#IReadsYou Review: NIGHT OF THE GHOUL #4

NIGHT OF THE GHOUL #4 (OF 6)
comiXology/Best Jacket Press

STORY: Scott Snyder
ART: Francesco Francavilla
COLORS: Francesco Francavilla
LETTERS: Andworld Design
EDITOR: Will Dennis
COVER: Francesco Francavilla
24pp, Colors, 3.99 U.S. (January 2022)

Age Rating: 15+

Night of the Ghoul co-created by Scott Snyder and Francesco Francavilla

Episode 04

Night of the Ghoul is a digital comic book miniseries created by writer Scott Snyder and artist Francesco Francavilla.  It is published by comiXology as part of its “comiXology Originals” line of digital comics.  This six-issue series will later be collected in trade paperback form by Dark Horse Comics.  Night of the Ghoul focuses on the dark conspiracy behind a lost horror film from 1936.

Night of the Ghoul finds film fanatic, Forest Innman, and his son, Orson, at an old folks home deep in the desert.  There, Forest meets one of the home's residents, Charles Patrick, who is really T.F. Merritt, a screenwriter and film director from the Golden Age of Hollywood.  In 1936, Merritt shot a a cursed horror film, “Night of the Ghoul,” that never made it to the silver screen.  A mysterious studio fire destroyed the footage and killed the cast and crew at the wrap-party.  The film became a legend, but no footage was ever recovered … until Forest finds some footage.  And the trouble begins.

Night of the Ghoul #4 opens in the past – in the film, Night of the Ghoul.  Alex Powell, the son of Sgt. Kurt Powell of Eagle Company, continues his quest to free his father of the curse of the Ghoul.  Helping him is his “uncle,” Johnny Polaris, who was in Eagle Company during World War I with Kurt.

Johnny has summoned the rest of Eagle Company, and they have sought the help of Dale Holloway, a professor of Anthropological Studies.  An expert on the “Gul,” the wheel-chair bound Prof. Holloway has a “tincture” that will drive the Ghoul from Kurt.  But what will driving the creature out look like?

Meanwhile, in the present, Forest has returned to rescue Merritt from the clutches of Dr. Skeen, whom the old man claims has the Ghoul inside his body.  Meanwhile, Forest's wife, Gina, is desperately trying to reach him.  Their son, Orson, who accompanied his father on this hellish trip, is in trouble … underground.

THE LOWDOWN:  In Night of the Ghoul, Francavilla and Snyder have created a masterpiece of atmospheric horror.  Truthfully, it never stops being a masterpiece; I keep waiting for it it have a bad chapter or even a momentary lapse in quality, and it does not.

Episode 4 has me convinced that Night of the Ghoul is the the best work that Snyder and Francavilla have produced both as a team and as individuals.  It is certainly Francavilla's best graphical storytelling.  The color sections of issue four are scary, but the black and white or sepia segments (inside the Night of the Ghoul film) are an embarrassment of riches in terms of atmospherics.  I feel as if I am in the grip of fear in every beautiful panel in the story of Alex Powell and Johnny Polaris.

I can't wait to read more.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of Scott Snyder and of Francesco Francavilla will want to try Night of the Ghoul.

A+

10 out of 10

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


https://twitter.com/comiXology
https://twitter.com/DarkHorseComics
https://twitter.com/Ssnyder1835
https://www.instagram.com/ssnyder1835/
https://twitter.com/f_francavilla
https://twitter.com/andworlddesign


The text is copyright © 2022 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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I Reads You Juniors: January 2024 - Update #62

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

You can support Leroy via Paypal or on Patreon.

NEWS:

DC COMICS - From BleedingCool:  Katie Kubert is the new editor of DC Comics' monthly "Batman" comic book series.  Kubert is the granddaughter of the late comic book icon and legend, Joe Kubert, and the niece of the acclaimed artists, Adam Kubert and Andy Kubert.

DC STUDIOS - From THR:  "House of the Dragon" actress, Milly Alcock, will play "Supergirl/Kara Zor-El" in the planned DC Studios' film, "Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow."  Alcock will appear in one or two DC projects before "Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow."

COMICS TO FILM - From THR:  "2000 AD's long-running comics serial, "Rogue Trooper," is being adapted as a 3D animated film.  The voice cast will include Aneurin Barnard, Hayley Atwell, and Jack Lowden.  “Rogue Trooper” will be written and directed by Duncan Jones, whose credits include “Source Code” and “Warcraft.”  The film has wrapped principal photography at Rebellion Film Studios in the U.K. and is set to be finished next year.

DC GAMES - From YouTube:  There is a now a deluxe trailer for the upcoming video game, "Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League."  The game is due Feb. 2nd, 2024 for the PSF, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.

DC ANIMATED - From DCBlog:  DC Comics' legendary event maxi-series, "Crisis on Infinite Earths," is being adapted as three-part animated film series.  The producers talk about "Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths - Part One."

DYNAMITE - From Dynamite:  Comics scribe David Avallone has a message for readers about his upcoming miniseries, "Elvira Meets H.P. Lovecraft."  First issue arrives Feb. 21st, 2024.

SONY SPIDER U - From ComicBook:  "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse" has received a "Best Animated Feature" Oscar nomination at the 2024 / 96th Academy Awards.  The winners will be announced Sunday, March 10th, 2024.  The previous film, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, won the "Best Animated Feature" Oscar.

CHARITY - From BleedingCool:  An update on the medical conditions and GoFundMe campaigns for comic books writers, Peter David and Brett Lewis.

EISNERS - From Popverse:  When submissions for the "2024 Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards" officially opened earlier this month (Jan. 2024), there was a surprise. The slot for "Comics-Related Periodical/Journalism" was not included among this year's categories for awards. It has apparently been folded into another category.

ORIGINAL ART - From OrlandoWeekly:  The site has an article on the first ever "Original Art Expo," that is being held in Orlando, Florida Fri-to Sun, Jan. 26th-28th.  The event will occur at the Double Tree by Hilton Hotel at Universal Orlando.  A number of big name artists will appear, including Amanda Conner, David Finch, Michael Golden, and Matt Wagner, to name a few.

DC GAMES - From YouTube:   There is a teaser trailer for the upcoming video game, "Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League."  The game is due Feb. 2nd, 2024 for the PSF, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.

IMAGE TO FILM - From YahooEntertainment:  Jason Mamoa, Emmy-winner Aaron Paul ("Breaking Bad), and more react to actor Channing Tatum's announcement that he is bringing Sam Keith's cult comic book, "The Maxx," to the big screen.  Previously, "The Maxx" was a 13-episode animated television series for MTV in 1995.

BOOK BANS - From Boston:  New legislative bills in the Massachusetts' House and Senate would protect school librarians selections and reduce book selections in the state.

PUBLISHING - From Deadline:  "Sports Illustrated," the 70-year-old venerable sports news and features magazine, is probably dead.

CHARITY - From THR:  Via "Humble Bundle," writer Jimmy Palmiotti is offering hundreds of pages of his comics at a steeply discounted price.  The funds will go to the World Wildlife Fund.  One of the comics offered, "Back to Brooklyn," was being developed as a feature film by the late Oscar-nominated director, John Singleton, before he passed.

DYNAMITE - From YouTube:  Dynamite Entertainment has released a trailer for the comic book, "Vampirella #666," which is due in comic book shops Feb. 7th, 2024.

