Review: SUPERMAN: Rebirth #1

SUPERMAN: REBIRTH No. 1
DC COMICS – @DCComics

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

WRITERS: Peter J. Tomasi and Patrick Gleason
PENCILS: Doug Mahnke
INKS: Jaime Mendoza
COLORS: Wil Quintana
LETTERS: Rob Leigh
COVER: Doug Mahnke and Jaime Mendoza with Wil Quintana
VARIANT COVER: Andy Park
44pp, Color, $2.99 U.S. (August 2016)

Rated “T” for “Teen”

Superman created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster

The last time I reviewed an issue of Superman it was to express my opinion on Superman #41.  Entitled “Before Truth” (Part 1), this was the first issue of the new-look slash new-direction, “DCYou” Superman comic book, written by the acclaimed graphic novelist, Gene Luen Yang, his DC Comics debut and his first issue as series writer of Superman.  The art team on Superman remained the same as it has been for the year prior:  John Romita, Jr. (pencils) and Klaus Janson (inks), with colorist Dean White and letterer Rob Leigh.

However, Romita soon moved on to work on a project related the Batman prestige project, DK III: The Master Race.  While Yang's run started with such promise, it pretty much petered out after about have a year, probably worn down by the inevitable changes to come.  Those changes turned out to be another “all-new direction” for DC Comics, something called Rebirth.

If I understand correctly, Rebirth marks the end of The New 52, DC Comics' reboot of its universe-mythology-continuity-superhero publishing line that began with such fanfare in 2011.  Y'all, it didn't even last 5 years.  Rebirth is all about returning some old continuity, especially the continuity established back in 1986, coming out of the universe-destroying, Earth-shattering comic book “maxi-series,” Crisis on Infinite Earths.  Some call this “GenX” DC Comics.

So before DC's regular series go into Rebirth and some new series debut, some of DC's flagship titles have Rebirth one-shots.  Thus, Superman: Rebirth #1.  It is written by Peter J. Tomasi and Patrick Gleason, the creative team behind the new Superman series.  The artists for this one-shot are Doug Mahnke on pencils; Jamie Mendoza on inks; Wil Quintana on colors; and Rob Leigh on letters.

So, if I followed this correctly:  New 52 Clark Kent/Superman is dead and buried.  Lana Lang is trying to retrieve his body from his memorial/monument/crypt.  She is interrupted by post-Crisis slash GenX Superman – the one married to Lois Lane.  He wears a black body suit with a silver Superman emblem “S” on a gray background on his chest.  This Superman and Lang travel to dead Superman's Fortress of Solitude in hopes that the “Regeneration Matrix” will revive him.

I have to admit that I was kinda exited about Rebirth, especially after reading the DC Universe Rebirth one-shot.  But now, that excitement is gone.  Superman: Rebirth #1 isn't bad.  I'm simply not interested in modern Superman comic books, for the most part, and this one-shot reminded me of my disinterest.  When I really want to read a Superman comic book, I buy some back issues from the 1970s or 1980s or read one of those expensive hardcover collections that DC Comics publishes which reprint Superman comic books from those decades and earlier.

Yeah, I'm going to read some more Rebirth one-shots, but I will only review the ones that I really enjoy or that really move me to care about Rebirth.

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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Review: THE EMPTY #1

THE EMPTY No. 1
IMAGE COMICS/Shadowline – @ImageComics

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

CARTOONIST: Jimmie Robinson
COLORS: Jimmie Robinson
LETTERS: Jimmie Robinson
28pp, Colors, $3.50 U.S. (February 2015)

Rated “T/Teen”

The Empty is a miniseries created, written, and drawn by Jimmie Robinson.  Published by Image Comics' imprint, Shadowline, The Empty is a tale about characters from different backgrounds who must work together if they are to save a dying planet.

The Empty #1 introduces the Empty.  This is a vast desert wasteland where hardly anything grows, apparently because of giant poisonous roots that leak gas into the air and the land.  A young woman named Tanoor is a fighter who hunts this dead land to find food for her village of Vaankam.  During a hunt, Tanoor discovers a young woman named Lila, who is apparently from another land, maybe even another world.  Lila's strange talents may save the Empty, but in the meantime, her powers endanger both herself and Tanoor.

I think that I had heard of The Empty long before I found some issues at my local comic shop.  I quickly snatched up The Empty #1 because of my recent interest in Jimmie Robinson, creator of The Empty and of the new series, Power Lines.

