#IReadsYou Revew: AMERICAN MONSTER #1

AMERICAN MONSTER #1
AFTERSHOCK COMICS – @AfterShockComix

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

WRITER: Brian Azzarello
ARTIST: Juan Doe
COLORS: Juan Doe
LETTERS: Juan Doe
COVER: Juan Doe
VARIANT COVERS: Dave Johnson; Alexis Zuritt; Phil Hester
32pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (January 2016)

For mature readers

American Monster created by Brian Azzarello

Chapter 1: “American Monster”

American Monster is a new ongoing comic book series created and written by Brian Azzarello (DKIII: The Master Race) and drawn by Juan Doe.  The series is set in a small Midwestern town beset by corrupt cops and violent rural gangs and focuses on a mysterious newcomer with mysterious intentions.

American Monster #1 opens at night in a palatial rural estate in the which the inhabitants are about to experience a home invasion.  Meanwhile, a behemoth of a man gets off a bus, seeking food and lodging.  His horribly scarred face spooks the locals, and his taciturn manner makes it difficult for the townsfolk to discover his identity and intentions.

The first time I read Brian Azzarello and Eduardo Risso's seminal crime comic book series, 100 Bullets (DC Comics/Vertigo), I was spellbound.  It was a magical reading experience, and yes, I used the world “magical.”  I read the first two trade paperback collections in one weekend, and I was practically desperate to find individual issues.

I wouldn't call my reading experience with American Monster #1 as magical.  This first issue is intriguing and vague, as are so many first issue these days, whether it be for ongoing titles or miniseries.  American Monster #1 is too dark and brutal to evoke feelings of a face sprinkled by fairy dust.  But I want more American Monster real bad, daddy.  I need my second-issue fix real soon.

Seriously, I think Juan Doe's clean drawing line and stylish, but matter-of-fact storytelling is perfect for bringing this ugly, taxi-to-the-dark-side story that Azzarello is spinning.  This ain't no Dark Knight Bat-guano, fill-the-corporate-coffers comic book.  American Monster promises the real Brian Azzarello, the dangerous storyteller who has just got off the bus in comic book town.

[This comic book also includes a preview of the comic book, “Strayer #1,” by writer Justin Jordan and artist Juan Gedeon.]

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.

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

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: DREAMING EAGLES #1

DREAMING EAGLES No. 1 (OF 6)
AFTERSHOCK COMICS – @AfterShockComix

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

WRITER: Garth Ennis
ARTIST: Simon Coleby
COLORS: John Kalisz
LETTERS: Rob Steen
COVER: Francesco Francavilla
VARIANT COVERS: Brian Stelfreeze; Phil Hester
32pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (December 2015)

For mature readers

Dreaming Eagles created by Garth Ennis

“We Cannot Consecrate”

Okay.  So back on September 11, 2015, Comic Book Resources posted an interview that assistant editor, Brett White, conducted with comic book luminary, Garth Ennis, concerning his then-upcoming miniseries, Dreaming Eagles.  Drawn by Simon Coleby, Dreaming Eagles tells the story of the first African-American fighter pilots to join the United States Army Air Force in World War II.  The series also deals with the 1960s Civil Right movement.

The first question that White asked Ennis was related to Mark Waid and J.G. Jones' current miniseries, Strange Fruit.  That comic book blends superhero comics to tell a story of racism during the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927.  Prior to the release of the first issue, there was some criticism by African-Americans leveled at Wade and Jones for telling their story in this manner, especially as privileged White American comic book creators.

So White asked Ennis, “Do you have any concern that you'll face similar scrutiny in writing about the Tuskegee airmen and their experiences?”

Ennis' response is so typically American White male privilege that it is hard to believe that he is originally from Northern Ireland:  “My attitude to that is that it's going to be what it's going to be; it's so far beyond my control that there's no point worrying about it. I'll write the best and most honest story I can, with appropriate attention to detail in terms of historical research. If you think I have no right to tell the story because I'm white, don't read it. If you don't think that and you're interested, give it a try.”

It is not that Black people do not want White people telling stories about Black people and African-American subject matter or featuring Black characters.  The complaint or grievance is that the same opportunity to produce such comic is, in large measure, not afforded to Black comic book creators.  Unless the story would be tailored to one of their characters, neither Marvel nor DC Comics would publish something like Dreaming Eagles produced by an African-American creative team.  In fact, it is unlikely that any of the major independents that publish creator-owned comic books would publish something like Dreaming Eagles by a team of Black creators.

How do I know that?  Well, they haven't...  A few times a year, Image Comics makes a big deal out of announcing its slate of upcoming creator-owned titles, and none are by African-American creative teams.  I think once, out of embarrassment, Image tossed in a token Negro title, which I have yet to see.  So AfterShock Comics is doing the same as the other publishers, and Garth Ennis is officially an American White male, willfully blind to his unearned White privilege.