IMAGE - From YouTube:  Eisner Award-winning comics creator, Rob Guillory (Chew, Farmhand), now has a YouTube show.

ELFQUEST - From TeamElfquest:  "Elfquest" co-creator, Richard Pini, clarifies information on the planned "Elfquest" television animated drama from Wolfrider Productions and Modern Magic.

IDW - From BleedingCool:  Jason Aaron is apparently going to write IDW's new "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" comic book, which is set to debut this coming summer.

ARCHIE - From PW:  Archie Comics Publisher and CEO, Jon Goldwater, talks about the future of the company in comic books, graphic novels, films, and television.

From BleedingCool:  According to the publisher of Archie Comics, Jon Goldwater, there will be a comic book in which the publisher's lead character, Archie Andrews, becomes a superhero.  To be published in 2024, the series will be serious superhero, not tongue-in-cheek like previous Archie superhero stories.

IMAGE - From BleedingCool:  Image Comics co-founder, Jim Valentino, has been hospitalized with pneumonia.  Valentino is also a comics creator, ("normalman," Marvel's "Guardians of the Galaxy," and "Shadowhawk"), and as a publisher is know helping a number of creators at pivotal moments in their career, including Brian Michael Bendis, Michael Oeming, Nick Spencer, Robert Kirkman, and Jimmie Robinson, to name a few.

ELFQUEST - From Deadline: 20th Television Animation (a division of 20th Century Studios) has given a script commitment to "Elfquest," a one-hour animated drama series based on the epic fantasy adventure comic series created by Wendy and Richard Pini, which debuted in 1978.  The series will be from Rodney Rothman and Adam Rosenberg’s Modern Magic. Susan Hurwitz Arneson will pen the series adaptation and serve as showrunner and executive producer.

MANGA - From BleedingCool:  TOKYOPOP is collecting the comic book series, "Resident Evil: Infinite Darkness - The Beginning" in a paperback graphic novel, debuting March 12th.

DC CINEMA - From Variety:  Writer-director David Ayer is so desperate for people to see HIS cut of the 2016 film, Suicide Squad, that he would settle for showing a one "funeral screening" of the film he says was "taken away" from him.

IMAGE COMICS TO TV - From Deadline:  Writer Ed Brubaker and artist Sean Phillips' long-running crime comic book series, "Criminal," is headed to Prime Video, which has made a series order for it.  Amazon MGM Studios will produce "Criminal" with Brubaker and crime fiction author Jordan Harper acting as co-showrunners.

IDW - From THR:  IDW has announced that it has renewed its license with Paramount to continue producing comic books based on the "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles," which Paramount has owned since 2009.

COMICS TO TV - From Deadline:  "American Born Chinese," the streaming series adapated from Gene Luen Lang's graphic novel of the same title, has been cancelled by Disney+ after one season.

AI - From BleedingCool:  AI art-generator, MidJourney, has apparently appropriated the work of numberous artists known for their work in comic books. The list includes such luminaries as Brian Bolland, Steve Ditko, Jack Kirby, Frank Miller, Alex Toth, and Wally Wood, to name a few.

MARVEL - From BleedingCool:  Greg Capullo's first project for Marvel Comics in over a decade is a new "Wolverine #1."

From BleedingCool:  Greg Capullo teases his first work from Marvel Comics in over a decade.

From ComicBook:  Marvel Comics' "Timeless #1" teases the return of the "Guardians of the Galaxy."

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DECEMBER 2023 COMICS SOLICITATIONS:

From BleedingCool:  Ablaze for December 2023

From BleedingCool:  Ahoy Comics for December 2023

From BleedingCool:  Antarctic Press for December 2023

From BleedingCool:  Archie Comics for December 2023

From BleedingCool:  AWA Studios for December 2023

From BleedingCool:  Bleeding Moon Comics LLC for December 2023

From BleedingCool:  BOOM! Studios for December 2023

From BleedingCool:  CEX for December 2023

From BleedingCool:  Dark Horse Comics for December 2023

From BleedingCool:  DC Comics for December 2023

From BleedingCool:  Dstlry for December 2023

From BleedingCool:  Dynamite Entertainment for December 2023

From BleedingCool:  Hexagon Comics for December 2023

From BleedingCool:  IDW Publishing for December 2023

From BleedingCool:  Image Comics for December 2023

From BleedingCool:  Image Comics "G.I. Joe" comics for December 2023

From BleedingCool:  Keenspot Entertainment for December 2023

From BleedingCool:  Kodansha Comics for December 2023

From BleedingCool:  Mad Cave Studios for December 2023

From BleedingCool:  Marvel Comics for December 2023

From BleedingCool:  Marvel's "Spider-Man" and "Gang War" titles for December 2023

From BleedingCool:  Marvel's "Star Wars" titles for December 2023

From BleedingCool:  Massive for December 2023

From BleedingCool:  Oni Press for December 2023

From BleedingCool:  Opus Comics for December 2023

From BleedingCool:  Rebellion / 2000 AD for December 2023

From BleedingCool:  Scout Comics for December 2023

From BleedingCool:  Titan Comics for December 2023

From BleedingCool:  TOKYOPOP for December 2023

From BleedingCool:  Udon Entertainment Inc. for December 2023

From BleedingCool:  Valiant Comics for December 2023

JANUARY 2024 COMICS SOLICITATIONS:

From BleedingCool:  Ablaze for January 2024

From BleedingCool:  Ahoy Comics for January 2024

From BleedingCool:  Antarctic Press for January 2024

From BleedingCool:  Archie Comics for January 2024

From BleedingCool:  Band of Bards for January 2024

From BleedingCool:  Blood Moon Comics LLC for January 2024

From BleedingCool:  BOOM Studios! for January 2024

From BleedingCool:  Dark Horse Comics for January 2024

From BleedingCool:  DC Comics for January 2024

From BleedingCool:  Dynamite Entertainment for January 2024

From BleedingCool:  IDW Publishing for January 2024

From BleedingCool:  Image Comics for January 2024

From BleedingCool:  Image Comics Energon Universe for January 2024

From BleedingCool:  Keenspot Entertainment for January 2024

From BleedingCool:  Kodansha Comics for January 2024

From BleedingCool:  Mad Cave Studios for January 2024

From BleedingCool:  Marvel Comics for January 2024

From BleedingCool:  Massive/Whatnot for January 2024

From BleedingCool:  Oni Press for January 2024

From BleedingCool:  Rebellion 2000 AD for January 2024

From BleedingCool:  Scout Comics for January 2024

From BleedingCool:  Valiant Comics for January 2024

From BleedingCool:  VIZ Media for January 2024

From BleedingCool:  Yen Press for January 2024

From BleedingCool:  Zenescope Entertainment for January 2024

FEBRUARY 2024 COMICS SOLICITATIONS:

From BleedingCool:  Archie Comics for February 2024

From BleedingCool:  AWA Studios for February 2024

From BleedingCool:  Blood Moon Comics for February 2024

From BleedingCool:  BOOM! Studios for February 2024

From BleedingCool:  Dark Horse Comics for February 2024

From BleedingCool:  DC Comics for February 2024

From BleedingCool:  Dynamite Entertainment for February 2024

From BleedingCool:  Fantagraphics Books for February 2024

From BleedingCool:  1First Comics for February 2024

From BleedingCool:  IDW Publishing for February 2024

From BleedingCool:  Image Comics for February 2024

From BleedingCool:  Mad Cave Studios for February 2024

From BleedingCool:  Marvel Comics for February 2024

From BleedingCool:  Marvel Comics "X-Men" titles for February 2024

From BleedingCool:  Massive for February 2024

From BleedingCool:  Oni Press for February 2024

From BleedingCool:  Rebellion/2000AD for February 2024

From BleedingCool:  Scout Comics for February 2024

From BleedingCool:  10 Ton Press for February 2024

From BleedingCool:  Titan Comics for February 2024

From BleedingCool:  Valiant Comics for February 2024

From BleedingCool:  Vault Comics for February 2024

MARCH 2024 COMICS SOLICITATIONS:

From BleedingCool:  Ablaze for March 2024

From BleedingCool:  Ahoy Comics for March 2024

From BleedingCool:  Antarctic Press for March 2024

From BleedingCool:  Archie Comics for March 2024

From BleedingCool:  AWA Studios for March 2024

From BleedingCool:  Blood Moon Comics for March 2024

From BleedingCool:  BOOM! Studios for March 2024

From BleedingCool:  CEX Publishing for March 2024

From BleedingCool:  Dark Horse Comics for March 2024

From BleedingCool:  DC Comics for March 2024

From BleedingCool:  DC "Batman" comics for March 2024

From BleedingCool:  Dead Sky Publishing LLC for March 2024

From BleedingCool:  Dstlry for March 2024

From BleedingCool:  Dynamite Entertainment for March 2024

From BleedingCool:  IDW Publishing for March 2024

From BleedingCool:  Image Comics for March 2024

From BleedingCool:  Image Comics "Energon Universe" titles for March 2024

From BleedingCool:  Image Comics "Spawn" titles for March 2024

From BleedingCool:  IPI Comics for March 2024

From BleedingCool:  Keenspot Entertainment for March 2024

From BleedingCool:  Kodansha Comics for March 2024

From BleedingCool:  Mad Cave Studios for March 2024

From BleedingCool:  Marvel Comics for March 2024

From BleedingCool:  Marvel "X-Men" from Marvel Comics for March 2024

From BleedingCool:  Marvel "Fall of the House of X" and "Rise of the Powers of X" from Marvel Comics for March 2024

From BleedingCool:  Massive/WhatNot for March 2024

From BleedingCool:  Oni Press for March 2024

From BleedingCool:  Rebellion/2000AD for March 2024

From BleedingCool:  Scout Comics for March 2024

From BleedingCool:  Titan Comics for March 2024

From BleedingCool:  Vault Comics for March 2024

From BleedingCool:  VIZ Media for March 2024

From BleedingCool:  Yen Press for March 2024

APRIL 2024 COMICS SOLICITATIONS:

From BleedingCool:  Ablaze for April 2024

From BleedingCool:  Archie Comics for April 2024

From BleedingCool:  AWA Studios for April 2024

From BleedingCool:  DC Comics for April 2024

From BleedingCool:  DC Comics' "Batman" titles for April 2024

From BleedingCool:  DC Comics' Superman's "House of Braniac" titles for April 2024

From BleedingCool:  Dstlry for April 2024

From BleedingCool:  Fantagraphics Books for April 2024

From BleedingCool:  IDW Publishing for April 2024

From BleedingCool:  Image Comics for April 2024

From BleedingCool:  Image Comics' Todd McFarlane titles for April 2024

From BleedingCool:  Marvel Comics for April 2024

From BleedingCool:  X-Men & Avengers crossover from Marvel for April 2024

From BleedingCool:  "The Fall of The House of X" and "The Rise of The Powers of X" from Marvel Comics for April 2024.

From BleedingCool:  Oni Press for April 2024

From BleedingCool:  Valiant Comics for April 2024

From BleedingCool:  Vault Comics for April 2024

MAY 2024 COMICS SOLICITATIONS:

From BleedingCool:  Free Comic Book Day 2024 for May 4, 2024

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#IReadsYou Review: NIGHT OF THE GHOUL #3

NIGHT OF THE GHOUL #3 (OF 6)
comiXology/Best Jacket Press

STORY: Scott Snyder
ART: Francesco Francavilla
COLORS: Francesco Francavilla
LETTERS: Andworld Design
EDITOR: Will Dennis
COVER: Francesco Francavilla
24pp, Colors, 3.99 U.S. (December 2021)

Age Rating: 15+

Night of the Ghoul co-created by Scott Snyder and Francesco Francavilla

Episode 03

Night of the Ghoul is a digital comic book miniseries created by writer Scott Snyder and artist Francesco Francavilla.  It is published by comiXology as part of its “comiXology Originals” line of digital comics.  This six-issue series will later be collected in trade paperback form by Dark Horse Comics.  Night of the Ghoul focuses on the dark conspiracy behind a lost horror film from 1936.

Night of the Ghoul finds film fanatic, Forest Innman, and his son, Orson, at an old folks home deep in the desert.  There, Forest meets one of the home's residents, Charles Patrick, who is really T.F. Merritt, a screenwriter and film director from the Golden Age of Hollywood.  In 1936, Merritt shot a a cursed horror film, “Night of the Ghoul,” that never made it to the silver screen.  A mysterious studio fire destroyed the footage and killed the cast and crew at the wrap-party.  The film became a legend, but no footage was ever recovered … until Forest finds some footage.  And the trouble begins.

As Night of the Ghoul #3 opens, Dr. Skeen, head of the facility, interrupts Forest's interview with Merritt.  Skeen also rebuffs Orson's story about the corpses of children being in the facility.  Father and son depart the facility and during an argument, Orson reveals some surprising news about his mother, Forest's wife.  It all leads to Forest witnessing something shocking.

Meanwhile, inside the film, “Night of the Ghoul,” Alex and Johnny Polaris continue their investigation into the Ghoul.  Alex is the son of Sgt. Kurt Powell of Eagle Company, and Polaris, Powell's friend and fellow veteran of World War I, was also in the Eagle Company.  They believe that Kurt became infected with the Ghoul during a secret mission in Italy during the war.

Alex and Polaris meet Dale Holloway, a professor of Anthropological Studies.  She once researched “Gul” legends, and she actually tried to find the Ghoul.  The result is that she has terrible story to tell.

THE LOWDOWN:  In Night of the Ghoul, Francavilla and Snyder have created a masterpiece of atmospheric horror.  I can never get enough of this visually splendid comic book.

In Episode 3, Snyder ups the ante by revealing more about the precarious state of Forest Innman's marriage and his frayed relationship.  Inside the Night of the Ghoul film, Francavilla presents beautiful graphic design, especially in the “Gul” artifacts.  The artist also creates an appropriately chilly atmosphere for Prof. Holloway's tale.

I will continue to recommend Night of the Ghoul because it is the kind of horror comic book that makes me remember my earliest horror comics experiences.  As I said in my review of issues #1 and #2, this is the kind of comic book that gives me a reason to keep reading comic books.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of Scott Snyder and of Francesco Francavilla will want to try Night of the Ghoul.

A+

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


https://twitter.com/comiXology
https://twitter.com/DarkHorseComics
https://twitter.com/Ssnyder1835
https://www.instagram.com/ssnyder1835/
https://twitter.com/f_francavilla
https://twitter.com/andworlddesign


The text is copyright © 2022 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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

Amazon wants me to inform you that the link below is a PAID AD, but I technically only get paid (eventually) if you click on the ad below AND buy something(s).

