I Reads You Juniors June 2018 - Update #46

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RIP - From BleedingCool:  Comic book agent, David Campiti, remembers recently deceased artist, Bong Dazo ("Deadpool").

From BleedingCool:  eBay To Sell Digital Comic Books from Today

From BleedingCool:  See Lucas Turnbloom’s Harry Potter-Styled San Diego Public Library Card

RIP - From THR:  Famed and volatile speculative fiction and television writer, Harlan Ellison, has died.  He also wrote several comics books and many of his stories were adapted for comic books.

From TheBeat:  Updates from Ed Brubaker on "Kill or Be Killed" and more.

From BleedingCool:  Brian Michael Bendis says that DC Comics will promote his creator-owned comics more than Marvel did.

From ComicBookBin:  New webcomic Johnny Bullet episode #166 in English.
From ComicBookBin:  New webcomic Johnny Bullet episode #166 in French.

From THR:  Tee Franklin's LGBTQ graphic novel, "Bingo Love" will return in a Vol. 2 and a new edition of Vol. 1.

From BleedingCool:  "The Trouble With Those 100 Page DC Comics From Walmart" by Rich Johnston.

From TheBeat:  Some retailers are outraged at the DC Comics-Wal-Mart exclusive deal that will see Wal-Mart exclusively carry four 100-page DC titles that will reprint stories, but also include original content.

From ComicBook:  Mike Colter, star of Marvel/Netflix's "Luke Cage," explains why Cage is not called "Power Man" in the series.

From Newsarama:  "Silk" is the latest character from the Spider-Man family that is being developed for film by Sony Pictures.

From Asahi:  "Golden Kamuy" creator, Satoru Noda, does his homework and research in depicting the Ainu ethnic group.  One of the lead characters, Asirpa, is Ainu.  "Golden Kamuy" is one of the best comic books being published today.

From BleedingCool:  Starting from the first of July, according to Bleeding Cool DC Comics and Walmart have done a deal to exclusively sell four one-hundred-page DC Comics anthology titles every month.  The comics will feature both old stories and brand-new content previously unavailable, including original Brian Micheal Bendis "Batman" and Tom King "Superman" 12-part serials.

From TCJ: Niki Smith talks about her erotic graphic novel, "Crossplay," which is set in the comics convention community.

From ComicCon:  2018 Bill Finger Awards for Excellence in Comic Book Writing have been announced.  Two influential women, Joye Murchison Kelly and Dorothy Roubicek Woolfolk, were honored.

From BleedingCool:  Fantagraphics Books 2018 solicitations.

From BleedingCool:  DC Comics rushing out to collections of Geoff Johns and Gary Frank's "Superman" comic books:  "Superman: Braniac" and "Superman: Secret Origins."

From Deadline:  Mark Miller, Olivier Coipel, and Netflix's Image Comics title, "The Magic Order," is selling like hotcakes.

From THR:  Tee Franklin ("Bingo Love") talks about her upcoming socially conscious horror comic book series, "Jook Joint" (Image Comics, October 2018).

From ComicBookBin:  New webcomic Johnny Bullet episode #165 in English.
From ComicBookBin:  New webcomic Johnny Bullet episode #165 in French.

From YahooNews:  Pittsburgh Post-Gazette has fired its editorial cartoonist, Rob Rogers, for being critical of President Trump.

From BleedingCool:  Stephan Frank talks about his wonderful vampire comic book series, "Silver," and launching a Kickstarter campaign to finish it.

From THR:  Marvel has announced the return of one of its "homo" and "freaking female" comic books.  "Iceman" (the home) and "The Unstoppable Wasp" (freaking female) are returning this fall.

From Polygon:  Batgirl will have a new direction, new comic book writer, and new costume.

From Crunchyroll:  "Tokyo Ghoul: re" manga ending soon.

From TheGuardian:  Mark Millar says "Netflix will take risks where a studio won't."

