRY CLOVER CHESHIRE CAT WALTZ GN VOL 01 (MR) $13.99

MAY121295 AMERICAN ELF VOL 04 SKETCHBOOK DIARIES JAMES KOCHALKA (MR) $24.95

APR121216 ANGEL PARA BELLUM GN VOL 01 (MR) $11.99

MAY120845 ARCHIE DOUBLE DIGEST #231 $3.99

APR121175 ASTERIX OMNIBUS SC VOL 04 $19.95

MAY121156 BLOODY CHESTER GN $18.99

APR121270 CASE CLOSED GN VOL 43 $9.99

JAN120806 CUT THE ROPE SPECIAL DELIVERY GN $9.99

MAR120841 ELRIC THE BALANCE LOST #11 $3.99

MAY120979 EXTERMINATION #2 MAIN CVRS $3.99

MAY121282 FINDING GOSSAMYR #1 $3.99

APR121328 GFT MYTHS & LEGENDS #18 A CVR CAPPROTTI (MR) $2.99

APR121329 GFT MYTHS & LEGENDS #18 B CVR REYES (MR) $2.99

MAY121369 GRIMM FAIRY TALES TP VOL 02 NEW PTG $9.99

JAN128171 GRIMM FAIRY TALES TP VOL 02 NEW PTG $9.99

JAN128173 GRIMM FAIRY TALES TP VOL 04 NEW PTG $12.99

MAY121371 GRIMM FAIRY TALES TP VOL 04 NEW PTG $12.99

MAR120850 HELLRAISER TP VOL 03 (MR) $14.99

MAY128105 HYPERNATURALS #1 2ND PTG $3.99

MAY120951 INCORRUPTIBLE TP VOL 02 $16.99

APR121217 JACK THE RIPPER HELL BLADE GN VOL 01 (MR) $11.99

MAR120942 JENNIFER BLOOD ANNUAL #1 (MR) $4.99

APR121204 JUDGE DREDD COMP CASE FILES TP (S&S ED) VOL 05 $19.99

APR121205 JUDGE DREDD WHEN JUDGES GO BAD TP $17.99

MAY120849 JUGHEAD #214 $2.99

MAY120850 JUGHEADS DOUBLE DIGEST #183 $3.99

JAN120808 KUNG FU PANDA DIGEST GN SLOW FAST & OTHER $6.99

MAR121213 LUKE MCBAIN TP $14.99

MAY121274 MY BOYFRIEND IS A VAMPIRE GN COLL ED VOL 03 (MR) $15.99

MAY121182 NOT THE ISRAEL MY PARENTS PROMISED ME GN $24.95

APR121303 OOKU INNER CHAMBERS GN VOL 07 (MR) $12.99

MAY121018 PROPHECY #2 $3.99

APR120740 RACHEL RISING #9 $3.99

APR120885 RADIOACTIVE MAN HC VOL 01 RADIOACTIVE REPOSITORY $25.99

DEC111010 RED SONJA #67 $3.99

MAY120986 ROGER LANGRIDGES SNARKED #10 $3.99

MAY121232 SECRET HISTORY OF DB COOPER #5 $3.99

MAY120934 SIMPSONS COMICS #192 $2.99

APR121171 SMURFS GN VOL 12 SMURFS VERSUS SMURFS $5.99

APR121172 SMURFS HC VOL 12 SMURFS VERSUS SMURFS $10.99

MAY120859 SONIC UNIVERSE #42 REG CVR $2.99

MAY121284 STUFF OF LEGEND OMNIBUS HC VOL 01 $29.99

MAY121043 THE SPIDER #3 $3.99

FEB120991 TOTAL RECALL TP VOL 01 $16.99

MAR120956 VAMPIRELLA #19 $3.99

MAR121062 WANDERING SON HC VOL 03 $19.99

MAR121003 WAREHOUSE 13 TP VOL 01 $19.99

JAN121049 WARLORD OF MARS DEJAH THORIS #13 (MR) $3.99

MAY128107 X-O MANOWAR (ONGOING) #1 3RD PTG $3.99

MAY121315 X-O MANOWAR (ONGOING) #3 REG KEVIC-DJURDJEVIC CVR $3.99

MAGAZINES
MAY121427 COMIC SHOP NEWS #1309 PI
JAN121377 JACK KIRBY COLLECTOR #59 $10.95
MAY121406 JUXTAPOZ #139 AUG 2012 $5.99
APR121961 WHITE DWARF #390 $9.00
MAY121294 WORLD WAR 3 ILLUSTRATED #43 (MR) $7.00

BOOKS
MAR121354 DOCTOR WHO DECIDE YOUR DESTINY VOL 01 CLAWS OF MACRA $9.99
MAR121355 DOCTOR WHO DECIDE YOUR OWN DESTINY VOL 02 COLDEST WAR $9.99