#IReadsYou Review: NIGHT OF THE GHOUL #2

NIGHT OF THE GHOUL #2 (OF 6)
comiXology/Best Jacket Press

STORY: Scott Snyder
ART: Francesco Francavilla
COLORS: Francesco Francavilla
LETTERS: Andworld Design
EDITOR: Will Dennis
COVER: Francesco Francavilla
24pp, Colors, 3.99 U.S. (November 2021)

Age Rating: 15+

Night of the Ghoul co-created by Scott Snyder and Francesco Francavilla

Episode 02

Night of the Ghoul is a digital comic book miniseries created by writer Scott Snyder and artist Francesco Francavilla.  It is published by comiXology as part of its “comiXology Originals” line of digital comics.  This six-issue series will later be collected in trade paperback form by Dark Horse Comics.  Night of the Ghoul focuses on the dark conspiracy behind a lost horror film from 1936.

Night of the Ghoul finds film fanatic, Forest Innman, and his son, Orson, at an old folks home deep in the desert.  There, Forest meets one of the home's residents, Charles Patrick, who is really T.F. Merritt, a screenwriter and film director from the Golden Age of Hollywood.  In 1936, Merritt shot a a cursed horror film, “Night of the Ghoul,” that never made it to the silver screen.  A mysterious studio fire destroyed the footage and killed the cast and crew at the wrap-party.  The film became a legend, but no footage was ever recovered … until Forest finds some footage.  And the trouble begins.

Night of the Ghoul #2 opens inside the film, “Night of the Ghoul,” in the scene explaining what “the Ghoul” is.  Later, World War I ends and Sgt. Kurt Powell of Eagle Company returns to America with his fellow soldier, Johnny.  However, something is wrong with Kurt, and when he is reunited with Alex, his young son, the boy recognizes it immediately.  Johnny and Alex also overhear two officers from the ship that brought them home discussing something quite unsettling.

Leaving the film, the story returns to the nursing home.  There, Merritt explains his fate since the destruction of his film.  He also forces Forest to admit that he knows more than he has let on to the old man.  What is “The Order of the Fly?”  Meanwhile, Orson is trying to escape from his father by leaving the old folks' home, but he is discovering a series of disturbing things about the place.

THE LOWDOWN:  Francavilla and Snyder continue to work as a single creative unit; at least, that is the sense I get when I read this hugely entertaining comic.  However, the star here is artist Francesco Francavilla, whose seamlessly transforms Synder's script into the kind of spooky, atmospheric comics that is his signature work – such as Afterlife with Archie and The Black Beetle.

On Page 14, Francavilla draws Orson descending a staircase at the old folks' home.  Shadows that look like bony fingers reach out towards him, and for me, that image recalls the late Edward Gorey's animations for the opening of the television series, “PBS Mystery!”  It is both beautiful and delightfully scary.

I am recommending Night of the Ghoul because it is the kind of horror comic book that makes me remember my earliest horror comics experiences – Charlton Comics and Warren Publishing.  As I said in my review of issue #1, this is the kind of comic book that gives me a reason to keep reading comic books.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of Scott Snyder and of Francesco Francavilla will want to try Night of the Ghoul.

A+

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


https://twitter.com/comiXology
https://twitter.com/DarkHorseComics
https://twitter.com/Ssnyder1835
https://www.instagram.com/ssnyder1835/
https://twitter.com/f_francavilla
https://twitter.com/andworlddesign


The text is copyright © 2022 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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

Amazon wants me to inform you that the link below is a PAID AD, but I technically only get paid (eventually) if you click on the ad below AND buy something(s).

#IReadsYou Review: NIGHT OF THE GHOUL #1

NIGHT OF THE GHOUL #1 (OF 6)
comiXology/Best Jacket Press

STORY: Scott Snyder
ART: Francesco Francavilla
COLORS: Francesco Francavilla
LETTERS: Andworld Design
EDITOR: Will Dennis
COVER: Francesco Francavilla
32pp, Colors, 3.99 U.S. (October 2021)

Age Rating: 15+

Episode 01

Night of the Ghoul is a digital comic book miniseries created by writer Scott Snyder and artist Francesco Francavilla.  It is published by comiXology as part of its “comiXology Originals” line of digital comics.  This six-issue series will later be collected in trade paperback form by Dark Horse Comics.  Night of the Ghoul focuses on the dark conspiracy behind a lost horror film from 1936.

Night of the Ghoul #1 opens at night in the California desert – fifty miles west of Calexico.  Forest Innman and his son, Orson, race to an old folks home, where Forest will pretend to be an agent of “Northgood Health Insurance.”  Under that guise, Forest hopes to meet one of the home's residents, Charles Patrick.

Charles Patrick, however, isn't his real name.  He is really T.F. Merritt, a screenwriter and film director from the Golden Age of Hollywood.  In 1936, Merritt shot a film, “Night of the Ghoul,” that was meant to stand side by side with James Whale's Frankenstein (1931) and Tod Browning's Dracula (1931) as seminal Hollywood horror films and as instant classics.  “Night of the Ghoul,” however, never made it to the silver screen.  A mysterious studio fire destroyed the footage and killed the cast and crew at the wrap-party.  The film became a legend, but no footage was ever recovered … until now.

Inman, obsessed with horror films, found a forgotten canister of footage from “Night of the Ghoul,” and this discovery has sent him on his odyssey to meet T.F. Merritt.  But Merritt asks one important and ominous questions: has Inman watched the film?

THE LOWDOWN:  Twenty-nine of the 32 pages of Night of the Ghoul #1 are story pages.  My synopsis is really only a broad overview of what happens in this first episode.  There is an entire co-plot that is actually the depiction of the film, “Night of the Ghoul,” which artist Francesco Francavilla draws in beautiful black and white.

Francavilla and Snyder work as a single creative unit.  Snyder's story, which recalls the classic horror films of yesteryear, and Francavilla's art, which is inherently spooky, come together in one alluring package.  There is an extra creepy scene that takes place in a hall in the home that does not come across to me as ever being a script and then a series of illustrations.  It seems to have come into existence whole, so convincing is the evil that it conveys.  Night of the Ghoul is a world of shadow and fog, not creative process, one that will invite you inside … in time to kill you.

This first episode is not so much an intellectual experience as it is a reading experience that calls on the reader's memories and the emotions attached to specific memories.  The authors seem to bid you to get inside this story and feel, perhaps, feel the way you did when you first read comic books.  In that way, Night of the Ghoul is a pure pop comic book, like Francavilla's The Black Beetle comic books.

I am recommending Night of the Ghoul because it is the kind of horror comic book that makes me remember my earliest horror comics experiences – Charlton Comics and Warren Publishing.  And it is the kind of comic book that gives me a reason to keep reading comic books.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of Scott Snyder and of Francesco Francavilla will want to try Night of the Ghoul.

A+

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


https://twitter.com/comiXology
https://twitter.com/DarkHorseComics
https://twitter.com/Ssnyder1835
https://www.instagram.com/ssnyder1835/
https://twitter.com/f_francavilla
https://twitter.com/andworlddesign


The text is copyright © 2022 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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Amazon wants me to inform you that the link below is a PAID AD, but I technically only get paid (eventually) if you click on the ad below AND buy something(s).