From Newsarama:  The Los Angeles Police Department is investigating claims that 95-year-old Stan Lee is the victim of elder abuse, related to Lee's business manager, Keya Morgan.

From Polygon:  A major DC Entertainment shake-up signals change for movies, TV, and comics

From BleedingCool:  Jim Lee and Dan DiDio got the "co" dropped from "co-publishers" and are now listed as "Publishers."

From Deadline:  Geoff Johns is leaving his job as Chief Creative Officer (CCO) of DC Entertainment (DC Comics).  Johns will move into a Warner Bros first-look producing deal where he will write movie vehicles to produce for Mad Ghost Productions.  Johns will also continue to work on existing films based on DC Comics properties.

From Vulture:  Many people are still shocked at the apparent recent suicide of celebrity chef and TV host, Anthony Bourdain.  Once upon a time, he wanted to draw comic books.

From TheBeat:  Longtime "MAD Magazines" cartoonist, Nick Meglin, has died at the age of 82, Saturday, June 2, 2018.

From SanFranChron:  A profile of 89-year-old writer, artist, cartoonist, and comic book creator, Jules Feiffer.

From AlbanyTimesUnion:  Shawn Pryor talks about the Kickstarter campaign for his comic book, "Lifted: Of Gods and Thieves."

From ANN:  The "Tokyo Ghoul: re" manga will reportedly make a big announcement on Thursday, June 14th, 2018.

From LATimes:  DC Comics relaunches its "Vertigo" imprint with a new name ("DC Vertigo") and seven new titles.

From BleedingCool:  The real Marvel Comics vs. DC Comics will happen when sales figures come out next week.

From BleedingCool:  Fabian Nicieza is writing a "World Cup" digital comic book for Marvel and ESPN.

From BleedingCool: DC Comics Advertises Metal Collection on AMC, SYFY, TBS, TNT, and TruTV

From SyFy:  Berger Books, an imprint of Dark Horse Comics, has announced a new science fiction title, "LaGuardia," written by Nnedi Okorafor and drawn by Tana Ford.

From ComicBook:  GameStop will apparently start selling comic books.

From AnimeNewsNetwork:  23 Shogakukan Manga Magazines Launch Anti-Piracy Campaign

From BleedingCool:  It's Alive is going to collect Doug Moench's "Aztez Ace" and has initiated a Kickstarter campaign to publish the project.

From GeekTyrant:  The "Batman Ninja" movie will be adapted as a manga for "Monthly Hero's Magazine."

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ComiXology Announcement:

From Newsarama:  COMIXOLOGY ORIGINALS Offers Print-On-Demand, Exclusive New Creator-Owned Titles for AMAZON PRIME

From WashPost:  ComiXology’s new move: A line of original, creator-owned comic books

From BleedingCool:  ComiXology introduces Amazon print-on-demand comics.

From BleedingCool: "ComiXology Originals" is opening June with a big announcement.

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From Otakukart:  Eden’s Zero Manga Reveals New Illustration.  New manga from the creator "Fairy Tail."

Review: COUSIN JOSEPH: A Graphic Novel

COUSIN JOSEPH: A Graphic Novel
W.W. NORTON & COMPANY/Liveright – @wwnorton and @LiverightPub

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

CARTOONIST:  Jules Feiffer
ISBN: 978-1-63149-065-1; hardcover (August 3, 2016)
128pp, Color, $27.95 U.S., $35.95 CAN

Born in 1929, Jules Feiffer is an American syndicated cartoonist, author, playwright, screenwriter, and comics creator.  He may be best known for his long-running comic strip, entitled Feiffer, which ran for 42 years in the venerable New York City weekly, The Village Voice.