So, onto the review...

Dreaming Eagles #1 (“We Cannot Consecrate”) opens in 1966, at night, outside “The Silver Pony” (a restaurant in New York City?).  The place is owned by a Black man, WWII veteran, Reggie Atkinson.  Tonight, he is thinking about his son, Lee, who is a budding activist in the 1960s Civil Rights movement.  Father and son don't agree on the movement, but tonight, Atkinson will finally tell Lee about his time as Lt. Reggie Atkinson, one of the first African-American fighter pilots in the United States Army Air Force in WWII.  And those first Black men had to prove a lot of White men wrong about a lot of things.

My diatribe to open this review aside, I like this first issue of Dreaming Eagles, which will be a six-issue miniseries.  The conflict between father and son is nothing new.  The old Black man versus the young brotha' conflict has popped up in much of the fiction and storytelling about the Black struggle for equality and dignity in the United States (most recently in the film, Lee Daniels' The Butler).  What I like is that Garth Ennis is depicting the father-son struggle as not being toxic, but instead, as a matter of perspective and worldview brought on by different life experiences.

Ennis is also blunt and to-the-point in stating the obstacles facing Black men in the U.S. military before and during WWII.  Ennis' storytelling has always been blunt and to-the-point which gives the drama and action in his stories the force of a series of jabs that keeps the readers always on his feet and engaged with the story.

If this comic book were published by DC Comics' Vertigo imprint, which published practically all of Ennis' work for about a decade, Simon Coleby would be the artist and this story would not look different.  He is not a fall-back choice for a name writer looking for as an artist.  Coleby gives each panel just the right amount of drama that is needed, from subdued to momentous.  He does not force a mood to pander to reader expectations, simply because he understands the build up to moments – immediately and for later chapters.

I think that this first issue is rather languid compared to what I expect to come in later issues, but I could be wrong.  My sense of expectation suggests that readers of Garth Ennis' war comics will want to read beyond the first issue.  However, I don't know that people who have enjoyed Ennis' work on comic books like Preacher and The Punisher will care for this.

A-

[This comic book includes a five-page preview of the comic book , Replica #2, by Paul Jenkins and Andy Clarke.]

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.


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

Review: YOUNG MONSTERS IN LOVE

YOUNG MONSTERS IN LOVE
DC COMICS – @DCComics

[This review was originally published on Patreon.]

STORY: Kyle Higgins; Tim Seeley; Mairghread Scott; Collin Kelly & Jackson Lanzing; Paul Dini; Mark Russell; Steve Orlando; Alisa Kwitney; Phil Hester; James Robinson
PENCILS: Kelley Jones; Giuseppe Camuncoli; Bryan Hitch; Javier Fernandez; Guillem March; Frazer Irving; Nick Klein; Stephanie Hans; Mirko Colak; John McCrea
INKS: Kelley Jones; Cam Smith; Andrew Currie; Javier Fernandez; Guillem March; Frazer Irving; Nick Klein; Stephanie Hans; Mirko Colak; John McCrea
COLORS: Michelle Madsen; Tomeu Morey; Nathan Fairbairn; Trish Mulvihill; Dave McCaig; Frazer Irving; Nic Klein; Stephanie Hans; Michael Spider; John Kalisz
LETTERS: Rob Leigh; Clayton Cowles; Carlos M. Mangual; Sal Cipriano; Travis Lanham; Tom Napolitano; Dave Sharpe; Clem Robins
COVER: Kelley Jones with Michelle Madsen
80pp, Color, $9.99 U.S. (April 2018)

Rated T+ for “Teen Plus”

Young Monsters in Love in a one-shot, comic book anthology and holiday special from DC Comics.  A comic book celebration of Valentine's Day 2018, Young Monsters in Love presents 10 tales of twisted love and strange romance starring some of DC Comics' most most infamous monster and dark fantasy characters (although Swamp Thing, who is one of them, is in a different story).

Young Monsters in Love opens with Dr. Kirk Connors a.k.a. “Man-Bat” trying to find love again, but in the story “Nocturnal Animal,” he will learn that sometimes you have to stopping loving the one who will not stop loving you.  Frankenstein Agent of S.H.A.D.E. proves that Frankenstein has the soul of a poet, but will his “Bride” see that in “Pieces of Me.”

Superman gives a helping hand to Solomon Grundy in “Buried on Sunday,” but Superboy does not feel the love.  The Teen Titans' Raven has to take it to the dance floor in “The Dead Can Dance.”  Deadman takes a bullied child into his care and helps victim and victimizer in “Be My Valentine.”

