#IReadsYou Review: HEY KIDS! COMICS! Volume 2: Prophets & Loss #1

HEY KIDS! COMICS! VOL. 2: PROPHETS & LOSS #1 (OF 6)
IMAGE COMICS – @ImageComics

WRITER/ARTIST: Howard Chaykin
COLORS: Gustavo Yen
LETTERS: Ken Bruzenak
EDITOR: Thomas K
COVER: Howard Chaykin with Gustavo Yen
28pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (May 2021)

Rated “M / Mature”

Hey Kids! Comics! Vol. 2: Prophets and & Loss is a new six-issue comic book miniseries from writer-artist, Howard Chaykin.  Published by Image Comics, it is a sequel to Chaykin's 2018 five-issue miniseries, Hey Kids! Comics!, which was described as depicting “nearly a century of turbulence and and drama in the American comic book industry” and also telling “the stories of the men and women that created it (with names changed, of course).”  Chaykin returns to his history of comics, and the creative team on this new series includes colorist Gustavo Yen and letterer Ken Bruzenak, a longtime Chaykin collaborator.

Hey Kids! Comics! Vol. 2: Prophets and & Loss #1 opens in 1970.  Here, Tommy has a fateful encounter with the comic book collection of his pal Ronnie's older brother, Ira, who is currently stationed in Vietnam (along with his father).  The story moves back to 1951, an important year in American comic books.  Comic book sales have dipped because the enlisted men market of World War II has faded, and the children of these formerly enlisted men are more interested in television than in comic books.

Meanwhile, in the offices of Graham Woods Publications (GW Publications), owner Paul Gertz is about to risk everything on a new line of comics books, if he can keep his two editors, Arnold Grossberg and Dick Altman, from each other's throat.  However, copycats and a self-serving trio could take GW and comics down for the count.

THE LOWDOWN:  Hey Kids! Comics! #1 is told in scenes that take place in five different years (1945, 1955, 1965, 1967, and 2001).  Hey Kids! Comics! Vol. 2: Prophets and & Loss #1 opens in 1971, but focuses on the events of 1951 and on events connected to that year.

Like the first issue of original, Prophets and & Loss #1 offers a story that involves several characters, multiple employers, and lots of job changes.  In the first series, the shifts in time are jarring, as Chaykin introduces characters, plots, and settings without really focusing in on developing characters.  Thus, the first issue of the original series seems to be more about introductions than it is about examining the nitty gritty details of character, storytelling, and drama.

The shifts in Prophets and & Loss #1 are not about time, but do take the readers to different comic book publishing offices and studios.  These shifts are not as jarring as the ones in the original series, especially if you, dear readers, are somewhat familiar with American comic book history.  The places in Hey Kids! Comics! Vol. 2: Prophets and & Loss #1 are obvious stand-ins for EC Comics and National Periodicals (DC Comics).  This time, Chaykin is all about examining the nitty gritty details of character, storytelling, and drama

Several EC Comics creators, from Harvey Kurtzman and Al Feldstein to Wally Wood and William Gaines, make appearances under the guise of new characters.  Even Joe Simon and Jack Kirby make a cameo.  And my beloved trio of Ray Clarke, Benita Heindel, and Ted Whitman from the first series are also in Hey Kids! Comics! Vol. 2: Prophets and & Loss #1.

Hey Kids! Comics! #1 starts slow, although it tells an engrossing story.  Hey Kids! Comics! Vol. 2: Prophets and & Loss #1 is also engrossing, but does not have a slow start; it seems a lot more intense.  To me, after reading Hey Kids! Comics! Vol. 2: Prophets and & Loss #1, it feels like Chaykin has planted an improvised explosive device somewhere inside this series.  It makes me eager to read more.

I heartily recommend that readers get the trade paperback collection of the first issue, and then, enjoy Hey Kids! Comics! Vol. 2: Prophets and & Loss.  I already am, and I can't wait for more.  The Hey Kids! Comics! series is among Howard Chaykin's best work, and, though I revere American Flagg!, this sly and shameless history of American comic books might be his best work.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of Howard Chyakin will want to read Hey Kids! Comics! Vol. 2: Prophets and Loss.

A
8 out of 10

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


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The text is copyright © 2021 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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#IReadsYou Review: THE SHADOW #1

THE SHADOW #1 (1986)
DC COMICS

WRITER/ARTIST: Howard Chaykin
COLORS: Alex Wald
LETTERS: Ken Bruzenak
EDITOR: Andrew Helfer
COVER: Howard Chaykin
32pp, Color, $1.50 U.S., $2.00 CAN (May 1986)

“Blood and Judgment”

The Shadow is a fictional character that debuted as a mysterious voice narrating a radio program.  It was July 31, 1930 that The Shadow began as the host of the radio program, “Detective Story Hour.”  Street and Smith Publications, publishers of Detective Story Magazine, hired writer Walter B. Gibson to create a character concept that fit The Shadow's name and voice and to also write a story featuring him.  The first issue of The Shadow Magazine went on sale on April 1, 1931.

Howard Chaykin is a long time comic book writer, artist, and writer-artist.  He is best known for drawing the first ten issues of Marvel Comics' original Star Wars comic book series and for his adult science fiction comic book series, American Flagg!, which began publication in 1983 via First Comics.

In the 1970s and 1980s, DC Comics held the license to publish comic books featuring The Shadow.  In 1986, The Shadow and writer-artist Howard Chaykin came together in a four-issue miniseries, simply entitled The Shadow.  Chaykin's creative team on The Shadow included colorist Alex Wald and letterer Ken Bruzenak (a frequent Chaykin collaborator).  Chaykin's Shadow re-imagined the origins of The Shadow and of his alter-ego, Lamont Cranston, and also updated the characters.  The miniseries has since been collected in book form as The Shadow: Blood and Judgment.

The Shadow #1 opens with a series of savage murders of elderly men and women.  Eventually, federal agent, Mavis Lockhart of the “Crime Statistics Bureau,” figures out that these elderly victims were former agents of the mysterious vigilante, The Shadow.”  Mostly focusing on the area in and around New York City, The Shadow waged a brutal campaign against the criminal underworld in the 1930s and 1940s before disappearing.

Mavis happens to be the daughter of Harry Vincent, a former agent of The Shadow, who is still alive.  Also living is Mrs. Donald Forsythe, formerly known as Margo Lane.  The Shadow's best known agent, Lane was one of the few agents who knew many of his secrets, and she was the lover of both Lamont Cranston and The Shadow.  As it turns out, Vincent is also a target the killers of The Shadow's agents, and the killers turn out to be a gang of “Punk-Sex-Ghouls.”