Two years ago, Liveright, an imprint of W.W. Norton & Company, published Kill My Mother: A Graphic Novel, a brand-new, Film-Noir inspired graphic novel by Feiffer.  Kill My Mother opens in Bay City, California in the year 1933.  The story revolves around a woman named Elsie Hannigan and her estranged teenage daughter, Annie, who hates her mother.  Elsie is a widower, following the murder of her husband, Sam Hannigan, a policeman.  Elsie's life is hectic and complicated.  Her boss is her late husband's former partner, Neil Hammond, a hard-drinking, has-been private detective who takes shady jobs.  Hammond ends up murdered, the beginning of a mystery spread over a decade.

Feiffer's new comic book is entitled Cousin Joseph: A Graphic Novel, the follow-up to Kill My Mother.  Cousin Joseph is set in Bay City in 1931, two years before Kill My Mother opens, and it reveals why and how Sam Hannigan was killed.  Detective Sam Hannigan is a bare-knuckled, tough, no-nonsense cop who does not hesitate to use his fists to resolve a case or a dispute.  Sam is also a bag-man for a mysterious Hollywood power broker that he knows only as “Cousin Joseph.”  Sam delivers payoffs to other Hollywood types for Cousin Joseph, and if they don't comply with Cousin Joseph's demands, Sam also delivers brutal beatings.

Bay City is also roiling with labor unrest.  Hardy Knox, owner of the cannery, Knox Works, is facing a strike by his employees who are members of a union led by Billy Doyle.  Billy and Sam go way back, but Sam may have to call out his union-busting team, The Red Squad.  Sam knows that he is on a mission, but it may be the wrong mission – one that will make him enemies – some close to home and some quite deadly.

The first time I tried to read Kill My Mother, I stopped after a few pages.  I avoided the galley/review copy that the publisher Liveright has sent to me.  I finally forced myself to read Kill My Mother and ended up loving it.  I had no such problems with Cousin Joseph, for which I also received a galley, as I dove right into book.

Cousin Joseph is a quintessential American graphic novel and comic book, something rare.  Jules Feiffer not only tackles the complexities of the American dream, he also illustrates how Americans see it differently.  He even delves into the notion which some American have that the American dream is not for everyone who lives in America.  Only certain people can have the best of America, these people believe.  Everyone else:  the second class citizens, those with the wrong skin color, those who worship differently; is of an undesirable ethnic origin.  Those people have to know their place, and it ain't anywhere near the top.  For some, America is about dreams of a place at the top of society and joy of finally reaching that pinnacle.  For others, there is struggle and prejudice, and that is the way it should be, almost as if it were part of a natural order in a certain kind of America.

Years ago, I heard an old white lady tell someone that she loved movies like A Few Good Men (1992) because they reflected the best of us (America).  I like Cousin Joseph because it skins the American myth raw.  This comic book is about the story Americans tell themselves and the whole world, but Americans have no plan to make that myth the real thing.

A

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


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

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Review: KILL MY MOTHER: A Graphic Novel

KILL MY MOTHER: A Graphic Novel
W.W. NORTON & COMPANY/Liveright – @wwnorton and @LiverightPub

CARTOONIST:  Jules Feiffer
ISBN: 978-0-87140-314-8; hardcover (August 25, 2014)
160pp, Color/2-Color, $27.95 U.S., $32.95 CAN

Born in 1929, Jules Feiffer won a 1961 Academy Award for his animated short film, Munro.  In 1969 and 1970, his plays, Little Murders and The White House Murder Case, each won Obie and Outer Circle Critics Awards.  Feiffer won the Pulitzer Prize for political cartoons in 1986.

Jules Feiffer is American author, playwright, screenwriter, and comics creator.  He is also a syndicated cartoonist and may be best known for his long-running comic strip, Feiffer, which ran for 42 years in The Village Voice.

Now, the former teenage assistant to comics legend, Will Eisner, has produced the first graphic novel of his long and distinguished career, entitled Kill My Mother: A Graphic Novel.  This Film-Noir inspired comic book pays loving homage to the pulp-inspired films and comic strips that Feiffer loved as a youth, according to press material included with this original hardcover graphic novel's release.  Kill My Mother centers on five formidable women who are fatefully linked to a has-been, alcoholic, and lecherous private detective.