APR121393 DOCTOR WHO SHADA LOST ADVENTURE HC $26.95
MAR121364 DOCTOR WHO WHERES THE DOCTOR $12.99
MAR121356 DOCTOR WHO YR ADV BOOK 01 HEART OF STONE DEATH RIDERS $10.99
MAR121357 DOCTOR WHO YR ADV BOOK 02 SYSTEM WIPE GOOD BAD & ALIEN $10.99
MAR121358 DOCTOR WHO YR ADV BOOK 03 ALIEN ADVENTURES $10.99
MAR121359 DOCTOR WHO YR ADV BOOK 04 SIGHTSEEING IN SPACE $10.99
MAY121404 HYMNS & WRETCHED OFFERINGS TO THE GOLDEN ONES S&N HC $24.95
MAR121060 JACK DAVIS DRAWING AMERICAN POP CULTURE HC (RES) $49.99
MAY121431 MARVEL SUPER HEROES VS VILLAINS EXPLOSIVE POP UP RIVALRIES ( $29.95

Sunday, July 15, 2012

Comixology to Distribute Fantagraphics Books Titles

FANTAGRAPHICS and COMIXOLOGY ANNOUNCE DIGITAL DISTRIBUTION AGREEMENT

Love and Rockets: New Stories #1-4 Available Now To Help Celebrate 30 Years Of The Hernandez Brothers’ Groundbreaking World

July 14th, 2012 – San Diego, CA. / New York, NY. — Today in a wide-ranging panel celebrating the 30th anniversary of publishing the Hernandez Brothers’ groundbreaking Love and Rockets series co-publisher Gary Groth, president of the 36 year-old publishing house, announced Fantagraphics Books’ entrance into the digital age through a brand new digital distribution agreement with comiXology, the revolutionary digital comics platform with over 75 million comic downloads to date and a library of more than 25,000 comics and graphic novels.

To mark the occasion, Fantagraphics Books and comiXology have immediately made available the first four issues of the Hernandez Brothers’ phenomenal Love and Rockets: New Stories. Groth also announced that following Comic-Con, comiXology will debut Love and Rockets: New Stories #5 on the same day as the print release is available in comic book stores this September. Subsequently, Fantagraphics will begin to release certain titles from their extensive front list and back catalogue across the entire comiXology platform.

“Fantagraphics Books is one of the longest running, independent comic publishers around with an incredible array of titles. I’ve been chasing them for three years to be a part of our platform and am thrilled not only to bring their books to the digital world, but also to be a part of celebrating the 30th anniversary of Love and Rockets," said comiXology co-founder and CEO David Steinberger. "I’ve long been a fan of Hernandez Brothers’ work, and couldn’t think of a better way to kick off our new relationship with Fantagraphics. There are many happy people in the comiXology offices today.”

"We’ve been exploring our digital options for a few years now, and the more I learned, the more I kept coming back to ComiXology," said Eric Reynolds, Fantagraphics Books Associate Publisher. "Seeing these first four issues of Love and Rockets: New Stories in comiXology’s Guided View is exciting.”