Swamp Thing discovers that he can't have anything nice, even love, in “Heart-Shaped Box.”  Long-time friends and Doom Patrol haters, Monsieur Mallah & The Brain have to face the truth in “Visibility.”  I, Vampire is featured in “The Turning of Deborah Dancer.”  The Demon goes to Hell for one more kill in “To Hell and Gone.”  Finally, the Creature Commandos get bad news from the home front in “Dear Velcoro.”

In a recent article for The Washington Post, the author (Geraldine DeRuiter of everywhereist.com) offers a heart-breaking story, entitled “I thought my bully deserved an awful life. But then he had one.” that is also a great read.  She discovered that the boy who bullied her in school, a boy she always wished bad for, was actually murdered when he was 25-years-old.  She wondered, in this time when the culture has the long knives out for bullies, if we forget that bullies may need help as much, if not more, than their victims.

Without spoiling it, this is more or less the theme of writer Paul Dini and artist Guillem March's Deadman story, “Be My Valentine.”  First, to my imagination, it feels like a classic Deadman story from the 1960s, written by either Arnold Drake (Deadman's creator) or Jack Miller and drawn by either Carmine Infantino or Neal Adams. Secondly, Dini and March's story is one of the best comic book stories about bullying that I have ever read.  It alone is worth Young Monsters in Love's cover price of $9.99.  Colorist Dave McCaig and letterer Sal Cipriano also do some of their best work in creating a graphical package that is classic cool.

Young Monsters in Love is full of wonderful stories besides “Be My Valentine.”  Five of them are truly greats comic book short stories, including the powerful “Heart-Shaped Box” and “Visibility.”  Two are quite good, including the Creature Commandos story, which is my first reading experience of these characters.  Three of these stories are not as well executed as they could have been, including the opening Man-Bat story.

I usually ignore DC Comics' holiday specials, but Young Monsters in Love makes me think that I should not be so quick to dismiss them.  So if you missed it, dear readers, run back to your local comic book shop and find Young Monsters in Love.

9 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.

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

Review: BABYTEETH #1

BABYTEETH No. 1
AFTERSHOCK COMICS – @AfterShockComix

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

WRITER: Donny Cates
ARTIST: Garry Brown
COLORS: Mark Englert
LETTERS: Taylor Esposito
COVER: Garry Brown
VARIANT COVERS: Garry Brown; Dylan Burnett; Elias Chatzoudis; Juan Doe; Francesco Francavilla; Phil Hester; Nat Jones; Tobias Morrow; Brent Peeples; Shelby Robertson; Mike Rooth; Elizabeth Torque; Arturo Torres with Larry Watts
32pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (June 2017)

Mature Readers

Babyteeth created by Donny Cates and Garry Brown

“Mother of God”

Babyteeth is a new comic book series from writer Donny Cates and artist Garry Brown.  Their collaborators are Mark Englert on colors and Taylor Esposito on letters.  Published by AfterShock Comics, this series will focus on the young woman who gives birth to the Anti-Christ, a child that will eventually break down the barriers between the earthly and demonic planes.

Babyteeth #1 (“Mother of God”) opens in a darkened exterior.  Using a smart phone, young Sadie Ritter records a story to tell her baby, which takes us back one year prior.  In Salt Lake City, Utah, 16-year-old Sadie is trying to hide her pregnancy from her classmates.  Her sister, the bad-ass Heather, knows about the bundle of joy and has to make some people back up off her little sister.  When Sadie's contractions start, some weird crap starts happening, too, including Sadie's belief that she may be dead!

All I can say is that I am intrigued by Babyteeth.  Writer/co-creator Donny Cates is hot as he comes off two Image Comics, God Country and Redneck.  I get the feeling that Babyteeth will be somewhat funny, maybe a black comedy or a satire or both.  It is hard to tell how dark or violent it will be, but there is something in Garry Brown's angular compositions and matter-of-fact storytelling that makes Babyteeth seem promising.  It is almost as if Brown's art and graphical storytelling is saying to us, “Oh, you are going to want to see the rest of this!”

And for now, I do want to see more of this.

[This comic book includes the following extras and back-matter:

There are four-pages of the behind-the-scenes process of producing Babyteeth #1, from script to art to coloring and lettering.

This is a six-page preview of upcoming AfterShock Comics title, Unholy Grail E1 by Cullen Bunn and Mirko Colak.]

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


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

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

Review: SHIPWRECK #1

SHIPWRECK No. 1 (OF 6)
AFTERSHOCK COMICS – @AfterShockComix

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

WRITER: Warren Ellis
PENCILS: Phil Hester
INKS: Eric Gapstur
COLORS: Mark Englert
LETTERS: Marshall Dillon
COVER: Phil Hester with Mark Englert
VARIANT COVERS: John McCrea; Phil Hester with Mark Englert; Declan Shalvey with Jordie Bellaire; Elizabeth Torque
32pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (October 2016)

For mature readers

Shipwreck created by Warren Ellis

Chapter 1: “Argur”

Shipwreck is a new comic book series created by Warren Ellis (Transmetropolitan, Injection).  Published by AfterShock, this six issue miniseries is written by Ellis; drawn by Phil Hester (pencils) and Eric Gapstur (inks); colored by Mark Englert; and lettered by Marshall Dillon.  Shipwreck focuses on the sole survivor of a very unusual and very secret shipwreck.