TRAILER: "The Boys" Season 3 - Redband Teaser

Amazon's hit superhero drama, "The Boys," is back for Season 3 on June 3, 2022.  The series is based on the comic book series of the same name by writer Garth Ennis and artist Darick Robertson.  Now, there is a "redband" teaser that features a look at the new character, actor Jensen Ackles' "Soldier Boy":

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Amazon wants me to inform you that the affiliate link below is a PAID AD, but I technically only get paid (eventually) if you click on the affiliate link below AND buy something(s).

Review: SUCKER: Book One: Living After Midnight

SUCKER: BOOK ONE: LIVING AFTER MIDNIGHT
COMIXOLOGY/Polite Strangers

Kickstarter campaign to support Sucker is here.

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

PLOT: Jason McNamara and Tony Talbert
SCRIPT: Jason McNamara
PENCILS: Tony Talbert
INKS: John Heebink
COLORS: Paul Little
LETTERS: Jason McNamara
EDITOR: John Heebink
MISC. ART: Brian Wood (logo); Tony Talbert with Stephen Buell; Justin Greenwood with Paul Little; Greg Hinkle; Tony Talbert and John Heebink with Paul Little
ISBN: 978-1-5323-8060-0; paperback (July 2018)
66pp., Color, $9.95

Age: 17+ Only / Mature Readers

Sucker is a vampire comic book series published by comiXology as part of its “comiXology Originals.”  Sucker: Book One is written by Jason McNamara (plot/script) and Tony Talbert (plot); drawn by Talbert and John Heebink (inks); colored by Paul Little; and lettered by McNamara.  The series follows a band of vampire hunters forced to suddenly reunite when a powerful, ass-kicking vampire reawakens.

Sucker: Book One – Living After Midnight opens on the upper east side of Manhattan.  Two clownish thieves accidentally awaken a slumbering vampire, Douglas Jacobs, once upon a time a successful stock trader in the 1980s.  He had not been seen since 1988, but now he is back for a mysterious reason bigger than his own wants.

Enter hard-ass vampire hunter, Clyde Benton, and fellow vampire slayer, the brass knuckle-wielding priest, Father Harrison.  They have been called back into service by “Frontier Innovations” and its taciturn Director Sullivan to take down Jacobs.  This time, however, this hugely successful vampire-smashing unit faces a monster that is (1) most resourceful and (2) very hard to kill.

Don't think of Sucker: Book One as some kind of small press, indie, or self-published comic book.  Think of it as what it is – highly-polished, high-octane genre entertainment.  Its script is probably of better quality than any Syfy original horror films, and is as good or even better in some cases than the writing on straight-to-DVD, VOD, and streaming horror entertainment.

In the case of Jason McNamara's script, I can trot out many of the slang declarations used to describe exciting action movies:  hellraisin', rip-snortin', balls-to-the-wall, etc.  When it comes to the story's internal mythology, McNamara drops it here and there throughout this first book in a way that both teases and intrigues.  However, the action is so frenetic that the reader will have other things to occupy his attention.

That artist Tony Talbert co-plots this first issue shows in the page-by-page and panel-by-panel flow of the explosive action scenes, which are thrilling to behold and bracing to read.  Talbert's graphical storytelling and graphic design of individual pages are advanced enough to make me wonder why he has not produced more work for the bigger publishers.  John Heebink's precision inking seems to streamline some of the wildness in Talbert's storytelling, while directing its power right at the reader.  For instance, the characters' emotions are wild and aggressive, but it reads as being genuine rather than as being over the top.  Heebink's inking also sharpens the inventiveness in Talbert's illustrations.  There are some exceptionally visually striking images in Sucker: Book One (especially those involving the vampire's “union” with vermin).  They are clear, rather than impressionistic.

It would be a sin to not acknowledge the coloring by Paul Little, which is often spectacular in this first book.  Sometimes, it is muted and reminds me of the coloring in DC Comics' 1970's horror comics, (House of Mystery, Swamp Thing).  Other times, Little's hues have the rich and vibrant quality that a talented artist can get using modern coloring techniques.

I must admit that I only sought out Sucker: Book One because I am a fan of inker John Heebink's work going back to Metacops! (Fantagraphics Books), an odd, sci-fi comic book he drew back in the early 1990s.  My fanboy inclinations were rewarded, as I am shocked by how much I like Sucker: Book One.  I practically tore through it once I started reading.  It is one of the best of the recent vampire comic books, along with Jonathan Maberry and Tyler Crook's Bad Blood (Dark Horse Comics).

I recommend Sucker: Book One – Living After Midnight without reservation to fans of horror comic books, especially to fans of vampire comics and fiction.  One might even say I now have a blood lust for Sucker: Book Two.

9 out of 10

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

http://jason-mcnamara.com/
John Heebink: https://twitter.com/JohnHeebink

By Sucker Volume 1 at comiXology.

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

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Amazon Announces "Forward" Sci-Fi Short Story Collection

Amazon Publishing Brings Together Bestselling and Award-Winning Authors Blake Crouch, N. K. Jemisin, Veronica Roth, Amor Towles, Paul Tremblay, and Andy Weir for a Sci-Fi Short Story Collection

Coming from Amazon Original Stories in September 2019, Forward will offer readers mind-bending, binge-worthy short stories from some of today’s most acclaimed authors

SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--(NASDAQ: AMZN)—Amazon Original Stories, an imprint of Amazon Publishing, announced the forthcoming six-part science-fiction collection, Forward, featuring original short stories from some of today’s most celebrated voices in fiction, including Blake Crouch, N. K. Jemisin, Veronica Roth, Amor Towles, Paul Tremblay, and Andy Weir. Forward will be available for free on September 17th, 2019 to Prime and Kindle Unlimited customers. Readers can download the collection as a Kindle eBook or Audible audiobook.

    “We think of our story collections as reading’s answer to podcasts, and are proud to offer our readers—and listeners—fresh ways to fit binge-worthy narratives into their lives.”

Forward explores a central theme: the resounding effects of a pivotal technological moment. While each author started with this same prompt, readers will discover that each story unearths a unique corner of the sci-fi genre, ranging from intimate to epic, grounded to far future, hopeful to harrowing.

Andy Weir (Artemis, The Martian) imagines a high-tech Las Vegas casino heist; Paul Tremblay (The Cabin at the End of the World) immerses readers in a patient’s mysteriously slow healing process; Amor Towles (A Gentleman in Moscow) explores a fertility clinic’s god-like abilities to alter an unborn child’s life path; Veronica Roth (Divergent trilogy) spins a story of finding connection in the face of our world’s certain destruction; N.K. Jemisin (The Broken Earth series) subverts all expectations when an explorer returns to the ravaged Earth his ancestors fled; and Blake Crouch (Dark Matter) follows a video game designer whose character Maxine unexpectedly “wakes up.”

“Each story in the Forward collection stands alone as a singular achievement in science fiction, imagined by a storyteller at the top of their game,” said Mikyla Bruder, Publisher, Amazon Publishing. “In this ambitious collection, these writers deliver a formidable reading experience that will delight their fans and thrill readers new to their work.”

“I find the theme of the Forward collection particularly exciting,” said Veronica Roth, New York Times bestselling author of the Divergent trilogy. “Sci-fi often skews toward wariness of the future, for good reason, but this collection prompted me to tap into the other side of it, into wonder and imagination. It was a welcome challenge!”