Fantagraphics and comiXology worked closely together to acquire the highest resolution source material to make sure these volumes of Love and Rockets: New Stories look great in comiXology’s new high–definition comic format — CMX-HD — for Love and Rockets fans that are reading on the new iPad.

In early May, comiXology revealed they had crested 65 million comic and graphic novel downloads since the beginning of the platform, with 15 million of those downloads happening in 2012. ComiXology recently unveiled that only one month later in June they had hit 77 million downloads — an addition of 12 million downloads — continuing on a trajectory of record-shattering growth.


About Fantagraphics Books
Fantagraphics Books has been a leading proponent of comics as a legitimate form of art and literature since it began publishing the critical trade magazine The Comics Journal in 1976. By the early 1980s, Fantagraphics found itself at the forefront of the burgeoning movement to establish comics as a medium as eloquent and expressive as the more established popular arts of film, literature, poetry, music et al. Fantagraphics has since gained an international reputation for its audacious editorial standards and its exacting production values and continues to expand the comics medium by releasing the highest quality books.

About comiXology
Founded in 2007 with the mission of bringing comics to people everywhere, comiXology — in just five short years — has revolutionized the comic book and graphic novel world. From creating the industry leading platform for digital comics to tools and services for brick and mortar retailers, comiXology has lead the charge in exposing new audiences to the rich history and culture of comic books. With the development of the Comics by comiXology digital comics platform — — available across iPhone, iPad, Android, Kindle Fire and the Web — comiXology provides the easiest way worldwide for people to enjoy comics at just the click of a button! Regularly ranking as the top grossing iPad app in the entire iTunes App Store, Comics by comiXology was recently chosen as a preloaded app on Amazon’s Kindle Fire. Providing digital comics across multiple platforms, comiXology will not stop until everyone on the face of the earth has been turned into a comic book fan.

Jamal Igle to Launch Kickstarter Project

Since learning of its existence when comics creator Kody Chamberlain used it, I've been a fan of Kickstarter, the crowd sourcing website.  I try to post news about new Kickstarter initiatives from comics creators when I can.  Here is one from DC Comics' artist, Jamal Igle, that apparently begins August 1, 2012:

JAMAL IGLE KICKSTARTS CREATOR OWNED SERIES MOLLY DANGER

Former Supergirl artist launches his brand new creator-owned superhero series on Kickstarter.com

When Jamal Igle announced the end of his D.C. Comics contract in January of 2012, the number one question fans asked was "What's next?" Igle, who spent the better part of the decade as one D.C. Comics artistic mainstays on titles like Supergirl, Superman and Firestorm the Nuclear Man, was coy. Other than the recently released KISS comic book series from IDW, Igle had been unusually quiet about his plans until recently.

Now, the Inkpot award winning creator launches his Kickstarter campaign for "Molly Danger", A four book, hardcover, graphic album all ages action adventure series. Igle describes Molly Danger as "Astroboy meets the Powerpuff girls".

Written and drawn by Igle, Molly Danger is the story of the world's most powerful 10-year-old girl. A seemingly immortal, super strong hero, Molly has protected the city of Coopersville for the last 20 years.

Kept in constant isolation and watched closely by D.A.R.T. (The Danger Action Response Team) an organization created to assist in her heroic deeds and monitor her movements, Molly battles the Supermechs; A team of cybernetically enhanced beings with unusual powers. Molly longs for a real life, with a real family, something she's been told she can never have. Her life changes when D.A.R.T. recruits a new pilot, Austin Briggs. Briggs has his own motivations for joining the team, newly remarried; Austin is having trouble forming a relationship with his new stepson, Brian. Austin wants to use his connections to impress Brian, an avid Molly Danger fan. However things get turned on its ear when Molly and Brian form a friendship of their own.