Although he left, The Shadow still has agents in America that keep him abreast of the situation in the country, and one of them is “Lorelei.”  The Shadow is now known as “Ying Ko” and lives in the legendary kingdom of Shambala with his two sons, Ching Yao Chang and Hsu-Tei.  Learning that his former agents are being targeted, Ying Ko and his sons travel to New York City.

Reunited with the bitter Harry and the even more bitter Margo/Mrs. Forsythe, The Shadow reveals his true origin to them.  His real name is Kent Allard, and via a series of criminal misadventures back in the 1920s, he would up in Shambala, a land of mysticism and super-science.  With him was someone else, Lamont Cranston, the wastrel son of a rich man.  After seemingly killing Cranston in self-defense, Allard assumed his identity and arrived in New York in the 1930s as The Shadow, a paladin of Shambala, with a body physically, mentally, metaphysically and cybernetically enhanced.  Allard returned to Shambala in 1949 as the kingdom prepared to hide itself away.  Thanks to the science of Shambala, Allard/Ying-Ko still looks like a 30-something man 35 years after he left.

It turns out that the real Lamont Cranston has survived and is now known as Preston Mayrock, a wealthy businessman whose interests include legitimate and criminal enterprises.  Now, wheelchair bound, Mayrock launches his ultimate plans, which include his son, Preston Mayrock, Jr., that the elder Mayrock paid twenty-five million dollars to be “specially bred.”  Mayrock wants Allard to take him and Junior back to Shamballa where, he believes, the super-science will transfer his brain into his son's body.  And if Allard/The Shadow refuses, Mayrock has a low-yield nuclear weapon that he will launch on New York City.

THE LOWDOWN:  Howard Chaykin's The Shadow was controversial at the time of its initial release.  The most noted critic of Chaykin's work on The Shadow was the late speculative fiction author, television writer, and essayist, Harlan Ellison.  Chaykin basically brushed off his critics as being childish, although his response to critics of his work on The Shadow and of his work in general tended towards being childish.

However, the negative reaction to The Shadow is a classic pre-World Wide Web example of the insistence by a small group of fans that stories featuring particular fictional character are not just fiction, but those stories are also that characters' mythology.  And that mythology is holy writ.  Even if a fictional character is not featured in any story for decades, when that character is revived, the tellers of the new stories must treat the previous stories with reverence.  For instance, if the old stories said that a particular character loved ice cream, the new writer cannot make him lactose intolerant.  To do so would be an unforgivable violation of the (fictional) character and a betrayal of the fans who believe that they are the ones who have kept said character “alive” so that he could be revived.

When I first read Chaykin's The Shadow I had heard of the character, but had never read a word of the old pulp stories that Walter Gibson had written.  I have read The Shadow: Blood and Judgment, as it is now known, a few times at different points in my life, and I have always enjoyed it.  Whether it is dated on not is a matter of personal opinion.  I love that it is gleefully violent, over-the-top, and ruthlessly sarcastic about what was then the contemporary culture of New York City.

I like Chaykin's drawing style, but his sense of page design and the graphic design in his compositions are what always drive me to his work.  A Chaykin comic book is page after page of visually striking graphics, including Ken Bruzenak's dramatic lettering and spectacular sound effects.  Bruzenak is so good at what he does that he seems to create a soundtrack for Chaykin's comics, especially the action sequences.  Colorist Alex Wald makes the best of the techniques available to him at the time of this comic book's publication.  His rich coloring makes Chaykin's illustrations pop.

There have been a few times when I have been asked about The Shadow, and I do not hesitate to recommend The Shadow: Blood and Judgment, as a comic book or as a trade paperback.  I think that it is an excellent example of Howard Chaykin's work, and it is probably the best modern take on The Shadow.  I think I'll read it again, soon.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of Howard Chaykin and of The Shadow will want want to read the miniseries now known as The Shadow: Blood and Judgment.

A
9 out of 10

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

[This comic book includes the essays, “The Shadow's Agents: From the private annals of the Shadow as told to Anthony Tollin” and “The Man Who Created The Shadow,” both written by Anthony Tollin.]


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Review: HEY KIDS! COMICS! #1

HEY KIDS! COMICS! No. 1
IMAGE COMICS – @ImageComics

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

WRITER/ARTIST: Howard Chaykin
COLORS: Wil Quintana
LETTERS: Ken Bruzenak
EDITOR: Thomas K
COVER: Don Cameron
28pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (August 2018)

Rated “M / Mature”

Hey Kids! Comics! is a new comic book from writer-artist, Howard Chaykin.  This comic book depicts nearly a century of turbulence and and drama in the American comic book industry, and tells the stories of the men and women that created it (with names changed, of course).    Chaykin's creative team on this series includes colorist Wil Quintana and letterer Ken Bruzenak, a longtime Chaykin collaborator.

Hey Kids! Comics! #1 opens in 1967 with an encounter between a comic book mogul and one of his former comic book creators slash freelancers... on Broadway!  Moving back to 1945, we meet Ted Whitman, recently discharged from the Navy, and Ray Clarke, recently discharged from the Army.  Whitman, a rare black man working in comics, and Clarke, who had some work before military service, are both looking to get back to work in the comics biz.  But things have changed since they last worked for a comics publishing firm, and they seem to be changing still... and not for the best... when it comes to the rank and file.

Hey Kids! Comics! #1 is told in scenes that take place in five different years (1945, 1955, 1965, 1967, and 2001).  The story involves several characters, multiple employers, and lots of job changes.  The shifts in time are jarring, and Chaykin introduces characters, plots, and settings without really focusing in on developing characters.  Thus, this first issue seems to be more about introductions than it is about examining the nitty gritty details of character, storytelling, and drama.

Still, I find Hey Kids! Comics! #1 hugely engrossing.  I have been a fan of both fiction and non-fiction books that take readers behind the scenes of comic book publishing.  My favorites are Michael Chabon's 2000 novel, The Adventures of Kavalier & Clay, a work of fiction, and two recent non-fiction works, Sean Howe's Marvel Comics: The Untold Story (2012) and Larry Tye's Superman: a High-Flying History of America's Most Enduring Hero (2012).

Chaykin also began his comic book career working as an assistant for Gil Kane and Wally Wood, two comic book legends who started working in American comic books in the 1940s.  Chaykin also worked as an assistant for Neal Adams, who emerged in the 1960s and early 1970s as a superstar.  From anecdotes I have both read and been told, Adams' manner of working and his graphics style may have irritated comic book artists who had been working in comic books long before Adams.