Shipwreck #1 (“Augur”) introduces Dr. Jonathan Shipwright, who might be dead or dreaming or on a mission.  He awakens on a rocky plain and makes his way to a decrepit diner where he meets an “Inspector.”  The man has lots to say, including that Shipwright's shipwreck involved a boat voyaging from another planet... wrecked by a saboteur... whom Shipwright must find.

Over the last few years of reading several #1 issues of comic books written by Warren Ellis, I have often found myself intrigued and sometimes bored.  I was intrigued by Injection (Image Comics), which paid off in a fantastic comic book.  I thought the first issue of Ellis' recent Moon Knight comic book for Marvel was dull, but that turned out to be a gem of a six-issue miniseries.

You know, in the past, I have earned ire for suggesting that many comics, including some written by Warren Ellis, would not be published if they were the creation of little-known or previously unpublished comic book creators.  The truth of the matter is that over the last few decades some comic book writers have built enough of a following or written enough popular comic books that practically any vanity project they propose finds a publisher among the independents, such as Image Comics and, now, apparently AfterShock Comics.

I don't know what the fuck is going on with Shipwreck.  It might turn out to be a fantastic read in collected form, but as a first issue, it's...  I don't know what to call it because there isn't enough to declare it good or bad.  It simply is, meaning it's there for you to read.  I can't even say I'm intrigued.  Oh, well.  Whatever.  Nevermind.  Maybe, it's just me.

Okay, I get.  That's how things work.  I'm sure AfterShock was quite excited to get something from Warren Ellis.  They were certainly more excited than Guy Ritchie was.  Even the art for Shipwreck leaves a lot to desire, although the cover is quite nice.

You know, I'm trudging through Joe Hill's recent novel, The Fireman.  It is clearly the work of a famous author's son, meaning that the book's publisher, William Morrow, would not publish this book if it had been written by an unpublished author, especially if he or she were not seeded from a famous author's balls.  Yeah, Joe Hill is Joesph Hillstrom King, one of Stephen King's progeny.

I am certain that neither AfterShock nor any other major independent publisher would publish Shipwreck if it were produced by an African-American author or by a Latino not named Los Bros.  Hell, I don't think the indies were knocking themselves out to publish original or creator-owned works by the late Dwayne McDuffie.  But this...

Oh, well... on to the next creation of White privilege.  I don't know what I expected from Shipwreck #1, but yeah, I am surprised that this is the reaction I got from it.

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


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

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

Review: MAJOR DANJER AND HIS PLATOON OF DOOM

MAJOR DANJER AND HIS PLATOON OF DOOM
CANDLE LIGHT PRESS – @candlelightpres

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

WRITERS: John Ira Thomas, Jared Donze, Michael Ayers, Carter Allen
PENCILS: Carter Allen – @attila71 with Michael Ayers
INKS: Carter Allen with Jeremy Smith
MISC. ART: Romeo Tanghal; Phil Hester
Hardcover
92pp, B&W, $15.00 U.S. (2016)

Candle Light Press' Fragmenta series is a line of paperback and hardcover books, picture books, and pamphlets.  Each entry in the line collects essays, scripts, art, and/or comics produced by the writers and artists of Candle Light Press (CLP).  Some of this material concerns early or uncompleted projects, while other material represents preliminary words and pictures for completed projects.

A hardcover book with black and white interiors, Major Danjer and His Platoon of Doom is the ninth entry in the Fragmenta series.  Like Fragmenta 7: Dan Callahan and the Sand Pirates, Major Danjer collects an uncompleted project, entitled (of course), Major Danjer and His Platoon of Doom.  A fanciful war comic in the vein of such classic war comics as Sgt. Rock, Sgt. Fury and His Howling Commandos, Blackhawk, and G.I. Combat, to name a few, Major Danger ran as serial in various 1990s CLP publications, including in the anthology, ED.

Major Danjer and His Platoon of Doom was created by CLP mainstays, writer John Ira Thomas and artist Carter Allen, with contributions from former CLP creators like Jared Donze and Micheal Ayers.  This collection contains six Major Danjer stories, with the sixth being unfinished.  This book includes an introduction by John Ira Thomas and essays by Thomas and Carter Allen.  There also about 20 pages of drawings, illustrations, and miscellania, much of it by the Allen.