"As the father of a young girl, I've found myself disheartened that there isn't a female superhero character for my daughter to read that hasn't been turned into a killer, or overtly sexualized. A character that isn't joined at the hip to a male hero or subservient to one." Igle said. Igle will write and pencil the series with inker Juan Castro (G.I.Joe: Snake Eyes for IDW, Incorruptible for Boom Studios, Elders of the Rune Stone) and Colorist Michael Watkins (Sonic the Hedgehog, Transformers).

Igle has also teamed up with Action Lab Entertainment, publishers of the Eisner award nominated series, Princeless, to handle the publishing and distribution of the series.

THE 30 DAY CAMPAIGN BEGINS ON AUGUST 1ST, 2012, All the funds raised will go to production and printing of a limited edition version of the first book, with an original cover, for Kickstarter contributors planned incentives include a limited edition membership card, posters, prints, a behind the scenes sketchbook and original artwork form the finished book.

"I believe in Molly, so much so that I'm putting my money where my mouth is. " said Igle. However, the project will not be funded at all if at least $45,000 is not pledged by Friday, August 31st.

"This is a project I've been wanting to do for over 10 years and I look forward to the opportunity to share Molly with the world." said Igle.

Join the Kickstarter campaign at http://www.kickstarter.com/ projects/mollydanger

ABOUT JAMAL IGLE
One of the most popular and prolific pencillers in the comic book industry, Jamal igle is an award winning artist and writer. Best known for his two year run as artist on the DC Comics series Supergirl with writer Sterling Gates, Jamal has been a professional jack of all trades for nearly 20 years drawing every title from Action Comics to Zatanna.

Saturday, July 14, 2012

Review: OOKU: THE INNER CHAMBERS, VOL. 7

OOKU: THE INNER CHAMBERS, VOL. 7
VIZ MEDIA

CARTOONIST: Fumi Yoshinaga
TRANSLATION/ENGLISH ADAPTATION: Akemi Wegmüller
LETTERER: Monlisa De Asis
ISBN: 978-1-4215-4220-1; paperback; Rated “M” for “Mature”
224pp, B&W, $12.99 U.S., $14.99 CAN

Fumi Yoshinaga is the prolific female Japanese graphic novelist and mangaka known for her comics in the shojo and shonen-ai genres. She has created such manga as The Moon and the Sandals and Antique Bakery.

Ōoku: The Inner Chambers (The Shogun’s Harem) is her current series and began publication in 2005. This alternate-Earth story is set in Japan and imagines a strange new disease, called the Redface Pox, which kills young men and boys. The male population begins to fall in the 1600s to about one-fourth of the female population. Men eventually become protected as precious “seed bearers,” and women take on the roles traditionally held by men, including the role of Shogun. This story focuses on life at Edo Castle and is set inside its Inner Chambers, a sort of harem filled with men who serve the female Shogun.

Ōoku: The Inner Chambers, Vol. 7 (Chapters 23-26) opens with the death of (Tokugawa) Lord Yoshimichi. Her demise signals that various domain lords (daimyo) are jockeying to position themselves as the next shogun. Ietsugu, the daughter of Ienobu, the previous shogun, is only five-year-old and is also sickly and not expected to live long.

Ietsugu’s protector. Manabe Akifusa, believes Lord Yoshimune, lord of the Kii domain, is plotting to be the next shogun. However, Sir Gekko-In, Ienobu’s concubine and Ietsugu’s father, and his supporters in the Inner Chambers are standing in Yoshimune’s way. Ejima Shinzaburo, Groom of the Bedchamber and Senior Chamberlain of the Inner Chambers, will be the key to whether Yoshimune’s gets her way or not.

Also, a new shogun wonders if Japan is the only place that has been stricken by the Redface Pox. If so, does a lack of men capable of being warriors make Japan vulnerable to outside attack?