As someone who writes the story; composes the pencil, ink, and color art; and provides lettering for his comics, Robinson has control over the entire graphical package of his comic books.  Thus, there is little interference between Robinson's message/story and his audience.  There is a kind of narrative purity in that which I find hard to ignore – with good reason.

The bleak landscape of The Empty is actually beautiful, simply because Robinson's graphics and visuals are so pretty.  However, the rawness of the characters' emotions and the sense of desperation in the villagers is palatable.  Even the naked jealousy and dishonesty of the Elder Blan is powerful enough to drive the narrative.

I plan to read more of The Empty.  Even this single issue reveals the force and skill of Jimmie Robinson's immense talents as both a comics storyteller and as an illustrator and artist.

A

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


The text is copyright © 2016 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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JAN171507    UNHOLY #3 (MR)    $5.99
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JAN171513    UNHOLY #3 STUNNING CVR (MR)    $5.99
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JAN171408    WWE WRESTLEMANIA 2017 SPECIAL #1 MAIN CVR    $7.99

MAGAZINES
FEB172269    RUE MORGUE SPECIAL SHARKS    $9.95
JAN172361    STAR WARS ROGUE ONE MISSION DEBRIEF MAGAZINE (STL036049)    $10.99

BOOKS
DEC162177    AGES OF THE JUSTICE LEAGUE SC    $19.99
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JAN171270    HEAVENLY NOSTRILS CHRONICLE GN VOL 05 UNICORN CROSSING    $9.99
JAN172281    LEGION OF REGRETTABLE SUPERVILLAINS HC    $24.95
FEB172211    OFF DC SUPER HERO JOKE BOOK WHY DID BATMAN CROSS ROAD SC    $12.99
JAN172330    OLD TURTLE QUESTIONS OF THE HEART YR NOVEL    $19.99
FEB172201    ON THE GRAPHIC NOVEL SC    $30.00
OCT168151    OTOMO GLOBAL TRIBUTE TO THE GENIUS BEHIND AKIRA HC (MR)    $29.99
DEC162210    PONYVILLE CONFIDENTIAL HIST & CULTURE OF MLP 1981-2016    $19.99
JAN172286    WONDER WOMAN PSYCHOLOGY LASSOING THE TRUTH SC    $14.95

Review: The Adventures of NIKKI HARRIS the Cybermation Witch #8

THE ADVENTURES OF NIKKI HARRIS THE CYBERMATION WITCH No. 8
CANDLE LIGHT PRESS/Warning Comics – @candlelightpres @attila71

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

CARTOONIST: Carter Allen – @attila71
32pp, Color, $3.00 U.S. (2016)

“Fire”

When we last saw her, Nikki Harris (cybermation witch and sci-fi heroine) faced two challenges.  One was solving the mystery of the Kaninium mines on the planet Util.  The other was fighting off the maniacal assassin,  MARION3TT3.

The Adventures of Nikki Harris the Cybermation Witch #8 (“Fire”) opens on the planet Infantino.  There, Nikki awaits the arrival of Ambassador Royks to whom she will act as a bodyguard.  He is attending an important peace summit, and if the summit fails there will be war between many star systems.  The fate of the galaxy seems to be in Nikki's hands, and she must also deal with the pesky, Farrah Heit.

The end may be near for The Adventures of Nikki Harris the Cybermation Witch comic book (as I've been informed).  Of course, that's a shame.  It seems as if I like this series more and more with each new issue, simply because it is so thoroughly enjoyable.

Over the years, writer-artist Carter Allen has continued to refine his digital comics process, and the result is a colorful and vibrant graphical package that recalls Tron: Legacy.  With comic flare and sly wit, Nikki is ready to be a breakout star, and she outshines the few other efforts at sci-fi humor comics, which are often lame.  The Adventures of Nikki Harris the Cybermation Witch  remains a cool comic book – maybe being a little cooler than ever.

A

http://candlelightpress.tumblr.com/
www.nikkithewitch.com
www.warningcomics.com

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.

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

Book Review: IN THIS GRAVE HOUR

IN THIS GRAVE HOUR
HARPER (HarperCollins Publishers) – @HarperCollins

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

AUTHOR: Jacqueline Winspear
ISBN: 978-0-06-243660-3; hardcover (March 14, 2017)
352pp, B&W, $27.99 U.S.