Nazis, military strike teams, lost worlds, dinosaurs, and a giant “whark!”  Plus, meet those peculiar superheroes, “Glory Guard.”  It's all in Major Danjer and His Platoon of Doom.

I am a long time fan and admirer of the books and comics put out by CLP.  If pushed, I might say that CLP's award-winning horror graphic novel, Lost in the Wash, is my favorite CLP publication.  I have also long lusted and sought to plagiarize the brilliant Zoo Force/Not Zoo Force.  I get a kick out of Carter Allen's Nikki Harris Cybermation Witch comic book series.  A Tale of Shades and Angels by Thomas and artist Jeremy Smith should be as well known as Brian Michael Bendis and Michael Avon Oeming's Powers.

But I have to keep it real.  I love Major Danjer and His Platoon of Doom.  Part Doc Savage pulp fury and part Sgt. Fury savagery, Major Danjer is not a parody of war comics, nor does it mock them.  Carter and his co-writers and Carter Allen merely takes the weirdness that was the true spirit of those old-timey war comics and makes them comedy the way Mel Brooks made comedy out of Universal Pictures 1930 monster movies in Young Frankenstein.

At $15, Major Danjer and His Platoon of Doom is a steal for fans of war comics.  There is a Blackhawk homage in one of the stories that certainly justifies part of the cost.  I wish CLP had finished Major Danjer and His Platoon of Doom.  It seems like something that was mistakenly abandoned, but buying this book isn't a mistake.

A

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

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


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

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

Review: MOTHER PANIC #2

MOTHER PANIC No. 2
DC COMICS/Young Animal – @DCComics

STORY: Jody Houser
ART: Tommy Lee Edwards
COLORS: Tommy Lee Edwards
LETTERS: John Workman
COVER: Tommy Lee Edwards
VARIANT COVER: Paul Rentler
32pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (February 2017)

Mature Readers

Mother Panic created by Gerard Way, Jody Houser, and Tommy Lee Edwards

“A Work in Progress” Part 2

Young Animal is a recently-launched DC Comics imprint.  It is curated by rock musician (My Chemical Romance) and comics creator, Gerard Way (The Umbrella Academy).  The first three Young Animal titles that were released were remakes and re-imaginings of two Silver Age DC comics series (Doom Patrol, Cave Carson Has a Cybernetic Eye) and one cult property (Shade the Changing Man has become Shade the Changing Girl).

Mother Panic is a brand new comic book creation about a brand new vigilante who calls Gotham City (Batman's hometown) her stomping grounds.  The series stars wealthy prodigal daughter, Violet Paige, who returns to Gotham to clean up the city's filthy, disturbed underbelly while pretending to be a “celebutante.”  Mother Panic is written by Jody Houser; illustrated by Tommy Lee Edwards; and lettered by John Workman.

Mother Panic #2 opens as Violet prepares to take down Mr. Hemsley and to trace a sex trafficking ring to its source.  First, she will have to find Hemsley, and what better place than the 2017 Gotham Victims Fund Gala.  However, Violet's mission is tied to her own troubled past, which may affect her ability to... ahem... execute her plan.  Plus, a Gotham hero makes a cameo.

From reading different web articles, I gather that the point of Mother Panic is to present stories from Batman's hometown that are too disturbing to be told in Batman comic books that are marketed to readers of all-ages.  Mother Panic is basically a quasi Batman-related title for adult readers.  I was only mildly interested after reading the first issue, but I feel different after reading Mother Panic #2.

In my review of the first issue, I said that Mother Panic might turn out to be a really good title, but I found that the first issue teased the reader and only offered standard superhero fare (violence).  However, I am starting to find Violet Paige to be an intriguing and likable character.  There is something cool about her costume and “flying” motorcycle, but there is something even cooler, Violet's emerging personality.  I am reviewing Mother Panic #2 via a PDF that DC Comics makes available to reviewers.  I feel confident in recommending Mother Panic because I will read the next PDF and may eventually start buying the comic book.

[This issue includes a bonus story “Gotham Radio Scene One: The Morning After” by Jim Krueger, Phil Hester, Ande Parks, Trish Mulvihill, and Deron Bennett.]

B+

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.

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

Review: MOTHER PANIC #1

MOTHER PANIC No. 1
DC COMICS/Young Animal – @DCComics

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

STORY: Jody Houser
ART: Tommy Lee Edwards
COLORS: Tommy Lee Edwards
LETTERS: John Workman
COVER: Tommy Lee Edwards
VARIANT COVERS: Paul Pope; Bengal
32pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (January 2017)

Mature Readers

Mother Panic created by Gerard Way, Jody Houser, and Tommy Lee Edwards

“A Work in Progress” Part 1

Young Animal is a DC Comics imprint curated by rock musician (My Chemical Romance) and comics creator, Gerard Way (The Umbrella Academy).  The first three Young Animal titles released are remakes and re-imaginings of Silver Age (Doom Patrol, Cave Carson) or cult DC Comics properties (Shade the Changing Man, a Steve Ditko character).