The seventh volume of the Ōoku: The Inner Chambers manga arrives over a year after the sixth volume was published. Creator Fumi Yoshinaga inserts enough captions and exposition to explain the characters and situations to him readers familiar with the series get familiar with this section in the narrative. New readers will need a little more context.

Early in the series, Ōoku examined gender roles in a society where male dominance suddenly became a thing of the past, a necessity after a plague had wiped out a significant portion of the male population. In fact, the plague continues to hang over the narrative. One of the most interesting things about this series is how Yoshinaga imagines what role reversal might look like in 17th and 18th century Japan. In a sort of alternate history/science fiction way, the Redface Pox plague can be used to explain Japan’s “closed country” police which began in the mid-1600s and lasted until the arrival of the United States Navy forced the country open in 1854.

Whatever themes and philosophies Yoshinaga wishes to explore here, she does through character drama and palace intrigue. Considering that this series has depicted brutal murder and assault, I can honestly say that what is in Vol. 7 is the most intense character drama yet in this story. I’m not naïve about the world, but I was astounded by the extent to which the characters playing in Chapters 23 to 26 were willing to go to get what they wanted. There is a real-world verisimilitude here that gives me the chills. I think readers will be interested to know that Fumi Yoshinaga never holds back here. Ōoku: The Inner Chambers is drama writ out entirely in capitol letters.

A+


Thursday, July 12, 2012

"Love and Rockets" Celebrates Birthday at Comic-Con International 2012

30 Years. Three. Zero. In 1982, Gilbert, Jaime and Mario Hernandez published their first comic with Fantagraphics, which debuted at that year’s Comic-Con International in San Diego. In 2012, Fantagraphics Books announces the best anniversary present you can give the comics making trio: a year of celebrating Love and Rockets.

Jaime Hernandez remembers his first Comic-Con well. “The first time we spotted Love and Rockets some guy was already selling it for half-off.” Fellow professionals took an interest in the Hernandez brothers’ creation. “Chris Claremont walked up and joked that all the women on the cover should have ‘X’es on their belts,” Jaime joked. “I brought along some pages from the next issue and Frank Miller looked through them ‘studying’ my inking style.”

Thirty years later, fans will line up around that same block to get books signed at this year’s Comic-Con International, where Gilbert and Jaime Hernandez are invited special guests of the show and will even have a special section devoted to their work in the official convention souvenir program. Look for a major Love and Rockets-related announcement to be made at the show as well during the Love and Rockets panel on Saturday.

Fantagraphics and the Hernandez Brothers will debut three new books at the show. First up is the newest work by Gilbert and Jaime, Love and Rockets: New Stories #5, featuring Gilbert’s return to Palomar and Jaime’s much-anticipated follow up to “The Love Bunglers” (from #4). Also debuting is God and Science: Return of the Ti-Girls, Jaime’s superhero epic combining material from Love and Rockets: New Stories #1 and #2 plus 30 all-new pages by Jaime. Meanwhile, don’t forget the children: Comic-Con also hails the release of Gilbert's children-focused graphic novel, The Adventures of Venus.

Fantagraphics is also partnering with Graphitti Designs for the 30th Anniversary and debuting six new Love and Rockets t-shirts at the show. SDCC attendees might want to pack one shirt less for the show, instead picking up one of these colorful designs featuring their favorite Hernandez characters for a great price of $18.99 each, available at the Fantagraphics booth.

Panel by panel and page by page, Fantagraphics is proud to have a thirty year relationship with such prolific creators as the Hernandez Brothers and welcomes all SDCC attendees to come to the Fantagraphics Booth (1718-1722) and visit these special guests, who will be signing daily. Also, don’t miss the 30th Anniversary of Love and Rockets panel on Saturday at the con, from 1:30pm – 3:00pm in Room 24ABC. Fantagraphics publisher Gary Groth will moderate a lively trip down memory lane with all three Hernandez Brothers and make a major announcement regarding the future of the series.