In This Grave Hour is a 2017 novel from author Jacqueline Winspear.  It is the 13th novel in the series starring “psychologist and investigator,” Maisie Dobbs, a British nurse whose adventures take place during World War I and in the decades that follow.  In this Grave Hour opens as Britain declares war on Nazi Germany and follows Maisie as she tries to solve a murder mystery with ties to World War I more than two decades earlier.

In This Grave Hour finds Maisie Dobbs leaving her garden flat and headed to the mansion home of her dear friend, Priscilla Partridge, and her family (who are like family to Maisie).  It is Sunday, September 3rd 1939, and Maisie is gathering with the Partridges to hear a radio broadcast of a momentous speech from British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain.  Britain is declaring war against Adolf Hitler's Germany.

Meanwhile, a senior Secret Service agent and longtime acquaintance of Maisie Dobbs, Dr. Francesca Thomas, has broken into Maisie Dobbs' flat to await her return.  Dr. Francesca Thomas has an urgent assignment for Maisie.  She wants Maisie to find the killer of Frederick Addens, a man who escaped German occupied Belgium (Francesca's native country) as a teen boy, some twenty-three years earlier during the Great War (WWI).  Maisie and her employees, Billy Beale and Sandra Pickering, begin the investigation in a London on war footing.  Barrage balloons shadow the city, and children are evacuated out of London and into the countryside.  There are few if any leads in the case, which seems to be stalked by the threat of more murders to come.

While she investigates the case of Addens, Maisie learns that her father, Frankie Dobbs, and her stepmother, Brenda, are billeting a little girl, Anna, in Maisie's home in Kent.  The little girl does not speak, and it is unknown if she cannot or simply will not.  Also, no one seems to know who put the child on the evacuee train before it left London.

I was vaguely familiar with the Maisie Dobbs novels when I was a member of a “book-of-the-month” club.  I found the first Maisie novel I read, last year's Journey to Munich, a bit difficult to categorize, but it was quite an enjoyable read.  The middle-aged Maisie Dobbs does not seem like the typical secret agent, and that is more or less what she is as she journeys to Munich on what is more or less a rescue mission.

In This Grave Hour is a straightforward murder mystery, although the novel deals with themes concerning family, such as the longing to have children and parent-child relationships.  Much of the novel also concerns the evacuation of London and the preparation for war in the early days of Britain's declaration of war against Germany (although I think it was another year after Neville Chamberlain's speech before Germany launched an air raid on Britain).

In This Grave Hour is such a riveting and damn-good read because everything about it engages the reader.  Although the killer of Frederick Addens is not revealed until the last chapter (Chapter 19), the reason for the murder (that it is tied to a specific time and event in the past) is fairly obvious.  Still, getting to the resolution allows the readers to experience a wave of powerful emotions tied to themes of regret and sorrow, which actually makes for good reading.

The story of the little girl Anna is poignant and heartbreaking, and tugs on those old heart-strings when there is a sign of a positive ending.  The war-preparation subplots are also grabbing, especially the ones that involve the children of Maisie's friends who are enlisting for some kind of military service.

I liked Journey to Munich, but In This Grave Hour easily surpasses it.  This is some fucking good storytelling on the part of author, Jacqueline Winspear.  I can't wait for the next Maisie Dobbs novel.

A

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


The text is copyright © 2017 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog for syndication rights and fees.

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

Review: THE LEGEND OF ZELDA: Twilight Princess Volume 1

THE LEGEND OF ZELDA: TWILIGHT PRINCESS VOL. 1
VIZ MEDIA – @VIZMedia

MANGAKA: Akira Himekawa
TRANSLATION: John Werry
ENGLISH ADAPTATION: Steve “Stan!” Brown
LETTERS: Evan Waldinger
ISBN: 978-1-4215-9347-0; paperback (March 2017); Rated “T” for “Teen”
200pp, B&W, $9.99 U.S., $12.99 CAN, £6.99 U.K.

The Legend of Zelda is a high-fantasy themed action-adventure video game series that debuted in 1986 and is published by Nintendo.  Nintendo has also officially endorsed and commissioned manga adaptations of The Legend of Zelda for over two decades.  The Legend of Zelda revolves around Link, a brave knight/warrior, and Princess Zelda of Hyrule, who guides, encourages, instructs, and summons Link to battle evil.