Mother Panic is a brand new comic book creation about a brand new vigilante who calls Gotham City (Batman's hometown) her stomping grounds.  This latest Young Animal series is written by Jody Houser; illustrated by Tommy Lee Edwards; and lettered by John Workman.

Mother Panic #1 (“A Work in Progress”) opens as Violet Paige returns to Gotham City, and the press is nearly in full force for the return of a prodigal daughter.  Why is Violet's return so noteworthy?  She is a member of Gotham's elite glitterati, but she did not return home in order to play “celebutante.”  There is filthy, disturbed underbelly in Gotham City, and Violet is back to begin cleaning it.

Apparently, the point of Mother Panic is to present stories from Batman's hometown that are too disturbing for Batman comic books that are marketed to Batman fans of all-ages.  Mother Panic is basically a quasi Batman-related title for adult readers.  I say good for them – them being DC Comics and the Young Animal imprint, although I can't say that I'm particularly interested.

Mother Panic might turn out to be a really good title, but once again, we have a first issue that teases the reader and features standard superhero fare (violence), this time with a vague Vertigo Comics haze over the story.  I am reviewing Mother Panic #1 via a PDF that DC Comics makes available to reviewers.  I can guarantee you, dear reader, that if I review the second issue that it will also be via a PDF.  I wouldn't spend money on this – at least not now.

[This issue includes a bonus story “Gotham Radio Scene One: 1621” by Jim Krueger, Phil Hester, Ande Parks, Trish Mulvihill, and Deron Bennet.]

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.

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

Review: THUNDER Agents, 50th Anniversary Special

T.H.U.N.D.E.R. AGENTS, 50TH ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL
IDW PUBLISHING – @IDWPublishing

[This review was first published by Patreon.]

WRITERS:  Larry Ivie; Len Brown; Dan Adkins
PENCILS: Wally Wood; Steve Ditko; Dan Adkins; Garry Leach
INKS: Wally Wood; Dan Adkins; Tony Coleman; Garry Leach
COLORS: Jason Millet
LETTERS: Victor Gorelick
MISC. ART: George Perez with Ronda Pattison; George Tuska with Ronda Pattison; Jerry Ordway with Ronda Pattison; Dave Cockrum with Ronda Pattison; Dave Cockrum; Steve Ditko and Greg Theakston with Ronda Pattison; George Perez and Dave Cockrum with Ronda Pattison; Dave Cockrum and Murphy Anderson with Ronda Pattison; Steve Ditko and Will Blyberg; Bob Layton; Phil Hester and Eric Gapstur with David Baron; Dave Sim with David Baron
EDITORS: Greg Goldstein and Michael Benedetto
COVER: Dan Adkins with Jason Millet (based on Wally Wood and Dan Adkins' cover for T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents #3)
SUBSCRIPTION COVER: Andrew Pepoy with Jason Millet (based on Wally Wood's cover for Incredible Science Fiction #33)
64pp, Color, $7.99 U.S. (July 2015)

T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents created by Wally Wood and Len Brown

T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents was a team of superheroes that appeared in comic books originally published by Tower Comics from 1965 to 1969.  The original T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents were an arm of the United Nations.  The name, T.H.U.N.D.E.R., is an acronym for “The Higher United Nations Defense Enforcement Reserves.”

T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents the comic book series ran for 20 issues.  Tower Comics gave the two of the most popular T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents, Dynamo and NoMan, each his own short lived comic book series.  After the demise of Tower Comics, the T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents characters did not appear in new comic book stories until the early 1980s, which was the beginning of a series of sporadic efforts to create T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents comics over the next three decades.  Beginning in 2010, DC Comics published a short-lived ongoing T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents series and a miniseries.  In 2013, IDW Publishing published another short lived T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents comic book series.

In spite of decades of short-lived iterations, the T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents still have fans and admirers, and I am one of them.  In fact, 2015 is the 50th anniversary of their first appearance in T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents #1 (Tower Comics; cover dated: November 1965).  So I was excited to discover that IDW had published a one-shot comic book, entitled T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents, 50th Anniversary Special.

Despite their checkered comic book publishing history, the T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents comics have featured the work of a number of talented writers and artists.  T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents, 50th Anniversary Special celebrates the T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents, some of their classic stories, and a selection of work from acclaimed and popular T.H.U.N.D.E.R. creators.

T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents, 50th Anniversary Special reprints four Tower Comics-era stories.  “First Encounters,” from T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents #1 (November 1965), introduces the devices that give super-powered T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents their powers.  Dynamo shines in two stories:  “D-Day for Dynamo!” from T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents #2 (cover dated: January 1966) and “Master of Evolution” from T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents #4 (cover dated: April 1966).