For more information as it is released, check the Fantagraphics blog for announcements. Thirty years of the Love and Rockets is at your fingertips!

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Review: BATMAN: EARTH ONE (OGN)

BATMAN: EARTH ONE
DC COMICS

WRITER: Geoff Johns
PENCILS: Gary Frank
INKS: Jonathan Sibal
COLORS: Brad Anderson
LETTERS: Rob Leigh
COVER: Gary Frank with Brad Anderson
ISBN: 978-1-4012-3208-5; hardcover
144pp, Color, $22.99 U.S., $25.99 CAN

Unlike many comic book readers, I have not been a fan of Geoff Johns, the popular comic book writer best known for his work on Flash, Green Lantern, Superman, and JSA. I neither like nor dislike him. I have not read many comic books written by Johns, and what I have read led me to wonder why fans and fans who are critics liked him so much. By the time I got to the middle of Batman: Earth One, I said to myself, “Oh, that’s why they like him so much.”

Three years ago, DC Comics announced plans to publish new graphic novels that would retell or re-imagine the beginnings of Batman and Superman. Each character would have his own ongoing series of original graphic novels depicting his earliest moments as a superhero and crime fighter. Each graphic novel would be a stand-alone story set on a new Earth with an all-new continuity. Superman: Earth One arrived in October 2010 and was hit – mainly because it was so good.

Over a year and a half later, Batman: Earth One arrived in comic book stores on July 4, 2012, and DC Comics generously provided me with a copy for review. This original hardcover graphic novel is written by Geoff Johns, penciled by Gary Frank, inked by Jonathan Sibal, and colored by Brad Anderson. Batman Earth One is a new interpretation of a classic character and retells Batman’s origins by altering players, events, conflicts, and motivations to one degree or another.

The Gotham City of Batman: Earth One is a gritty, contemporary city. This troubled metropolis is rotten top to bottom, with corrupt politicians ruling from the top and a vile street-level criminal class at the bottom that seems to kill with impunity. Enter a masked man the press is calling “Batman.” Neither hero nor vigilante, he is just an angry young man named Bruce Wayne. Fallible, lonely, and vulnerable, Bruce is Batman and wants no help on his mission of vengeance, but he is about to learn that grit and determination are not enough in cold, cold-bloodied Gotham.

Meanwhile, Alfred Pennyworth, a former Royal Marine and friend of Bruce’s late father, Thomas Wayne, is reaching out to Bruce, and only getting his hand slapped. Detective James Gordon is so marginalized that many of his colleagues don’t even know he exists. Mayor Oswald Cobblepot, the man who dresses in a tuxedo that deserves the term, “penguin suit,” rules Gotham City, and when people get in his way, they get a birthday surprise – even if it isn’t their birthday. Searching for the real killers behind his parents’ deaths, Bruce feels unstoppable as Batman, but Gotham City is about to show him that he can be stopped and maybe even killed.

This graphic novel is something like a “Batman Family” story because what Johns has written is an ensemble piece. I don’t want to spoil this for people who have not yet read the book, so I’m going to be careful describing the characters and details. You have probably read many Batman comic books in which Bruce Wayne is like a supporting character. Sometimes, it is almost as if he really isn’t Batman; it is as if he is just another supporting player.

Here, Johns makes Bruce Wayne dominant; Batman is a guise, a vehicle for his quest for vengeance rather than being some kind of separate identity or personality. In this story, even in scenes that feature Batman, Bruce Wayne’s personality comes through the mask. I think that approach of dealing with Batman as a man rather than as a “superman” gives Johns more freedom. He can dig into the supporting characters and make them fuller characters, and not just the people who orbit Batman. Johns’ take on James Gordon is the most complex and thoughtfully fashioned version of the character since Batman: Year One (which was first published a quarter-century ago). The extent to which Johns is able to enrich supporting characters is exemplified by this novel’s snazzy Harvey Bullock, a mercurial character who constantly surprises by the things he says and does.