VIZ Media has been publishing manga based on The Legend of Zelda in America.  The latest is The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, which is based on the 13th video game title in the franchise.  The Twilight Princess manga is written and drawn by mangaka Akira Himekawa.  VIZ collected Himekawa's other Zelda manga in the recent mini-omnibus, The Legend of Zelda: Legendary Edition – Oracle of Seasons/Oracle of Ages.

The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, Vol. 1 (Chapters 1 to 8) opens with a brief retelling of the story of upstart wizards whose rebellion in the country of Hyrule got them exiled from the World of Light and into the Twilight Realm.  The darkness, however, has reawakened and stirs in the Twilight Realm with its eyes on regaining power.

The story moves to Ordon, a small and prosperous agricultural village on the edge of Hyrule.  Here, the mysterious ranch hand, Link, found a home two years ago.  The people of Ordon love him, especially the children, but Link struggles with his tragic past, which might be returning in the form of the troubling dreams he has.  Link does not realize that he will soon have to face the darkness which once destroyed everything he knew.

In the last two years, VIZ Media has sent me two graphic novels from The Legend of Zelda as copies-for-review.  I have enjoyed them, but I am surprised by The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess manga.  It is not as playful as the two earlier titles I read.

The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess Volume 1 introduces a Hyrule steeped in a foreboding atmosphere.  Even when the sun is out and the farmers are happily bringing in their crops, there is something ominous on the edges.  The tone of the narrative is darker and maybe even a little more mature than the stories in The Legend of Zelda: Legendary Edition – Oracle of Seasons/Oracle of Ages.

In Twilight Princess, Akira Himekawa makes the idea of people being transformed seem more like an act of destruction and also an act of penetrative violence.  In fact, in this story, violation seems more fearful than death.  I think this series is going to be a good read, and manga readers who normally avoid The Legend of Zelda comics may want to give it try.

A

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


The text is copyright © 2017 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog for syndication rights and fees.

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

Review: KUROKO'S BASKETBALL 2-in-1 Edition Volume 1

KUROKO'S BASKETBALL 2-IN-1 EDITION, VOL. 1
VIZ MEDIA – @VIZMedia

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

MANGAKA: Tadatoshi Fujimaki
TRANSLATION: Caleb Cook
LETTERS: Mark McMurray
ISBN: 978-1-4215-8771-4; paperback (August 2016); Rated “T” for “Teen”
400pp, B&W, $16.99 U.S., $19.99 CAN, £10.99 U.K.

VIZ Media is currently publishing the basketball shonen sports manga from creator Tadatoshi Fujimaki, Kuroko's Basketball, in its 2-in-1 editions, which reprint two graphic novels in one paperback volume.  Kuroko's Basketball focuses on the title character and the new teammate that will help him beat his old teammates.

Tetsuya Kuroko is a great basketball player – for reals, y'all!  He was a member of the “Miracle Generation” at Teiko Middle School.  He was known as “the Phantom Sixth Man,” because opponents never noticed him on the court until he did something amazing.  Now, Kuroko is at Seirin Private High School.  One of his new teammates has just returned to Japan from America.  He is Taiga Kagami, and Kuroko wants Kagami to help him take down his old “Miracle Generation” teammates

Kuroko's Basketball 2-in-1 Edition, Vol. 1 (Chapters 1 to 16) collects Kuroko's Basketball Volume 1 (entitled I'm Kuroko; Chapters 1 to 7) and Volume 2 (entitled Your Basketball; Chapters 8 to 16).  Vol. 1 opens at Seirin High where the basketball team meets its two new phenoms.  The first is the diminutive Tetsuya Kuroko, whose plainness hides the fact that on the basketball court he can execute awesome moves without others noticing.  The second newcomer is Taiga Kagami who thinks that he has learned enough basketball in America to put him above his new teammates... until he meets that “invisible guy” from the Miracle Generation.

As Vol. 2 opens, Seirin is in the middle of a tough practice game against Kaijo High.  Kuroko is determined to beat Kaijo because one of its players is his former Miracle Generation teammate, Ryota Kise.  However, it is after the game when Kise really makes his move on his old teammate.  Plus, Seirin gets ready for Inter-High.

[This volume includes the bonus manga, “Kuroko's Basketball – Side Story.”]

I have to be honest about my feelings concerning the Kuroko's Basketball manga.  When I think of basketball manga, I think of the legendary Slam Dunk from creator Takehiko Inoue, which I think is one of the best comic books every published... anywhere.  Kuroko's Basketball lacks the high drama and virtuoso graphical storytelling of Slam Dunk, and the depictions of basketball games in Kuroko's Basketball lack the punch of the legend.