So I am really looking forward to future issues of Hey Kids! Comics!  I will always recommend Chaykin's comic books to people who are already fans of his, but I think that readers interested in the history of comic book publishing will also want to take a look at Hey Kids! Comics!

7 out of 10

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


The text is copyright © 2018 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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Review: THE RUFF AND REDDY SHOW #1

THE RUFF & REDDY SHOW No. 1 (OF 6)
DC COMICS – @DCComics

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

WRITER: Howard Chaykin
ART: Mac Rey
COLORS: Mac Rey
LETTERS: Ken Bruzenak
COVER: Howard Chaykin with Wil Quintana
VARIANT COVER: Mac Rey
32pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (December 2017)

Rated “T+” for “Teen Plus”

Ruff and Reddy: A Cautionary Tale in Six Parts Part One

“The Ruff and Reddy Show” (also known as “Ruff and Reddy”) was an animated television series made by Hanna-Barbera Productions (H-B Productions) for NBC.  It was also the first animated series produced by Hanna-Barbera.  “The Ruff and Reddy Show” premiered in December 1957 and ran for fifty episodes until April 1960, comprising three seasons.  “Ruff and Reddy” followed the adventures of Ruff, a smart and steadfast cat, and Reddy, a friendly and brave (but not too bright) dog.

DC Comics has been reinventing and re-imagining classic Hanna-Barbera Saturday morning cartoons in new comic book series since early 2016, the best example being Scooby Apocalypse, which is “Scooby-Doo, Where Are You?” with an apocalyptic twist.

“The Ruff and Reddy Show” is the latest classic H-B series to get a DC Comics re-imagining.  The Ruff & Reddy Show is a six-issue comic book miniseries.  It is written by Howard Chaykin; drawn and colored by Mac Rey; and lettered by Ken Bruzenak.

The Ruff & Reddy Show #1 opens in the 1950s and finds America caught between communist/Russia hysteria and the comfort of post-WWII economic prosperity (which white people who are of the Silent Generation or are Baby Boomers call “the good old days”).  On television, “The Ruff and Reddy Show” is a hit, but its stars are not necessarily in the best place.  Ruff and his comedy partner, Reddy, are “celimates,” and neither guy really likes the other.  When everything falls apart, are they ready to try something new to get back to the top of the entertainment mountain?

Considering that this is written by Howard Chaykin, it is surprisingly unimaginative.  The Ruff and Reddy Show also shares a setting that is similar to Satellite Sam (Image Comics), the series Chaykin produced with writer Matt Fraction.  I was somewhat interested in Satellite Sam, but not enough to really seek out the series past the first issue.  I am even less interested in The Ruff and Reddy Show; it just seems like DC Comics is really reaching in its (forced?) effort to re imagine the Hanna-Barbera library.  It seems as if Chaykin favors the lost potential or possibilities of the past (this series and his other work set post-WWII) while holding the actual potential and possibilities of the present in disdain?

Also, the story is lost in all the dark colors and black space created by artist Mac Rey.  Rey's art looks like the work of someone who misunderstands Maurice Noble and uses illustration software to make ugly Maurice Noble-inspired art.  I don't know if I will read the second issue, but I do know that The Ruff & Reddy Show #1 is not worth its $3.99 cover price.

3.5 out of 10

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


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

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OCT180078    FEAR AGENT FINAL ED TP VOL 04 (MR)    $19.99
OCT180199    HEAD LOPPER #10 CVR A MACLEAN (MR)    $5.99
OCT180200    HEAD LOPPER #10 CVR B D ANGELO (MR)    $5.99
OCT180203    HEY KIDS COMICS #5 (OF 5) CVR A CAMERON (MR)    $3.99
OCT180204    HEY KIDS COMICS #5 (OF 5) CVR B HERO INITIATIVE VAR (MR)    $3.99
OCT180205    HIT-GIRL #11 CVR A ALBUQUERQUE (MR)    $3.99
OCT180206    HIT-GIRL #11 CVR B ALBUQUERQUE (MR)    $3.99
OCT180207    HIT-GIRL #11 CVR C FRANCAVILLA (MR)    $3.99
OCT180089    ICE CREAM MAN TP VOL 02 STRANGE NEAPOLITAN (MR)    $16.99
OCT180208    INFINITE DARK #3    $3.99
OCT180220    MAGE HERO DENIED #14 (OF 15)    $3.99
AUG180250    MAGIC ORDER #5 (OF 6) CVR A COIPEL (MR)    $3.99
AUG180251    MAGIC ORDER #5 (OF 6) CVR B B&W COIPEL (MR)    $3.99
JUL189196    MAGIC ORDER #5 (OF 6) CVR C LARSEN (MR)    $3.99
SEP188044    MAGIC ORDER #5 (OF 6) CVR D BENGAL (MR)    $3.99
OCT180223    MURDER FALCON #3 CVR A    $3.99
SEP188094    MURDER FALCON #3 CVR B HEAVY METAL VAR    $3.99
OCT180224    OBLIVION SONG BY KIRKMAN & DE FELICI #10 (MR)    $3.99
SEP188838    OUTER DARKNESS #1 2ND PTG (MR)    $3.99
OCT180234    OUTER DARKNESS #2 (MR)    $3.99
OCT180239    REDLANDS #9 (MR)    $3.99
OCT180242    ROSE #15 CVR A GUARA    $3.99
OCT180243    ROSE #15 CVR B LAM    $3.99
OCT180244    ROSE #15 CVR C LANGE    $3.99
OCT180248    SKYWARD #9    $3.99
OCT180249    SLEEPLESS #10    $3.99
OCT180048    SPAWN KILLS EVERYONE TOO #1 (OF 4) CVR A CLEAN MCFARLANE    $3.99
OCT180049    SPAWN KILLS EVERYONE TOO #1 (OF 4) CVR B BLOODY MCFARLANE    $3.99
OCT180050    SPAWN KILLS EVERYONE TOO #1 (OF 4) CVR C SKETCH MCFARLANE    $3.99

Review: THE DIVIDED STATES OF HYSTERIA #2

THE DIVIDED STATES OF HYSTERIA No. 2
IMAGE COMICS – @ImageComics

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

WRITER/ARTIST: Howard Chaykin
COLORS: Jesus Aburtov
LETTERS: Ken Bruzenak
COVER: Howard Chaykin with Wil Quintana
28pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (July 2017)

Rated “M / Mature”

The Divided States of Hysteria is the controversial new comic book series from renowned comic book creator, Howard Chaykin (American Flagg!, Midnight of the Soul).  Chaykin's collaborators include colorist Jesus Aburtov and Chaykin's longtime letterer, Ken Bruzenak.  Published by Image Comics, The Divided States of Hysteria is set in an America that is steadily being destabilized after the assassination of a sitting President and a worst-case terrorist attack that follows.