Now, as much as I have praised Johns, I think the true star of Batman: Earth One is artist Gary Frank. Frank gives this graphic novel its sense of being contemporary fiction, of being more modern crime thriller than superhero comic book. Frank takes the meaty, but elegant style of Brian Bolland and the photo-realistic compositions of Bryan Hitch and creates his own style, one that creates art both powerful and graceful.

In Batman: Earth One, the figure drawing has an immensely physical appearance, suggesting the power and grace of the human body. Here, the fight scenes are like a blend of Jack Kirby’s superhero art (as inked by Joe Sinnott) married to a neo-classical painting style (think Jacques-Louis David’s The Oath of the Horatii). Frank draws Batman’s costume as a costume and not as plastic armor (like in the movies). It even seems as if you can see Batman’s junk moving in his trunks.

Batman: Earth One is already on my best comics of the year list. I want a second volume… now.

A+

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#IReadsYou Review: SUPERMAN: EARTH ONE (OGN)

SUPERMAN: EARTH ONE
DC COMICS

WRITER: J. Michael Straczynski
PENCILS: Shane Davis
INKS: Sandra Hope
COLORS: Barbara Ciardo
LETTERS: Rob Leigh
ISBN: 978-1-4012-2468-4; hardcover
136pp, Color, $19.99 U.S., $23.99 CAN

Superman: Earth One is a graphic novel series that re-imagines and retells Superman’s early years. Written by J. Michael Straczynski and drawn by Shane Davis, the first volume of Superman: Earth One was first published in October 2010. It is a damn good read, and I consider it to be the best retelling of Superman’s early days since John Byrne’s still-excellent, Superman: Man of Steel.

Superman: Earth One focuses on a 20-year-old Clark Kent. This farm boy arrives in Metropolis, but he isn’t like other 20-somethings looking to begin their adult lives. Clark can fly, see through walls, and burn objects with his gaze. He goes on job interviews, and leaves his potential employers in shock and awe because of his talent, knowledge, and skills. Still, young Clark is alone and without purpose, but the arrival of otherworldly visitors will reveal his history and may give him purpose – if he so chooses.

I don’t want to say more about the plot and story details. I want the reader to be delightfully surprised over and over again as I was. I initially avoided reading about Superman: Earth One, partly because I thought it would be mildly entertaining, nothing more and certainly not worth my time. I used some Leroy mojo and got DC to give me a review copy, and the review copy put some hoo doo on me. After the first few pages, I really thought that this was just warmed over Smallville, but soon, I was dreading that this fun would end. I think Superman: Earth One does falter early on and in places at the end, but its strengths gloss over such imperfections.

J. Michael Straczynski gives everything about Superman and Clark Kent a sense of purpose and meaning. This is indeed a darker Superman, but not in a grim and gritty or cynical way. Clark Kent lives in a world where people use power, aggression, and self-centeredness to serve their ends. Young Kent is not only trying to figure out what he should do, but also why he should do it. He is looking for signs, but those signs most resonate with him. Plus, Straczynski writes a page-turning action yarn here, so this is thoughtful and explosive.

Shane Davis, who seems to be channeling Carl Potts-era Jim Lee, turns Straczynski’s script into a visually potent comic book. Davis captures Kent’s brooding, stubborn nature with clarity, and presents the science fiction elements and action scenes with energy, a sense of movement, and power that the static images of comic books usually don’t have.

Superman: Earth One is the Superman book that everyone who reads Superman should be reading. Or put it this way: if you know about Superman, you probably need this book in your hands.