That said, I enjoyed Kuroko's Basketball, and I think that it will improve, as for as drama goes, with each volume (which is about a seven or eight chapter story grouping).  I think the drama will come as Kuroko and his partner Kagami face off against more members of the Miracle Generation and other tougher opponents.  Also, just as an aside, Kuroko's Basketball is the second manga I am currently reading that involves a team participating in the Japanese National High School Sports Tournament, also known as “Inter-High.”  The other is the volleyball manga, Haikyu!!

B

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


The text is copyright © 2017 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for syndication rights and fees.

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

DC Comics from Diamond Distributors for March 22, 2017

DC COMICS

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Marvel Comics from Diamond Distributors for March 22, 2017

MARVEL COMICS
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IDW Publishing from Diamond Distributors for March 22, 2017

IDW PUBLISHING

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Dark Horse Comics from Diamond Distributors for March 22, 2017

DARK HORSE COMICS

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NOV160083    MASS EFFECT ADULT COLORING BOOK TP    $14.99
JAN170128    REBELS THESE FREE & INDEPENDENT STATES #1    $3.99

Image Comics from Diamond Distributors for March 22, 2017

IMAGE COMICS

DEC160751    ARCLIGHT TP (MR)    $14.99
JAN170719    BEAUTY #13 CVR A HAUN & RAUCH (MR)    $3.99
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Comics, Magazines and Books from Diamond Distributors for March 22, 2017

COMICS & GRAPHIC NOVELS

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DEC161738    HEAVY METAL #285 CVR A BERTMER (MR)    $8.95
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Review: A CONTRACT WITH GOD - Centennial Edition

A CONTRACT WITH GOD And Other Tenement Stories
W.W. NORTON & COMPANY – @wwnorton

[This review was originally posted by Patreon.]

CARTOONIST: Will Eisner
ISBN: 978-0-393-60918-9; hardcover (March 7, 2017)
224pp, B&W, $25.95 U.S., $34.95 CAN

Introduction by Scott McCloud; December 2004 Preface by Will Eisner

A Contract with God and Other Tenement Stories is an original graphic novel written and drawn by legendary comic book creator, Will Eisner (1917 to 2005).  It was first published in 1978 and is composed of four comic book short stories that revolve around several poor Jewish characters who live in a tenement apartment building in New York City, apparently sometime between World War I and World War II.

A Contract with God and Other Tenement Stories (often referred to only as A Contract with God) was not the first graphic novel published in North America, but it was a seminal graphic novel because of its influence on other comic book creators to produce work that was more ambitious than standard superhero fare and children's comics, both in terms of content and format.

2017 marks the centennial of Will Eisner's birth.  In celebration of what would have been Eisner's 100th birthday, W.W. Norton & Company is publishing what is essentially a “Will Eisner Centennial Edition” of A Contract with God and Other Tenement Stories.  This new edition is a hardcover book and contains the four stories from A Contract with God reproduced in high-resolution from Eisner's original art boards.  This book also includes “Introduction to the Centennial Edition” by Scott McCloud (a comic book creator and friend of Eisner); the essay “A Brief History of A Contract with God;” and Will Eisner's “Preface,” written in 2004 for a 2005 edition of the book published by Norton.

The narrative of A Contract with God is a short story cycle of four stories.  The stories are mostly set in a tenement at 55 Dropsie Avenue, the Bronx, New York.  Tenements were apartment buildings built to accommodate the flood of immigrants that flowed into New York after World War I.

The title story, “A Contract with God,” opens the book.  It focuses on Frimme Hersh, a devout Hebrew man who grieves the loss of his adopted daughter, Rachele.  Hersh believes Rachele's death is a violation of his “contract with God,” violated by the Almighty himself.  Hersh rebels against his previous life, but years later decides he needs another contract with God.

Eisner's creation of the entirety of A Contract with God and Other Tenement Stories was driven by his grief over the loss of his own daughter, Alice, but especially the story, “A Contract with God.”  I think the central message of this story is about man's foolish belief that he can actually not only initiate a contract with God or eternity, but also dictate terms and conditions.  I cannot tell if Eisner wishes to convey acceptance or resignation to fate and God, but the sense of futility is obvious here, while also being wearily hopeful.  Life goes on...