The Divided States of Hysteria #2 opens after seven pregnant women launched a terrorist attack using nuclear devices and a biological weapon that left much of New York City in ruins.  Ambitious, ladder-climbing, CIA field officer, Frank Villa, is being blamed for the attack because he was supposed to prevent just such a thing from happening.  New President of the United States, Michelle Taylor, fires Villa and contemplates having the Navy SEALs kill him.  Even worse, Villa's wife, two children, and mistress are all dead because of the attack.

Now, Chandler Vandergylt, CEO of private prison corporation, River Run, Inc., is giving Villa a chance to help President Taylor help the country.  And four mass killers: Henry John Noone, Christopher Michael Silver, Paul Evan Berg, and Cesare John Nacamulli, are going to help Villa help the President pull the country back together!

In his afterword to the second issue, Howard Chaykin says (basically) that if you don't like what he is doing in his new comic book, The Divided States of Hysteria, don't buy “the fucking book.”  Ah, if only it were that easy.  People are drawn to controversy, and this comic book is controversial.  Just recently, Chaykin and Image Comics had to withdraw the cover art for the as-yet-unpublished fourth issue of this series after releasing an image of it as preview material for North American comic book distributor, Diamond Distributors.

See... this is not the 1980s when fannish comic book reviewers like Don and Maggie Thompson and R.A. Jones ran interference for Chaykin when people criticized Chaykin's legendary 1980s comic book, American Flagg! for, among other things, violence, racism, and objectifying women.  [I think R.A. Jones even said he wished someone would objectify him.]  Now, we have what we did not have in the 1980s, social media.  Social media can amplify the voices of critics to the point that even the baddest, do-what-the-fuck-I-want comic book creator has to back down more than he ever thought he would.  The Divided States of Hysteria is not going to get the honeymoon American Flagg! got.

All that aside, The Divided States of Hysteria is a surprisingly, really good comic book.  It has a plausible, near-future, semi-dystopian scenario, and the second issue is a little more clear on who the players are, what's going on, and what might happen going forward.

I do think that Chaykin and (judging by this issue's letters' page) some of his readers are a bit naive about the divided state of America.  America is a place divided by race, class, ethnicity, religion, etc. in its foundation.  The Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution may say a lot of things, but at the end of the day, a lot of people don't believe that people whom they don't like are equal to them, nor should they be treated that way.  There may have been times when the majority of White people in America were united.  There may indeed have been times when a few Black people joined them, but the truth is that certain people were not allowed by the majority to join in on this unity.

The continuation of the bondage of African slaves and their descendants; the displacement of native tribes and the theft of their lands; and the limit of the franchise all basically established divisions in this country from its beginning.  Billy Joel is right:  we didn't start the fire.  The divided states of hysteria is not an accident.  It was a deliberately laid foundation.  Rewriting history and pretending that there was a time when ALL of us were united as a county is not a reality; it is a part of an agenda.

I am not really interested in the points behind The Divided States of Hysteria... for now.  I choose to enjoy it as near-future science fiction comic book with potential, rather than as a declaration of how we should be.

8.5 out of 10

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


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

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

Image Comics from Diamond Distributors for September 12, 2018

IMAGE COMICS

JUN180059    AGE OF BRONZE TP VOL 01 (NEW EDITION)    $19.99
JUL180176    BEAUTY #23 CVR A HAUN & FILARDI (MR)    $3.99
JUL180177    BEAUTY #23 CVR B MELLON (MR)    $3.99
JUL180178    BIRTHRIGHT #31    $3.99
JUL180123    CEMETERY BEACH #1 (OF 7) CVR A HOWARD (MR)    $3.99
JUN188807    CEMETERY BEACH #1 (OF 7) CVR B VIRGIN (MR)    $3.99
JUL188199    CEMETERY BEACH #1 (OF 7) CVR C IMPACT VAR (MR)    $3.99
JUL180188    CROWDED #2 CVR A STEIN & BRANDT    $3.99
JUL180189    CROWDED #2 CVR B PATRIDGE    $3.99
APR180534    DISSONANCE TP VOL 01 (MR)    $16.99
JUN180061    DRY COUNTY COMPLETE TP (MR)    $16.99
MAY180133    ELEPHANTMEN MAMMOTH TP VOL 03 (MR)    $39.99
JUN180159    ELSEWHERE TP VOL 02    $16.99
JUL180224    FARMHAND #3 (MR)    $3.99
JUL180234    HEAD LOPPER #9 CVR A MACLEAN (MR)    $5.99
JUL180235    HEAD LOPPER #9 CVR B BROWN (MR)    $5.99
JUL180239    HEY KIDS COMICS #2 (MR)    $3.99
JUN188989    HEY KIDS COMICS #2 CVR B CBLDF CHARITY VAR CENSORED (MR)    $3.99
JUN188990    HEY KIDS COMICS #2 CVR C CBLDF CHARITY VAR UNCENSORED (MR)    $3.99
JUL180249    KICK-ASS NEW GIRL TP VOL 01 (MR)    $16.99
JUL180258    MAGE HERO DENIED #12 (OF 15)    $3.99
JUL180110    MCMLXXV #1    $3.99
JUL180273    NEW WORLD #3 (OF 5) CVR A MOORE & MULLER (MR)    $3.99
JUL180274    NEW WORLD #3 (OF 5) CVR B MOORE & MULLER (MR)    $3.99
JUL180275    NEW WORLD #3 (OF 5) CVR C MULLER (MR)    $3.99
JUL180276    OBLIVION SONG BY KIRKMAN & DE FELICI #7 (MR)    $3.99
JUL180159    OBLIVION SONG BY KIRKMAN & DE FELICI TP VOL 01 (MR)    $9.99
JUL180283    PROXIMA CENTAURI #4 (OF 6)    $3.99
JUL180284    RAT QUEENS #11 CVR A GIENI (MR)    $3.99
JUL180285    RAT QUEENS #11 CVR B GIENI (MR)    $3.99
JUL180310    SCALES & SCOUNDRELS #12 CVR A GALAAD    $3.99
JUL180311    SCALES & SCOUNDRELS #12 CVR B GALAAD & POWELL    $3.99
JUL180320    SLEEPLESS #7    $3.99
JUL188379    UNNATURAL #2 (OF 12) 2ND PTG (MR)    $3.99
MAY180292    WALKING DEAD 15TH ANNV LG T/S    $25.00
MAY180291    WALKING DEAD 15TH ANNV MED T/S    $25.00
MAY180290    WALKING DEAD 15TH ANNV SM T/S    $25.00
MAY180293    WALKING DEAD 15TH ANNV XL T/S    $25.00
MAY180294    WALKING DEAD 15TH ANNV XXL T/S    $28.00
JUL180393    WEATHERMAN #4 CVR A FOX (MR)    $3.99
JUL180394    WEATHERMAN #4 CVR B MARTIN (MR)    $3.99
JUN180274    WICKED & DIVINE #39 CVR A MCKELVIE & CUNNIFFE (MR)    $3.99
JUN180275    WICKED & DIVINE #39 CVR B JIMENEZ & CUNNIFFE (MR)    $3.99