A-

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux

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Tuesday, July 10, 2012

DC Comics from Diamond Distributors for July 11 2012

DC COMICS

MAY120319 AMERICAN VAMPIRE LORD OF NIGHTMARES #2 (MR) $2.99

MAY120237 BATGIRL #11 $2.99

MAR120242 BATGIRL HC VOL 01 THE DARKEST REFLECTION $22.99

MAY120224 BATMAN #11 $3.99

MAY120227 BATMAN #11 COMBO PACK $4.99

MAY120233 BATMAN AND ROBIN #11 $2.99

MAY120272 BATMAN ARKHAM UNHINGED #4 $2.99

MAY120180 BEFORE WATCHMEN MINUTEMEN #2 (MR) $3.99

MAY120182 BEFORE WATCHMEN MINUTEMEN #2 COMBO PACK (MR) $4.99

MAY120257 DEATHSTROKE #11 $2.99

MAY120256 DEMON KNIGHTS #11 $2.99

APR120247 DEMON KNIGHTS TP VOL 01 SEVEN AGAINST THE DARK $14.99

MAY120253 FRANKENSTEIN AGENT OF SHADE #11 $2.99

MAY120304 GREEN LANTERN THE ANIMATED SERIES #4 $2.99

MAY120260 GRIFTER #11 $2.99

APR120256 JLA TP VOL 02 $24.99

MAY120268 LEGION LOST #11 $2.99

MAR120280 NEIL GAIMANS MIDNIGHT DAYS DLX ED HC $24.99

MAY120316 PUNK ROCK JESUS #1 (MR) $2.99

MAY120264 RAVAGERS #3 $2.99

MAY120255 RESURRECTION MAN #11 $2.99

MAY120330 SAUCER COUNTRY #5 (MR) $2.99

MAY120276 SHADE #10 $2.99

MAY120261 SUICIDE SQUAD #11 $2.99

MAY120218 SUPERBOY #11 $2.99

MAY120250 SWAMP THING #11 $2.99

APR120278 UNCHARTED TP $14.99

Marvel Comics from Diamond Distributors for July 11 2012

MARVEL COMICS

MAY120785 AMAZING SPIDER-MAN BY RAMOS POSTER $8.99

APR120701 ANT-MAN SEASON ONE PREM HC $24.99

MAY120658 AVENGERS ASSEMBLE #5 $3.99

MAY120670 AVENGING SPIDER-MAN #9 $3.99

MAY120635 AVX VS #4 $3.99

MAY120679 CAPTAIN AMERICA #14 $3.99

MAY120659 DARK AVENGERS #177 $2.99

MAY120697 DEFENDERS #8 $3.99

MAY120753 ENDERS GAME FORMIC WARS SILENT STRIKE PREM HC $24.99

MAY120782 ESSENTIAL WEB OF SPIDER-MAN TP VOL 02 $19.99

MAY120690 FANTASTIC FOUR ANNUAL #33 $4.99

MAY120752 FANTASTIC FOUR BY JONATHAN HICKMAN PREM HC VOL 05 $29.99

MAY120758 JOURNEY INTO MYSTERY PREM HC TERRORISM MYTH $19.99

MAY120703 MARVEL UNIVERSE AVENGERS EARTHS HEROES #4 $2.99

FEB120652 MMW AMAZING SPIDER-MAN HC VOL 14 $69.99

MAY120651 NEW AVENGERS #28 AVX $3.99

MAY120713 NEW MUTANTS #45 $2.99

MAY120676 SCARLET SPIDER #7 $2.99

MAY120701 SPACE PUNISHER #1 $3.99

MAY120671 SPIDER-MEN #3 $3.99

MAY120728 TAKIO #2 $3.95

MAY120784 ULTIMATE COMICS ULTIMATES BY KOMARCK POSTER $8.99

MAY120664 ULTIMATE COMICS X-MEN #14 DWF $3.99

MAY120711 UNCANNY X-FORCE #27 $3.99

MAY120674 VENOM #20 $2.99

MAY120655 WOLVERINE AND X-MEN #13 AVX $3.99

MAY120757 WOLVERINE AND X-MEN PREM HC ALPHA AND OMEGA $24.99

APR120725 X-23 TP VOL 02 CHAOS THEORY $16.99