“The short story is one of the hardest, most rewarding forms in fiction, and with Amazon Original Stories, we had the tools to gather together the best of the best in sci-fi, fantasy, YA, horror, and historical and bring these groundbreaking stories to a true mass audience,” said Blake Crouch, bestselling author of Dark Matter and the curator of Forward. Crouch’s Wayward Pines trilogy and his novel Good Behavior, both of which were adapted for television, were also published by Amazon Publishing, under the Thomas & Mercer imprint.

“Amazon Original Stories is all about innovating on what storytelling looks like today, and Forward’s all-star cast of beloved authors is helping us do just that,” said Julia Sommerfeld, Editorial Director, Amazon Original Stories. “We think of our story collections as reading’s answer to podcasts, and are proud to offer our readers—and listeners—fresh ways to fit binge-worthy narratives into their lives.”

Launched in 2017, Amazon Original Stories brings unforgettable short fiction and nonfiction to Kindle. Past collections include the Amazon Original Stories and Amazon Studios joint acquisition The Fairer Sex by Michelle Miller, Warmer by Lauren Groff, Jane Smiley, Jess Walter, and more, and Dark Corners, which features Lisa Unger’s Edgar Award-nominated short The Sleep Tight Motel. Each story is available free to Prime members, as well as Kindle Unlimited subscribers, and is available for download for non-subscribers beginning at $1.99.

www.amazon.com/amazonoriginalstories


About Amazon Publishing
Amazon Publishing is a leading publisher of trade fiction, nonfiction, and children’s books with a mission to empower outstanding storytellers and connect them with readers worldwide. The Amazon Publishing teams based in Seattle, New York, Grand Haven, Luxembourg, London, Paris, Madrid, Milan, and Munich publish emerging, bestselling and critically-acclaimed authors in digital, print, and audio formats. For more information, visit apub.com.

About Amazon
Amazon is guided by four principles: customer obsession rather than competitor focus, passion for invention, commitment to operational excellence, and long-term thinking. Customer reviews, 1-Click shopping, personalized recommendations, Prime, Fulfillment by Amazon, AWS, Kindle Direct Publishing, Kindle, Fire tablets, Fire TV, Amazon Echo, and Alexa are some of the products and services pioneered by Amazon. For more information, visit www.amazon.com/about and follow @AmazonNews.

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Amazon Announces Imprint Focusing on English Translations of Children's Books from Around the World

Amazon Publishing Announces Amazon Crossing Kids, an Imprint for Children’s Books in Translation

Amazon Crossing Kids will publish English-language translations of popular and award-winning picture books from across the globe

SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--(NASDAQ:AMZN)—Amazon Publishing announced the launch of Amazon Crossing Kids, a new imprint for children’s picture books in translation. Building on the work of Amazon Crossing, the largest publisher of translated fiction in the United States, and Amazon Publishing’s Two Lions imprint, a leading children’s book publisher, Amazon Crossing Kids aims to increase the diversity of children’s picture books in translation and encourage young reading from a range of cultural perspectives.

    “Publishing and translating children’s books from around the world is an important way to provide young readers with writing, illustration, and storytelling of the most extraordinary range and quality”

Amazon Crossing Kids launches with three picture books and is seeking picture book submissions from all regions of the world. The first titles on the list are:

    Spiky, written and illustrated by Ilaria Guarducci and translated by Laura Watkinson (7/1/2019): First published in Italy in 2016, this is the story of a forest creature named Spiky, who spends his days bullying the other forest creatures and sharpening the spikes on his body. But suddenly, when he begins to lose his spikes, he must learn how to befriend the other creatures of the forest and share his softer side, making meaningful relationships along the way.

    A Tiger Like Me, written by Michael Engler, illustrated by Joëlle Tourlonias and translated by Laura Watkinson (9/1/2019): First published in Germany in 2016, this sweet story follows a little boy who likes to reimagine his world as that of a tiger’s. This “tiger cub” shares with the reader a day in the life of him and his “tiger” family—waking up in the den, eating in his favorite spot, and how a little tiger feels when he’s awake, hungry, or in the mood for an adventure. With splendor and delight, this little boy encourages the reader to get creative with his or her own imagination.

    Along the Tapajós, written and illustrated by Fernando Vilela and translated by Daniel Hahn (10/1/19): First published in Brazil in 2015, this is the story of two children—and their pet tortoise Titi—who live in the region of Jarí, a small community that links the Amazon and Tapajós rivers. Every year, the families living there must relocate when the rainy season starts. When the boy and his sister move with their family, they realize that they have left Titi behind! Eager to rescue him, the pair sneaks back at night on a journey along the river. This story offers a unique look at this way of life.

Two Lions Editorial Director Kelsey Skea will also serve as Editorial Director of Amazon Crossing Kids, working in collaboration with Two Lions Editor Marilyn Brigham and Amazon Crossing Editorial Director Gabriella Page-Fort, to acquire a diverse list of storytellers, illustrators, and translators from across the globe.

“We’re delighted to blend the missions of Amazon Crossing and Two Lions by introducing terrific books from around the globe to readers who are beginning to develop their worldview,” says Mikyla Bruder, Publisher of Amazon Publishing. “Whether a title has a universal theme with regionally-influenced artistry or focuses on an aspect of local culture, our list will encompass a broad range of perspectives, styles, and characters that celebrate what makes us unique as well as what we have in common.”

Award-winning translators, Laura Watkinson and Daniel Hahn, will translate the first titles from Amazon Crossing Kids. Laura Watkinson has translated from Dutch, Italian, and German and is the winner of the Vondel Prize for her Dutch-to-English translation of The Letter for the King as well as a 3-time winner of the Mildred L. Batchelder Award. Daniel Hahn has translated works from Portuguese, Spanish, and French and is the recipient of the Independent Foreign Fiction Prize for his translation of The Book of Chameleons and was shortlisted for the 2016 Man Booker Prize for his translation of A General Theory of Oblivion, which won the International Dublin Literary Award.

“Publishing and translating children’s books from around the world is an important way to provide young readers with writing, illustration, and storytelling of the most extraordinary range and quality,” says Daniel Hahn, translator of the forthcoming Amazon Crossing Kids picture book Along the Tapajós. “Any new attempt to broaden our literary horizons, by making it easier for a greater variety of books to find a greater pool of readers, is to be welcomed enthusiastically!”

Both Amazon Crossing and Amazon Crossing Kids accept book proposals from any language for translation into English at translation.amazon.com/submissions.


About Amazon Publishing
Amazon Publishing is a leading publisher of trade fiction, nonfiction, and children’s books with a mission to empower outstanding storytellers and connect them with readers worldwide. The Amazon Publishing teams based in Seattle, New York, Grand Haven, Luxembourg, London, Paris, Madrid, Milan and Munich contribute to discovering and publishing emerging, bestselling and critically-acclaimed authors in digital, print and audio formats.

About Amazon
Amazon is guided by four principles: customer obsession rather than competitor focus, passion for invention, commitment to operational excellence, and long-term thinking. Customer reviews, 1-Click shopping, personalized recommendations, Prime, Fulfillment by Amazon, AWS, Kindle Direct Publishing, Kindle, Fire tablets, Fire TV, Amazon Echo, and Alexa are some of the products and services pioneered by Amazon. For more information, visit www.amazon.com/about and follow @AmazonNews.