Review: THE DIVIDED STATES OF HYSTERIA #1

THE DIVIDED STATES OF HYSTERIA #1
IMAGE COMICS – @ImageComics

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

WRITER/ARTIST: Howard Chaykin
COLORS: Jesus Aburtov
LETTERS: Ken Bruzenak
COVER: Howard Chaykin with Wil Quintana
28pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (June 2017)

Rated “M / Mature”

The Divided States of Hysteria is a new comic book series from renowned comic book creator, Howard Chaykin (American Flagg!, Midnight of the Soul).  Chaykin's collaborators include colorist Jesus Aburtov and Chaykin's longtime letterer, Ken Bruzenak.  Published by Image Comics, The Divided States of Hysteria is set in an America that is being destabilized by catastrophic terrorists attacks.

The Divided States of Hysteria #1 opens one month after the elected President of the United States and most of the cabinet were assassinated in an aborted coup d'etat.  The narrative focuses in on Washington D.C. where we meet an ambitious, ladder-climbing, CIA field officer, Frank Villa.  Frank is trying to warn his superiors, including the new President, that a worst-case terrorist attack on D.C. is imminent, but the decision makers would like to analyze the data on Frank's claims before they make big decisions.  Meanwhile, four mass killers: Henry John Noone, Christopher Michael Silver, Paul Evan Berg, and Cesare John Nacamulli, are arrested.

In his afterword to the first issue, Howard Chaykin says (basically) that he thought his new comic book, The Divided States of Hysteria, was dark, but that, in the year since he first announced it, real-world America had turned darker.  Chaykin is obviously referencing a number of events, in particularly that celebrity/public figure/businessman Donald Trump is now President of the United States.  He blames both sides of the left/right political divide.  I tend to blame the fact that the levers of power in this country are mostly attainable through a rigged election system, but let's not talk about that now.

I cannot give The Divided States of Hysteria a grade rating at this time, but I am interested in it.  It is the philosophical, if not spiritual, heir to Chaykin's seminal mid-1980s comic book series, American Flagg!  The Divided States of Hysteria #1 suggests that this series will be an epic narrative told through multiple characters in multiple settings and involving multiple plot lines – like American Flagg!

Chaykin divides the space on each page into three or four rectangles, and those rectangles are sometimes divided by borders or by objects, and sometimes inset panels are added.  Even the word balloons and caption boxes are rectangle-shaped.  Those rectangles are crowed with information (via balloons and boxes) and illustrations and graphics.

To me, graphic and page design create not so much a sense of hysteria as a sense of things being out of control and careening down hill, without breaks.  That is why I'm intrigued at the possibilities of The Divided States of Hysteria, which could be an excellent comic book full of socio-political commentary, satire, and/or criticism, like the great American Flagg!  Or it can end up ambitious but obtuse like Chester Brown's Underwater.

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


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


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

DC Comics from Diamond Distributors for July 4, 2018

DC COMICS

APR180258    AQUAMAN TP VOL 05 THE CROWN COMES DOWN REBIRTH    $14.99
MAY180450    BATMAN #50    $4.99
MAY180451    BATMAN #50 ARTHUR ADAMS VAR ED    $4.99
MAY180453    BATMAN #50 BLANK VAR ED    $4.99
APR188990    BATMAN #50 JIM LEE PENCILS VAR ED    $4.99
MAY180452    BATMAN #50 LEE VAR ED    $4.99
DEC170419    BATMAN BLACK & WHITE STATUE BY BECKY CLOONAN    $80.00
FEB180294    BATMAN BY GRANT MORRISON OMNIBUS HC VOL 01    $75.00
APR180265    BATMAN THRILLKILLER TP NEW EDITION    $16.99
APR180264    BATMAN TMNT DELUXE EDITION HC    $39.99
MAY180456    CATWOMAN #1    $3.99
MAY180458    CATWOMAN #1 BLANK VAR ED    $3.99
MAY180457    CATWOMAN #1 VAR ED    $3.99
MAY180486    CURSE OF BRIMSTONE #4    $2.99
DEC170420    DCTV BLACK LIGHTNING STATUE    $130.00
MAY180490    DEATHSTROKE #33    $3.99
MAY180491    DEATHSTROKE #33 VAR ED    $3.99
MAY180503    GREEN ARROW #42    $3.99
MAY180504    GREEN ARROW #42 VAR ED    $3.99
MAY180505    GREEN LANTERNS #50    $3.99
MAY180506    GREEN LANTERNS #50 VAR ED    $3.99
MAY180513    HARLEY QUINN #45    $2.99
MAY180514    HARLEY QUINN #45 VAR ED    $2.99
APR180270    HARLEY QUINN REBIRTH DLX COLL HC BOOK 02    $34.99
APR180292    HELLBLAZER TP VOL 19 RED RIGHT HAND (MR)    $24.99
MAY180522    INJUSTICE 2 #29    $2.99
APR180271    JETSONS TP    $16.99
MAY180524    JUSTICE LEAGUE #3    $3.99
APR188991    JUSTICE LEAGUE #3 JIM LEE PENCILS VAR ED    $3.99
MAY180525    JUSTICE LEAGUE #3 VAR ED    $3.99
APR180272    JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA TP VOL 04 SURGICAL STRIKE    $14.99
APR180150    MAN OF STEEL #6 (OF 6)    $3.99
MAY180534    NIGHTWING #46    $3.99
MAY180535    NIGHTWING #46 VAR ED    $3.99
MAY180542    SHADE THE CHANGING WOMAN #5 (OF 6) (MR)    $3.99
APR180279    SUPERGIRL BY PETER DAVID TP BOOK 04    $29.99
MAY180552    UNEXPECTED #2    $2.99
APR180286    WONDER WOMAN BY JOHN BYRNE HC VOL 02    $39.99