The second story, “The Street Singer,” is set in the 1930s and focuses on Marta Maria (not her birth name), an opera singer who long ago abandoned her career, and a street singer named Eddie.  Their chance meeting gives birth to hopes of a career revival for one and a debut for the other, but a simple error on both their parts endangers their bold plans.

Other than the 10 pages that depict Marta and Eddie's meeting and their sexual and professional consummation, I am not crazy about this story, although I like it.  However, those ten pages contain some of Eisner's best page and individual panel design of his late career as a graphic novelist, especially that two-panel page in which Eddie walks into Marta apartment and then, enters her boudoir.

The third story is “The Super,” which is about Mr. Scruggs, the mean superintendent of the tenement at 55 Dropsie Avenue and his fateful encounter with Rosie, a poppet who might be one of the youngest femme fatales ever in comic books.  I am not a big fan of this story either, but it has some of Eisner's best cartooning of the human figure an exemplified in Mr. Scruggs.

In his post World War II work on his foundational comic book, The Spirit, Eisner frequently showed off his dexterity in cartooning the human figure in motion.  He matches that with the “The Super.”  This story opens with two masterful full-page illustrations, one suggesting Scruggs walking and the other a magnificent pose showing off Mr. Scrugg's physicality and his ability to intimidate using the threat of his physical prowess.

The final of the four stories is “Cookalein.”  The term refers to a kind of resort farm in the Catskill Mountains; 150 miles north of New York City.  City residents went to such places for summer vacations, and in this story, a wife and her two sons travel to a “cookalein” one summer.  However, marital stress lines between the wife and her husband, who will follow his family to the “cookalein” sometime later, grow wider, while the older of their two sons, Willie, has a life altering experience one hot summer night.

I have lost track of how many times I have re-read and perused all four of these stories in whole and in part, especially “Cookalein,” which is one of my all-time favorite Eisner works.  I had long hoped that Eisner would expand on this story, making it a larger, self-contained work or perhaps as a long-running serial featuring all the main characters from the story.

Over my many years of reading articles about A Contract with God and Other Tenement Stories, I have come to understand that some comic historians and aficionados consider this work to be the pinnacle of Eisner's career.  I don't.  I consider Eisner's post-WWII work on The Spirit, his comic book published as a newspaper insert during the 1940s and early 1950s, to be his best work.  I do think that A Contract with God is the height of Eisner's comics that are his personal expressions, both as a storyteller and as an artist working in the comics medium.  This graphic novel may also be the best blending of Eisner's expression of pre-World War II Jewish American culture in New York City with his own history as a boy and then as a young man before WWII.

I can say that I love A Contract with God and Other Tenement Stories even with my mixed feelings about some of the stories.  In the times that I have read or looked over A Contract with God since Will Eisner's passing, I find myself missing him something fierce... although I never met him.  Anyone who reads graphic novels has not really read graphic novels until he has read A Contract with God and Other Tenement Stories.

A

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


The text is copyright © 2017 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog for syndication rights and fees.

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

Review: CHAOS CAMPUS #0

CHAOS CAMPUS: SORORITY GIRLS VS ZOMBIES #0
APPROBATION COMICS

[This review was originally posted in Patreon.]

WRITER/LETTERS: B. Alex Thompson – @ApproBAT
ARTIST: Anita Zaramella
COLORS: Anita Zaramella
POST-SCRIPTING/POLISH: John P. Ward
COVER: Anita Zaramella
28pp, Color, $9.99 U.S.

Rated: Teen 13+

“The Keeper of Souls” created by B. Alex Thompson and Ant'Juan Avri; “Faint” and “The Stranger” are courtesy of DreamRealm Entertainment

“Sisters in Arms”

Chaos Campus: Sorority Girls vs. Zombies is a horror-comedy comic book series created by B. Alex Thompson and published by Approbation Comics.  The series is set in during a zombie apocalypse and follows the adventures of three members of the sorority, Epsilon Alpha Zeta Upsilon (EAZY):  ass-kickin’ Jaime Schaeffer, brainy Paige Patton, and sexy Brittany Miller.

Chaos Campus: Sorority Girls vs. Zombies – Extra Credit is a spin-off series.  Approbation published a Wizard World Sacramento Comic Con exclusive edition of Chaos Campus: Sorority Girls vs. Zombies – Extra Credit #6 and entitled it Chaos Campus: Sorority Girls vs. Zombies #0.  Extra Credit #6 was written by B. Alex Thompson and drawn and colored by Anita Zaramella.