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Christmas Gift Book Idea: Born on the Kitchen Floor in Bois Mallet

One thing these Thanksgiving and holiday gatherings can certainly do is let people know what other folks are up to.

I learned that my brother-in-law's sister, Lovey Marie Guillory, has recently published through Amazon a book about her family's history, which also covers Louisiana history and the story of Black Creoles in the state.  The book is "Born on the Kitchen Floor in Bois Mallet," and here is your Amazon link:





By Editor
THE END

Richard Sala's "Violenzia" a Digital Exclusive Comic from comiXology

Fantagraphics Books Partners With ComiXology to Debut Violenzia

Fantagraphics Books’ First Digital Exclusive Comic

Fantagraphics Books, publisher of the world’s greatest cartoonists, partners with comiXology, the revolutionary cloud-based digital comics platform, to debut Fantagraphics’ first original, digital exclusive comic book: Violenzia. Written and illustrated by acclaimed creator Richard Sala (Delphine, Cat Burglar Black), Violenzia is an all-new, full-color, $5.99, 50-page one-shot exclusively available today across comiXology’s entire platform including iPhone, iPad, Android, Kindle Fire, Windows 8 and comiXology.com.

"Let there be no mercy or forgiveness for they have shown none." With these words, whispered into the wind, a mysterious young woman leaps into action with wild abandon, twin automatics blazing. Is she a brave and reckless heroine taking on a monstrous evil? Or is she a deranged angel of death? One thing is clear, whether she is dropping from a high window into a crowd of red-robed fanatical cultists, or facing down a horde of psychotic hillbillies, you don't want to get in Violenzia’s way.

"This is a new model for us," said Fantagraphics Associate Publisher Eric Reynolds. "Not a better model, but a different model. Richard Sala is one of our most beloved authors, and recently he has built up a considerable and new following online, via his Tumblr and other social media, so when he proposed Violenzia it seemed like the perfect opportunity to experiment with a digital-only release."

"We’re thrilled that Fantagraphics partnered with us to bring Richard Sala's beautiful and hilarious Violenzia to comiXology and our worldwide audience," said comiXology co-founder and CEO David Steinberger. "Readers and fans will also be treated to experiencing this amazing work in comiXology’s cinematic Guided View reading technology."

A fast moving, self-contained story, Violenzia is a blast of pulpy fun, told in scenes of audacious action and splashes of rich watercolors. With elements of golden age comics and old movies mixed with Sala's trademark humor and sense of the absurd, Violenzia is serious fun, a bloody enigma masked as eye candy, a puzzle box riddled with bullet holes.

Violenzia is the latest story by Sala featuring heroines (or anti-heroines) who are quirky, mysterious and unpredictable — such as Peculia (PECULIA , PECULIA AND THE GROON GROVE VAMPIRES), Judy Drood (MAD NIGHT, THE GRAVE ROBBER'S DAUGHTER), and K Westree (CAT BURGLAR BLACK), and features the same distinctive mixture of mystery, violence and humor as his books THE CHUCKLING WHATSIT, THE HIDDEN and DELPHINE.

Look for Violenzia out today on comiXology: http://www.comixology.com/Violenzia/digital-comic/50915?app=1

About Fantagraphics
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 was 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, et al. Fantagraphics quickly established a reputation as an advocacy publisher that specialized in seeking out and publishing the kind of innovative work that traditional comics corporations who dealt almost exclusively in super-heroes and fantasy either didn’t know existed or wouldn’t touch: serious, dramatic, historical, journalistic, political, and satirical work by a new generation of alternative cartoonists (including now-legends like Peter Bagge, Daniel Clowes, Gilbert and Jaime Hernandez, Joe Sacco and Jim Woodring) as well as many artists who gained prominence as part of the seminal underground comix movement of the '60s, such as R. Crumb and Kim Deitch. Fantagraphics has since gained an international reputation for its literate and audacious editorial standards in publishing the best cartooning from all eras and regions with exacting production values.

About comiXology
ComiXology has revolutionized the comic book and graphic novel industry by delivering a cloud-based digital comics platform that makes discovering, buying, and reading comics more fun than ever before. ComiXology’s Guided View™ reading technology transforms the comic book medium into an immersive and cinematic experience, helping comiXology become one of iTunes' top 10 grossing iPad apps in both 2011 and 2012. Offering the broadest library of comic book content from the top 75 publishers, and including independent creators as well, comiXology will not stop until everyone on the face of the planet has become a comic book fan. A privately held company, comiXology is based in New York City. For more information visit www.comixology.com.

DC Comics Now Available at iBookstore, Kindle, and NOOK Stores

DC Entertainment Digital Comic Books Now Available on Kindle Store, iBookstore and NOOK Store™

DC Comics’ Entire Line-up, Including Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Batgirl and Many Others, Now Available for Direct Download from All Major e-Bookstores

BURBANK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--DC Entertainment, the #1 comic book publisher in the U.S., announced today its entire line of periodical comic books are now available for download from the top three e-bookstores including Kindle Store, iBookstore and NOOK Store™. The precedent setting new digital availability brings bestselling DC Comics and Vertigo periodical titles, including JUSTICE LEAGUE, BATMAN, SUPERMAN, DETECTIVE COMICS, ACTION COMICS, BATGIRL, WONDER WOMAN, GREEN LANTERN, FABLES and AMERICAN VAMPIRE, among many others, to an even broader audience of digital readers.

“As e-readers and tablets continue to explode in popularity it’s important for us to offer consumers convenience and choice in how they download digital comics and graphic novels and these new distribution deals with the top three e-bookstores do just that,” said Jim Lee, co-publisher, DC Entertainment. “We’re very excited to work with Amazon, Apple and Barnes & Noble to bring bestselling DC Comics and Vertigo periodicals to their e-bookstores.”

DC Entertainment is now the only comic book publisher to offer its periodical line-up across all major e-bookstore platforms. The deals reinforce a long track record of digital comics industry leadership and innovation from DC Entertainment that dates back to its game-changing decision to make its entire line available same-day digital with the launch of DC COMICS – THE NEW 52 in Sept. 2011. That launch is widely seen as reinvigorating the comic book industry, and has led to increased sales of both digital and print comics.

Lee continued, “We were the first to offer our entire comic book line same-day digital and now we are the first to offer fans the convenience of multiple download options.”

In addition to now being available for direct download through the top three e-bookstores, DC Entertainment will continue to deliver periodical comics online at www.readdcentertainment.com, through the DC Comics and Vertigo apps, and all comiXology platforms.

Prior to this announcement only DC Entertainment graphic novels were available through the top three e-bookstores.


About DC Entertainment:
DC Entertainment, home to iconic brands DC Comics (Superman, Batman, Green Lantern, Wonder Woman, The Flash), Vertigo (Sandman, Fables) and MAD, is the creative division charged with strategically integrating its content across Warner Bros. Entertainment and Time Warner. DC Entertainment works in concert with many key Warner Bros. divisions to unleash its stories and characters across all media, including but not limited to film, television, consumer products, home entertainment and interactive games. Publishing thousands of comic books, graphic novels and magazines each year, DC Entertainment is the largest English-language publisher of comics in the world. In January 2012, DC Entertainment, in collaboration with Warner Bros. and Time Warner divisions, launched We Can Be Heroes—a giving campaign featuring the iconic Justice League super heroes—to raise awareness and funds to fight the hunger crisis in the Horn of Africa.