DC Comics from Diamond Distributors for October 25, 2017

DC COMICS

AUG170186    ACTION COMICS #990 (OZ EFFECT)    $2.99
AUG170185    ACTION COMICS #990 LENTICULAR ED (OZ EFFECT)    $3.99
AUG170187    ACTION COMICS #990 VAR ED (OZ EFFECT)    $2.99
AUG170193    BATGIRL #16    $3.99
AUG170194    BATGIRL #16 VAR ED    $3.99
AUG170201    BATMAN BEYOND #13    $3.99
AUG170202    BATMAN BEYOND #13 VAR ED    $3.99
JUL170456    BATMAN NIGHT OF THE MONSTER MEN TP (REBIRTH)    $16.99
AUG178712    BATMAN THE DAWNBREAKER #1 METAL 2ND PTG    $3.99
AUG178713    BATMAN THE DROWNED #1 METAL 2ND PTG    $3.99
JUL170312    BATMAN THE MERCILESS #1 (METAL)    $3.99
AUG178714    BATMAN THE MERCILESS #1 METAL 2ND PTG    $3.99
AUG178665    BATMAN THE MURDER MACHINE #1 2ND PTG METAL    $3.99
AUG170205    BLUE BEETLE #14    $3.99
AUG170206    BLUE BEETLE #14 VAR ED    $3.99
AUG170272    DC HOUSE OF HORROR #1    $9.99
AUG170213    DETECTIVE COMICS #967    $2.99
AUG170214    DETECTIVE COMICS #967 VAR ED    $2.99
AUG170180    FLASH #33 METAL    $2.99
AUG170181    FLASH #33 VAR ED METAL    $2.99
AUG170277    GOTHAM CITY GARAGE #2    $2.99
AUG170221    HAL JORDAN AND THE GREEN LANTERN CORPS #31    $2.99
AUG170222    HAL JORDAN AND THE GREEN LANTERN CORPS #31 VAR ED    $2.99
AUG170227    HELLBLAZER #15    $3.99
AUG170228    HELLBLAZER #15 VAR ED    $3.99
JUL170459    HELLBLAZER TP VOL 02 THE SMOKELESS FIRE (REBIRTH)    $16.99
JUL170474    INJUSTICE 2 HC VOL 01    $24.99
MAY170369    JUSTICE LEAGUE MOVIE CYBORG STATUE    $150.00
AUG170235    JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #17    $2.99
AUG170236    JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #17 VAR ED    $2.99
JUL170480    JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA MIDSUMMERS NIGHMARE DLX HC    $24.99
AUG170291    KAMANDI CHALLENGE #10 (OF 12)    $3.99
AUG170292    KAMANDI CHALLENGE #10 (OF 12) VAR ED    $3.99
JUL170491    LUCIFER TP VOL 03 BLOOD IN THE STREETS (MR)    $16.99
AUG170311    MOTHER PANIC #12 (MR)    $3.99
AUG170312    MOTHER PANIC #12 VAR ED (MR)    $3.99
JUN170406    NIGHT FORCE BY WOLFMAN & COLAN COMPLETE SERIES HC    $39.99
JUL170461    NIGHTWING REBIRTH DLX COLL HC BOOK 01    $34.99
AUG170297    NIGHTWING THE NEW ORDER #3 (OF 6)    $3.99
AUG170299    RUFF & REDDY SHOW #1 (OF 6)    $3.99
AUG170300    RUFF & REDDY SHOW #1 (OF 6) VAR ED    $3.99
AUG170313    SCOOBY DOO TEAM UP #31    $2.99
AUG170247    SUICIDE SQUAD #28    $2.99
AUG170248    SUICIDE SQUAD #28 VAR ED    $2.99
JUL170464    SUPERGIRL TP VOL 02 ESCAPE FROM THE PHANTOM ZONE (REBIRTH)    $16.99
AUG170259    TEEN TITANS #13    $3.99
AUG170260    TEEN TITANS #13 VAR ED    $3.99
MAY170352    WILDSTORM A CELEBRATION OF 25 YEARS HC    $29.99
AUG170267    WONDER WOMAN #33    $2.99
AUG170268    WONDER WOMAN #33 VAR ED    $2.99

I Reads You Juniors July 2017 - Update #50

Support Leroy on Patreon.

From ComicBookBin:  New Johnny Bullet Episode #128 in English.
From ComicBookBin:  New Johnny Bullet Episode #128 in French.

From PreviewsWorld:  Marvel announced its 53rd Marvel Legacy title, Captain America #695, from the creative team of Mark Waid and Chris Samnee.

From HowardCruse:  Noted Underground Comix cartoonist Howard Cruse is writing about his experiences as a cartoonist for "Playboy" magazines.

From BleedingCool:  Bryan Hitch teases something with Justice League and Justice Society of America.

From BleedingCool:  Here is an 8-page preview of "X-Men: Grand Design" from Ed Piskor (Hip Hop Family Tree).

From ICv2:  Marvel reveals 1,000,000 BC Avengers.

From BleedingCool: In October, Image Comics will publish 30 tribute covers for "The Walking Dead."

From BleedingCool:  Mark Buckingham and Steve Rude will be the creative team of DC Comics' "Manhunter vs. Sandman," replacing the announced creative team.

From CBR:  Kieron Gillen and Salvador Larocca, the creative team behind Marvel's excellent Darth Vader comic book that began in 2015, will become the new creative time of the main Star Wars comic book, beginning in the Fall.

From BleedingCool:  Rich Johnston interviews recent Eisner Award winner, Sonny Liew.

From CBR:  As part of Marvel Comics' "Legacy" the Inhumans in the comic book series, "Royals" will get a redesign by Javier Rodriguez.

From ComicBookBin:  New Johnny Bullet, Episode #127 in English.
From ComicBookBin:  New Johnny Bullet, Episode #127 in French.

From MailChimp via The Comics Reporter:  IDW and French graphic novel publisher, Glenat, have joined for a venture called "Original Graphic Novel," which will produce original comic books to be published both in the U.S. and France.

From BleedingCool: Marvel Comics Bullpen legend, Flo Steinberg, died Sunday, July 23, 2017.

From BleedingCool:  David Avallone talks about bring pin-up/bondage goddess Bettie Page back to comics in Dynamite Entertainment's "Bettie Page."

From TheComicsReporter:  Another newspaper editorial cartoonist, Nick Anderson, has been fired.