Kill My Mother opens in Bay City in the year 1933.  The story introduces Elsie Hannigan and her estranged teenaged daughter, Annie, who hates her mother.  Elsie is a widower, following the murder of her husband, Sam, a policeman.  Elsie's life is hectic and complicated.  Her boss is Neil Hammond, a hard-drinking, has-been private detective who takes shady jobs.

Hammond's most recent case arrives when a mystery woman, who identifies herself as Ruby Taylor, walks into the office, and asks Hammond to find Patricia Hughes.  This woman is a missing high school drama teacher with whom Ms. Taylor once had a close relationship.  Hammond knows that Taylor is lying about much (if not all) of what she tells him, but he takes the case anyway.  And he ends up murdered.

Ten years later, in 1943, Elsie is living in Hollywood.  She is the Executive Vice President of the Department of Image Security and Maintenance at Pinnacle Studios.  Basically, Elsie does damage control for the studio's movie stars.

Meanwhile, her daughter is now Ann Hannigan, and she is the single-mother of a young son, Sammy Hannigan.  Ann is also the creator and writer of the popular radio show, “Shut up, Artie.”  Of course, the series is based on her ex-boyfriend, Artie, but there is a problem with the wildly popular series.  America is at war, and Annie's former teen punching bag in no longer known as “Artie.”  He is now Captain Arthur Fulsom of the United States Marines, and he is a decorated World War II hero who is still fighting in the Pacific theater and who does not like the show.

Both mother and daughter discover that their pasts and their current jobs are about to clash in unexpected ways.  People from their respective and shared pasts either reemerge with new identities or with their true identities revealed.  Also, Elsie may be finally able to uncover a murderer.  This is all headed for an explosive conclusion that begins on the island of Tarawa, where war rages.

To be honest, the first time I tried to read Kill My Mother, I stopped after a few pages.  I avoided the galley/review copy that the publisher (Liveright, an imprint of W.W. Norton & Company) sent me.  I finally forced myself to read Kill My Mother, although I did not think that it would amount to very much.

Dear readers, you humble and favorite comic book reviewer was so wrong.  In the fourth chapter of this comic book, the first femme fatale enters the story, and Kill My Mother explodes.  From that point on, I tore through the story.  I didn't want it to end.  I am attracted to this comic book because of its Film-Noir and detective fiction influences.  At the beginning the book, Feiffer dedicates Kill My Mother to detective and crime fiction legends, including Raymond Chandler and Dashiell Hammett.  He acknowledges Film-Noir and crime film masters, such as John Huston and Howard Hawks, among others.  One might even call Kill My Mother the first Turner Classic Movies (TCM) graphic novel.

I think the biggest influence on Kill My Mother is the late Will Eisner, for whom Feiffer once worked.  In the way the story is executed and the way that the narrative unfolds, Kill My Mother is like a Will Eisner graphic novel.  The characters:  their personalities, the way they act, and their motivations make me think of the kind of characters found in Will Eisner's melodramas like A Contract with God and A Life Force, among others.

Feiffer makes this work distinctly his own through his dazzling graphical storytelling.  His compositions give life to static images.  The cartooning of the human figure makes emotion and motion a tangible thing; motivation and conflict are genuine.  Reading the storytelling that Feiffer tells though drawings and word balloons is also an adventure in plot twists.  You will likely not see some of what is coming, but you will want to see it.

Kill My Mother cannot quite be called “beginner's luck,” as this is not Feiffer's first experience with the comics medium.  However, his first graphic novel makes me want more from him.  Readers looking for comic books worth reading will want Kill My Mother: A Graphic Novel.

A

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux


The text is copyright © 2014 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this site for syndication rights and fees.