Chaos Campus: Sorority Girls vs. Zombies #0 (a.k.a. Extra Credit #6) finds the three heroines polishing off a zombie attack.  Jaime decides to go on a resource run for supplies where she runs into members of “The Ravagers” gang.  Jaime won't have to take on these hoods by herself, as another ass-kicking young woman happens on the scene.  She calls herself “Faint,” and she has some dark secrets.

Chaos Campus is quite good at referencing lots of pop culture.  The last issue I read prior to this one, Chaos Campus #11, summoned the film, The Matrix, 1980s girl-group, The Bangles, and even an old NBC public service advertisement.

Chaos Campus: Extra Credit #6 focuses on some other things this series does well:  the occult, Satanism, and dark magic.  Chaos Campus is one of the funniest zombie comedies that I have ever encountered, and it even pokes fun at slasher horror, which it does quite well.  As this series advances, however, it embraces more aspects of dark fantasy.

I have to give B. Alex Thompson credit.  I have always thought that Chaos Campus had the potential to offer an expansive mythology and narrative.  The hard part is actually making that potential pay off, and Chaos Campus: Extra Credit #6 shows that Thompson is indeed cashing in on what his comic book can be.

A-

www.ApprobationComics.com
www.AlexThompsonWriter.com

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 or syndication rights and fees.

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

Review: ANONYMOUS NOISE Volume 1

ANONYMOUS NOISE, VOL. 1
VIZ MEDIA – @VIZMedia

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

MANGAKA: Ryoko Fukuyama
TRANSLATION/ENGLISH ADAPTATION: JN Productions
LETTERS: Joanna Estep
ISBN: 978-1-4215-9420-0; paperback (March 2017); Rated “T” for “Teen”
192pp, B&W, $9.99 U.S., $12.99 CAN, £6.99 UK

Created by Ryoko Fukuyama, Anonymous Noise is a new shojo manga from VIZ Media.  It focuses on a talented singer and her unrequited love for the former neighbor who sang with her.

Anonymous Noise, Vol. 1 (Chapters 1 to 5) introduces Nino Arisugawa.  Once upon a time, when her parents fought, she found comfort in singing with Momo Sakaki, a boy who was her next door neighbor.  Then, Momo suddenly moves away.  Nino soon finds comfort in a young songwriter, Kanade “Yuzu” Yuzuriha, who calls Nino “Alice.”  He tells her that she should sing instead of scream, but he soon moves away.

Six years later, Nino is in high school, and she makes a shocking reunion.  But just around the corner, unbeknownst to her, there is the possibility of another reunion.  Plus, a hot teen pop band needs her.

The Anonymous Noise manga has themes and subplots that involve singing, songwriting, bands, and apparently the music industry.  The lead characters and some of the supporting characters have musical, singing, and/or songwriting talent, but don't kick out the jams just yet.

Anonymous Noise Volume 1 lays down the beat, but the melody and chorus on this new manga is probably about teen angst and young love.  There is also so much unrequited love that I get the feeling that creator Ryoko Fukuyama is weaving more than one love triangle, and it seems as if these triangles will overlap and maybe even clash.  I won't give this manga a grade at this time, but I think it has potential to offer drama with a capital D.

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


The text is copyright © 2017 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for syndication rights and fees.

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

DC Comics from Diamond Distributors for March 15, 2017

DC COMICS

JAN170228    ALL STAR BATMAN #8    $4.99
JAN170229    ALL STAR BATMAN #8 CAMUNCOLI VAR ED    $4.99
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DEC160385    JSA THE GOLDEN AGE DELUXE ED HC (RES)    $34.99
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DEC160377    JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA POWER & GLORY HC    $29.99
AUG160369    LEGENDS OF TOMORROW HAWKGIRL AF    $28.00
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JAN170305    SUPER SONS #2    $2.99
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JAN170224    SUPERMAN #19    $2.99
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JAN170312    TITANS #9 VAR ED    $2.99
JAN170314    TRINITY #7    $2.99
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JAN170322    WILD STORM #2 JIM LEE VAR ED    $3.99
JAN170321    WILD STORM #2 RICHARDSON VAR ED    $3.99

Marvel Comics from Diamond Distributors for March 15, 2017

MARVEL COMICS

JAN170988    AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #25    $9.99
DEC161101    AVENGERS INITIATIVE COMPLETE COLLECTION TP VOL 01    $34.99
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