Amazon.com and Penguin Group Announce Novel Competition

From Business Wire:

Amazon.com and Penguin Group (USA) Announce Third Annual Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award Competition

Third annual competition introduces new young adult category and is open to previously self-published works

SEATTLE & NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN) and Penguin Group (USA) (NYSE: PSO) today announced the third annual Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award, the international competition seeking the next popular novel. For the first time, the competition will award two grand prizes: one for general fiction and one for best young adult novel. The 2010 competition will also now be open to novels that have been previously self-published. Writers around the world are encouraged to begin preparing their manuscripts for entry into the competition, which is scheduled to launch on Jan. 25, 2010.

“We are looking forward to working with Penguin again to engage a whole new group of novelists for the third annual Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award,” said Jeff Belle, Amazon.com’s vice president, U.S. Books. “By offering two grand prizes and providing additional opportunities for self-published authors, we’ll be able to support an even larger group of talented authors and their work.”

“The success of the competition in discovering new writers has led to exciting growth and new directions in this third year, including the addition of a young adult prize. This development is in response to the writing community, and it enables Penguin and Amazon to discover new fiction for readers of all ages,” said Tim McCall, Penguin’s vice president of Online Sales and Marketing.

Between Jan. 25 and Feb. 7, 2010, writers with an English-language novel manuscript can submit their work at www.amazon.com/abna. Up to 10,000 total initial entries will be accepted, with up to 5,000 each in the general fiction and young adult categories. Amazon.com editors will select 1,000 entries from each category to advance to the next round. In the subsequent round, Amazon.com editors and at least one top reviewer on Amazon.com will read excerpts of the 2,000 entries and narrow the pool to 500 quarter-finalists (250 in each category). Reviewers from Publishers Weekly will then read, rate and review the full manuscripts, and 50 semi-finalists for each category will be selected. Penguin editors will evaluate the manuscripts of the 50 general fiction and 50 young adult semi-finalists, and choose three finalists for each award.

Two panels of esteemed publishing professionals will then read and post their critiques of the top three manuscripts on http://www.amazon.com/. The panel for the general fiction category includes Tana French, New York Times-bestselling author of “In the Woods”; Julie Barer, of Barer Literary, LLC; and Molly Stern, editorial director and executive editor of Viking Books. The panel for the young adult category includes New York Times-bestselling authors Sarah Dessen (“Along for the Ride”) and Nancy Werlin (“Impossible”); Amy Berkower, president of Writers House, LLC; and Ben Schrank, president and publisher of Razorbill. In the final stage, Amazon.com customers will have seven days to vote for a Grand Prize Winner in each category. The two Grand Prize Winners will be announced in Seattle on June 14, 2010. Each winner will receive a publishing contract with Penguin, which includes a $15,000 advance.

The 2009 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award competition drew several thousand entrants, representing all 50 U.S. states and 21 countries around the world. The winning novel, “Bill Warrington’s Last Chance” by James King, will be published in August 2010 by Viking, a division of Penguin Group (USA).
CreateSpace.com, part of the Amazon group of companies and a leader in self-publishing services, will again host the contest entry platform, which includes a community for authors that will keep them up to date on the contest and help them prepare their entries by soliciting feedback from the community and accessing online content through Preview. CreateSpace will also offer all entrants one free proof copy of their novel, and 10 percent off any one service for a limited time.

“We’re thrilled to once again be working with both Amazon.com and Penguin on the third annual Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award—and for the first time to be including authors of fiction for young adults. As the foremost book review publication for the publishing industry, Publishers Weekly sets the standard in offering early insight on the work of new authors. It’s a pleasure to bring our expertise and perspective to bear on the new talent that will be a part of the 2010 competition,” said Brian Kenney, editorial director, Publishers Weekly.
For complete terms and conditions for the 2010 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award and more information about the contest, please visit www.amazon.com/abna. For more information on the CreateSpace self-publishing service, or to visit the CreateSpace Community, please visit http://www.createspace.com/.

About Amazon.com
Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN), a Fortune 500 company based in Seattle, opened on the World Wide Web in July 1995 and today offers Earth's Biggest Selection. Amazon.com, Inc. seeks to be Earth's most customer-centric company, where customers can find and discover anything they might want to buy online, and endeavors to offer its customers the lowest possible prices. Amazon.com and other sellers offer millions of unique new, refurbished and used items in categories such as books, movies, music & games, digital downloads, electronics & computers, home & garden, toys, kids & baby, grocery, apparel, shoes & jewelry, health & beauty, sports & outdoors, and tools, auto & industrial.

Amazon Web Services provides Amazon’s developer customers with access to in-the-cloud infrastructure services based on Amazon's own back-end technology platform, which developers can use to enable virtually any type of business. Examples of the services offered by Amazon Web Services are Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (Amazon EC2), Amazon Simple Storage Service (Amazon S3), Amazon SimpleDB, Amazon Simple Queue Service (Amazon SQS), Amazon Flexible Payments Service (Amazon FPS), Amazon Mechanical Turk and Amazon CloudFront.

Amazon and its affiliates operate websites, including http://www.amazon.com/, http://www.amazon.co.uk/, http://www.amazon.de/, http://www.amazon.co.jp/, http://www.amazon.fr/, http://www.amazon.ca/ and http://www.amazon.cn/.
As used herein, “Amazon.com,” “we,” “our” and similar terms include Amazon.com, Inc., and its subsidiaries, unless the context indicates otherwise.

Forward-Looking Statements
This announcement contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Actual results may differ significantly from management's expectations. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that include, among others, risks related to competition, management of growth, new products, services and technologies, potential fluctuations in operating results, international expansion, outcomes of legal proceedings and claims, fulfillment center optimization, seasonality, commercial agreements, acquisitions and strategic transactions, foreign exchange rates, system interruption, inventory, government regulation and taxation, payments and fraud. More information about factors that potentially could affect Amazon.com's financial results is included in Amazon.com's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and subsequent filings.

About Penguin Group (USA)
Penguin Group (USA) Inc. is the U.S. member of the internationally renowned Penguin Group. Penguin Group (USA) is one of the leading U.S. adult and children's trade book publishers, owning a wide range of imprints and trademarks, including Viking, G. P. Putnam’s Sons, The Penguin Press, Riverhead Books, Dutton, Penguin Books, Berkley Books, Gotham Books, Portfolio, New American Library, Plume, Tarcher, Philomel, Grosset & Dunlap, Puffin, and Frederick Warne, among others. The Penguin Group (http://www.penguin.com/) is part of Pearson plc, the international media company.

About CreateSpace
CreateSpace is a leader in manufacture on-demand services for independent content creators, publishers, film studios and music labels. CreateSpace provides inventory-free, physical distribution of Books, CDs and DVDs On-Demand, music downloads via Amazon MP3 and video downloads via Amazon Video On Demand. CreateSpace is a brand of On-Demand Publishing LLC, a subsidiary of Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN).

About Publishers Weekly
Publishers Weekly is the leading publication serving all segments involved in the creation, production, marketing and sale of the written word in book, audio, video and electronic formats. A 135-year-old magazine, PW is the leading publication for international and U.S. book publishing needs. [END]