SDCC:

From BleedingCool:  Veterans artists Keith Pollard and Ron Wilson win "Inkpot Awards."

From BleedingCool:  Frank Miller will write and John Romita, Jr. will draw "Superman: Year One."

From BleedingCool:  "Highlights" from Marvel boss, Joe Quesada's SDCC panel.

From BleedingCool:  There will be a Justice League/Doom Patrol Young Animal crossover comic book event.

From CBR:  The 2017 Eisner Award winners (for excellence in comics) have been announced.  Image Comics' "Saga" led with four wins.

From CBR:  Beloved Star Wars Expanded Universe character, Grand Admiral Thrawn, is getting a comic book series from Marvel Comics.

From CBR:  IDW Publishing has announced the expansion of the "Black Crown" imprint, which is overseen by former Vertigo boss, Shelley Bond, including a book drawn by Love and Rockets' Gilbert Hernandez.

From Newarama:  Grant Morrison is writing sequels to two of his biggest hits, "Batman: Arkham Asylum" and "Wonder Woman: Earth One."

From CBR:  Ed Piskor, the creator of "Hip Hop Family Tree," is producing a six-issue history of the X-Men in the miniseries, "X-Men: Grand Design."

From TheComicsReporter:  Jeff Smith ("Bone") is releasing his first picture book through Scholastic Books.

From BleedingCool:  At the IDW/Top Shelf panel, a final "League of Extraordinary Gentlemen" miniseries is announced.
-----------------------------------------------------

From CBR:  Image Comics studio, Top Cow, is rebooting Cyber Force, which was one of the debut Image Comics titles in 1992.

From Vulture:  A profile of Karen Berger's new line of comic books at Dark Horse, "Berger Books."

From BleedingCool:  Award-winning cartoonist, Box Brown, will produce a new comic book based on Nickelodeon's "Rugrats" for BOOM! Studios "KaBoom!" imprint.

From BleedingCool:  Steve Skroce, the comic book artist famous for storyboarding the film, "The Matrix," has a new comic book.  He is writing and drawing "Maestros" from Image Comics.

From BleedingCool:  Former editor of DC Comics' Vertigo line, Karen Berger, is now at Dark Horse.  Her new line, Berger Books, announces its initial titles.

From BleedingCool:  DC Super Hero Girls keeps getting bigger.

From ComicBookBin:  New Johnny Bullet episode #126 in English.
From ComicBookBin:  New Johnny Bullet episode #127 in English.

From BleedingCool:  Mike Ploog will make the miniseries, "Thicker Than Blood," his final work as he moves on to retirement.

From ComicsBeat:  Jack Kirby and Stan Lee named "Disney Legends" at D23 Expo 2017.

--------------------------------
BLURB REVIEW:

Youngblood #2 (Image Comics – June 2017) by Chad Bowers and Jim Towe with Juan Manuel Rodriguez

I would like to be snarky and be cynical, but I have to admit that I am really liking this new Youngblood comic book.  Writer Chad Bowers is keeping things relatively simple, introducing new characters and reviving “classic” Youngblood characters.  I don't remember much about the original Youngblood series, but I like the way in which Bowers is bringing together the past while pushing forward with new blood.  Artist Jim Towe and colorist Juan Manuel Rodriguez are quite good on covers and splash pages, and I can see Towe's storytelling steadily improving.  Simply put, I like what Bowers and Towe are doing here and so far, I enjoy the read.

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

From BleedingCool:  Scott Sndyer talks about his DC "Metal" comics.

From ComicBookBin:  Deejay Dayton details the history of "Super-Chief" in his latest DC History column.

From RichardSala:  Go and start reading "The Bloody Cardinal 2."

From ComicBookBin:  New Johnny Bullet Episode #125 in English.
From ComicBookBin:  New Johnny Bullet Episode #125 in French.

From BleedingCool:  More details on Sean Murphy's "Batman: White Knight."

From ComicBookBin:  New Johnny Bullet Mobile - #88

From ComicBookBin:  Deejay Dayton gives you a Silver Age history of DC Comics' "Cave Carson," who now stars in "Cave Carson Has a Cybernetic Eye."

From ICv2:  Marvel Comics' "Legacy #1" one-shot will lead into 53 new comic book titles.

From CBR:  Stan Sakai talks about his one-shot comic book that reunited his samurai rabbit, Usagi Yojimbo, with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

From BleedingCool:  Will DC Comics make a move to return to publishing creator-owned comic books?

From ComicBookBin:  New Johnny Bullet Episode #124.
From ComicBookBin:  New Johnny Bullet Episode #124 in French

From ComicBookBin:  Johnny Bullet Mobile #87.

---------------------------------
From BleedingCool:  Howard Chaykin responds to cover controversy.

From BleedingCool:  Image Comics and Howard Chaykin apologize and pull the planned cover art for "The Divided States of Hysteria #4."

From BleedingCool:  A tale of two covers - Black #3 and The Divided States of Hysteria #4.
---------------------------------

From GoFundMe:  Verteran comic book creator and World War II veteran Sam Glanzman is in hospice care and needs his readers' help.

From TCJ:  Sloane Leong offers a tribute to the webcomic, "Octopus Pie" (which I once reviewed for the ComicBookBin).

Image Comics from Diamond Distributors for July 12, 2017

IMAGE COMICS

MAY170652    BIRTHRIGHT TP VOL 05    $12.99
MAY170658    BLACK CLOUD #4 (MR)    $3.99
MAR170745    DEADLY CLASS #29 CVR A CRAIG & BOYD (MR)    $3.99
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APR170755    GOD COUNTRY UNISEX 3XL T/S    $24.99
APR170756    GOD COUNTRY UNISEX 4XL T/S    $24.99
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APR170751    GOD COUNTRY UNISEX MED T/S    $24.99
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APR170828    KILL OR BE KILLED #10 (MR)    $3.99
MAY170639    MAGE HERO DENIED #0    $1.99
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APR178254    REGRESSION #3 CVR B IMAGES OF TOMORROW VAR (MR)    $3.99
JAN170811    ROMULUS TP VOL 01 (MR)    $16.99
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Image Comics from Diamond Distributors for June 7, 2017

IMAGE COMICS

APR170734    BULLETPROOF COFFIN THOUSAND YARD STARE (ONE-SHOT) (MR)    $3.99
APR170765    CANNIBAL #6 (MR)    $3.99
JUN160684    CIRCUIT BREAKER TP VOL 01    $14.99
APR170684    DIVIDED STATES OF HYSTERIA #1 (MR)    $3.99
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APR170917    YOUNGBLOOD #2 CVR B LIEFELD    $3.99
APR170918    YOUNGBLOOD #2 CVR C WHITE    $3.99

Review: MIDNIGHT OF THE SOUL #1

MIDNIGHT OF THE SOUL No. 1
IMAGE COMICS – @ImageComics

WRITER/ARTIST: Howard Chaykin
COLORS: Jesus Aburtov
LETTERS: Ken Bruzenak
COVER: Howard Chaykin with Jesus Aburtov
28pp, Color, $3.50 U.S. (June 2016)

Rated “M / Mature”

Midnight of the Soul is a new comic book miniseries from Howard Chaykin.  The series is set in 1950 and is written and drawn by Chaykin; colored by Jesus Aburtov; and lettered by Ken Bruzenak.