One of the best known T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents stories is also reprinted here.  That is “A Matter of Life and Death,” from T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents #7 (cover dated: August 1966).  Some comic book historians and fans believe that this story features the first meaningful and long-lasting depiction of the death of a major character, in this case, Menthor, in a comic book.  T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents, 50th Anniversary Special also reprints the art Garry Leach drew for a story that deals with the aftermath of Menthor's death on Dynamo.  I am assuming that this story, written by the late George Caragonne, was originally produced for Deluxe Comics' short-lived T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents revival, a comic book series entitled Wally Wood's T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents.

I don't want to describe the four Tower Comics stories as “quaint and charming,” which is how I sometimes describe comics from the Silver Age and earlier.  I think that these stories are actually quite good, and they reveal that Dynamo is a dynamic character, one whose potential has never and will likely never be reached, unless someone dedicated to comic books saves the T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents.

T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents, 50th Anniversary Special also offers just under 20 pages of illustrations, pin-ups, cover art, and preliminary art by classic comic book artists, like George Perez and two now deceased artists, Dave Cockrum and George Tuska, among others.  This comic book is like a short love letter to fans of the T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents.  It does seem a bit inadequate, but fans can get more T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents in T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents Companion (from TwoMorrows Publishing).  In the meantime, we can enjoy the comic book-sized T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents, 50th Anniversary Special for what it is.  It is a special comic book commemorating a group of comic book characters whose 50 years of existence is probably the shortest half-century in American comic book history.

A-

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux


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

I Reads You Review: NO MERCY #1

NO MERCY #1
IMAGE COMICS – @ImageComics

WRITER: Alex de Campi – @alexdecampi
ARTIST: Carla Speed McNeil – @CSpeedMcNeil
COLORS: Jenn Manley Lee – @jemale
28pp, Color, $2.99 U.S. (April 2015)

Rated T+ / Teen Plus

No Mercy is a new comic book series from writer Alex de Campi and artist Carla Speed McNeil (Finder).  The series focuses on a group of stranded American teenagers who must navigate the hostile landscape of a foreign country if they are to survive.

In No Mercy #1, it all begins with an arrival at an airport in the Latin American country of Mataguey.  A group of incoming freshmen at Princeton have traveled to the country to build schools in a Central American village.  Princeton Summer Service is a trip before college that allows some of the students to get to know other freshmen, while doing something good.  Then tragedy strikes, and because help is unlikely to come, these privileged students will have to help themselves.

The one thing that immediately stands out about No Mercy is Carla Speed McNeil's art.  When I first met her in college – ages ago, I thought she had a bright future in front of her.  That has come to pass, as she has even won an Eisner for her work on Finder, a long-running comic book and sometimes webcomic that I heartily recommend.  She always seems to find a way to draw each character as a unique individual creation – not just in appearance, but also in visible personality.  This gives her work an earthy and inviting quality.

In No Mercy, McNeil's art is combined with the gorgeous coloring of Jenn Manley Lee, with whom I am unfamiliar.  Lee's striking hues and McNeil's compositions remind me of the color comics of the late and legendary Moebius.  Since I loved me some Moebius, I want more of this McNeil-Lee joint.

It is obvious from the beginning that Alex de Campi is composing a merciless story in which merciless people and a pitiless environment will torment a band of clueless kids.  The biggest difficulty that many of this young adults have faced is probably typical family drama and conflict.  Now, they are in a country where the obligation to observe their privilege does not exist.  Personally, I'd like to see this story work through the eyes of one particular character.  While I do have my favorite, there are some others that have the potential to carry the readers through this land of No Mercy.

Granted that I am partial to McNeil, I think this is a comic book worth following.

[This comic book contains a preview of “Mythic #1 by Phil Hester and John McCrea.]

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux on Patreon.


The text is copyright © 2015 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog for syndication rights and fees.

Review - CARTER ALLEN: Monster Maker

CARTER ALLEN: MONSTER MAKER
CANDLE LIGHT PRESS/Warning Comics – @candlelightpres

WRITER/ARTIST: Carter Allen
Paperback – 8.2” x 11.7” (2014)
28pp, Color, $10.00 U.S.

Carter Allen previously released two art books:  All These Worlds: The Artwork of Carter Allen and Galaxy Girls and Hell Hounds: All These Worlds, The Artwork of Carter Allen.  Allen is a comic book artist and a prolific producer of graphic novels (including the Dub Trub series).  Allen is also the creator of the comic book series, Nikki Harris the Cybermation Witch.