Midnight of the Soul #1 opens in New York City, 1950.  Joel Breakstone is a former G.I. who served in World War II and was one of the liberators of the infamous internment camp at Auschwitz.  Joel is also a pile of seriously damaged good, formerly addicted to morphine and currently addicted to alcohol.  He recalls his wartime experiences as he struggles to be a writer of alternate-universe science fiction.  With his life cratering, Joel is ready for change.

As a youngster, I was a fan of Chaykin's seminal and influential 1980s science fiction comic book series, American Flagg!!  I also fell hard for Chaykin's other 1980s work, especially The Shadow, a four-issue reboot of the classic pulp magazine hero for DC Comics.  To a lesser extent, I also enjoyed Blackhawk, his re-imagining of the Golden Age, adventure comic, Blackhawks (also for DC Comics).  I also read and re-read Chaykin's noir-infused, black and white, porno-mystery comic, Black Kiss.

After those classics, I found other Howard Chaykin comic books to enjoy, but none brought me the sheer joy I got from his 1980s comics.  I have not gotten around to reading his recent output, especially the work published by Image Comics.  I only read one issue of his murder mystery comic book series, Satellite Sam (created with writer Matt Fraction).  I read the entirety of Blade, which stars Marvel's vampire-killin' Black dude, which Chaykin drew, but did not write.

This is the long way of saying that I never stopped being interested in Howard Chaykin and still read his comics when I can find them.  So I am curious about Midnight of the Soul.  Chaykin buries the reader in the morass that is Joel Breakstone, and, in my case, I am ready to take a journey into or to wherever he is going.

After four decades of producing comic books and graphical storytelling, Chaykin still has it.  He has mastered the medium, creating a unique graphical language with its own captivating rhythm.  Graphic design, page layout, and composition create panels that are individually striking and collectively intriguing.  I don't know if Midnight of the Soul will ultimately be an ambitious misfire or a standout, but the creator is exceptional.  That makes reading this comic book worth the time.

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.

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

DARK KNIGHT III: The Master Race #7

DARK KNIGHT III: THE MASTER RACE No. 7
DC COMICS – @DCComics

STORY: Frank Miller and Brian Azzarello
PENCILS: Andy Kubert
INKS:  Klaus Janson
COLORS: Brad Anderson
LETTERS: Clem Robins
COVER: Andy Kubert with Brad Anderson
VARIANT COVERS: Jim Lee and Scott Williams with Alex Sinclair; Frank Miller with Alex Sinclair; Klaus Janson with Dave McCaig; Howard Chaykin with Jesus Aburto; Chris Burnham with Nathan Fairbairn
32pp (plus 16-page insert), Color, $5.99 U.S. (February 2017)

Batman created by Bob Kane with Bill Finger

Dark Knight III: The Master Race (also known as DKIII) is the second sequel to Batman: The Dark Knight Returns (also known simply as The Dark Knight Returns or DKR), the landmark, four-issue comic book miniseries.  Published by DC Comics in 1986, DKR was written by Frank Miller; drawn by Miller (pencils) and Klaus Janson (inks); colored by Lynn Varley; and lettered by John Costanza.  DKR focused on a 50-year-old Bruce Wayne who comes out of retirement and resumes his crime-fighting role as Batman.

DKIII is written by Brian Azzarello and DKR's Frank Miller; drawn by Andy Kubert (pencils) and DKR's Klaus Janson (inks); colored by Brad Anderson; and lettered by Clem Robins.  DKIII finds Batman united with Superman to stop a murderous group of people from Superman's home planet, Krypton, from taking over the Earth.

Dark Knight III: The Master Race #7 opens in the aftermath of the battle in and over Gotham City, pitting Batman, Superman, and their allies against the “master race” of Kryptonians from Kandor.  And Batman is dead... or is he?  Superman has an idea about reviving his old friend.  Meanwhile, Quar, the leader of the Kryptonians, moves to strengthen his hold on Lara, the daughter of Superman and Wonder Woman, who has sided with the Kryptonians.  He wants her to do something for him...

I have to say that I enjoyed reading DKIII #7 more than I did issue #6.  I have found DKIII to be wildly inconsistent.  It is sometimes intense and gripping; other times, it is contrived and ridiculous – often within the same issue.

What is the difference with #7?  I think that this issue consolidates subplots and relationships, as the narrative prepares to move into the final acts of the series.  This issue is the first one that clearly depicts Lara's ambivalence, but also emphasizes that much of this story is about Lara's side of the family, in particularly her father, Superman.  Going forward as a reader, an issue like this one makes me feel more confident about the eight and ninth issues of Dark Knight III: The Master Race, the final two issues.

Dark Knight Universe Presents: Strange Adventures #1 (Insert comic book)
STORY: Frank Miller and Brian Azzarello
PENCILS: Frank Miller
INKS: Klaus Janson
COLORS: Alex Sinclair
LETTERS: Clem Robins
COVER: Frank Miller with Alex Sinclair

I have not really enjoyed these mini-comics inserted into the center of each issue of DKIII, but I like this issue's “Strange Adventures” that focuses on Green Lantern and two denizens of Thanagar.  The interplay of the items that give these heroes their power with the mounting danger of their adversaries makes this a gripping mini-thriller with a nice ending.

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 reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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

DC Comics from Diamond Distributors for December 28, 2016

DC COMICS

SEP160340    52 TP VOL 02    $34.99
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OCT160159    ACTION COMICS #970 VAR ED    $2.99
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Image Comics from Diamond Distributors for October 14, 2015

IMAGE COMICS

AUG150508     ASTRONAUTS IN TROUBLE #5 (MR)     $2.99
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AUG150522     WICKED & DIVINE #15 CVR B HANS (MR)     $3.50