Now, Carter Allen offers another soft cover album of drawings and illustrations, and it is entitled Carter Allen: Monster Maker.  Allen even draws admiration from comic book artist Phil Hester, whose praise is used as a quote on the back cover of Monster Maker.

Subtitled “An Illustrated Creature Feature,” Carter Allen: Monster Maker has as a dominant theme giant monsters.  The favored giant monsters in Monster Maker are the kaiju, known for their roles in Japanese monster movies and for being the Earth-stomping, Armageddon-bringing baddies in Guillermo del Toro’s 2013 monster mash, Pacific Rim.  Monster Maker also offers gods, zombies, mecha and other giant robots.  Most of the art here is recent work, with several pieces apparently produced this year.  Even Nikki Harris, that outer space kicker of monster butt, makes an appearance.

There are even mock movie posters, and reading this book, it is easy to see that Allen is summoning up the ghosts of Saturday matinees past – both at the local theatre and on local television.  The film industry might not make monster movies like they used to, but someone apparently still has the kind of imagination that once dreamed up big monsters.  That’s Carter Allen, and Carter Allen: Monster Maker wants to make you stretch your vision and imagination to see the biggest and the baddest monsters.

A-

Carter Allen: Monster Maker ($10) is available at this link:
http://candlelightpress.tumblr.com/monstermaker.htm

www.candlelightpress.com
candlelightpress.tumblr.com
www.nikkithewitch.com
www.warningcomics.com

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux

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

I Reads You Review: T.H.U.N.D.E.R. AGENTS #2

T.H.U.N.D.E.R. AGENTS #2
IDW PUBLISHING – @IDWPublishing

WRITER:  Phil Hester
ARTIST: Andrea Di Vito
COLORS: Rom Fajardo
LETTERS: Shawn Lee
COVER: Phil Hester and Eric Gapstur with David Baron
COVER RIA: The Sharp Brothers
COVER RIB: Dave Sim
SUBSCRIPTION VARIANT COVER: Dave Sim with David Baron
28pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (September 2013)

T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents was a team of superheroes that appeared in comic books originally published by Tower Comics from 1965 to 1969.  The original T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents were an arm of the United Nations.  Their name, T.H.U.N.D.E.R., is an acronym for “The Higher United Nations Defense Enforcement Reserves.”

T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents the comic book series ran for 20 issues.  Two of the most popular T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents, Dynamo and NoMan, had short lived series.  After the demise of Tower Comics, the T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents characters did not appear in new comic book stories until 1983.  For the next four or five years, five different entities published T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents comics.  Except for a brief appearance in the 1990s, T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents did not appear in new stories until DC Comics published a short-lived ongoing series and a miniseries beginning in 2010.

Now, the T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents are at IDW Publishing.  The creative team of the 2013-launched T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents comic book series is writer Phil Hester (Godzilla, Wonder Woman) and artist Andrea Di Vito (Dungeons & Dragons).

The first issue of IDW’s T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents had sold out by the time I made it to a comic book shop.  From the information I’ve gathered from the Web, IDW’s T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents is a reinvention of the concept and characters, to one extent or another.  I have grown weary of the term, “re-imagination,” because pop culture concepts and franchises that are re-imagined often seem as if they are not really the result of imagination.  It is as if the people behind some of these new versions just make arbitrary changes and tweek some things for the sake of “modernization.”

Thus, far I can’t really tell how much T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents has been changed.  Apparently the new series begins like this:  The T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents are dead, or will soon be.  It is up to new recruit Dynamo to master the incredible but lethal power of the Thunderbelt (which gives him his power) in time to rescue his teammates from the mysterious Iron Maiden, a classic T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents adversary.

T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents #2 (The Judgment Tower, Part Two: “Embrace of the Iron Maiden”) opens as Dynamo makes his landing in “the disputed territory of Kashmir” (a sort of barren, rocky landscape that resembles parts of Pakistan or Afghanistan).  He must rescue Agents NoMan and Lightning from a secret T.H.U.N.D.E.R. station that is now under the control of the Iron Maiden.  Dynamo immediately meets someone who is supposed to be an ally, but seems too suspicious to trust.

There are only 20 pages of story in this 28-page comic book.  Dynamo lands in Kashmir, meets someone, penetrates his target, and gets captured.  Plus, some people talk and scheme.  What it took writer Phil Hester fifteen pages to do with Dynamo, Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko would have done in three pages – tops, and with more imagination.

This comic book is not awful; it is just a story stretched too far.  It is a short story padded to be graphic novel-like.  It is boring.  T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents is supposed to be a superhero action comic book, but this is stiff and phony.  Andrea Di Vito’s art is rigid, awkward, and clunky.  I must admit, however, that I do like the art Phil Hester drew for the cover.  In fact, Di Vito should go away.  Hester should become at least the pencil artist and give up the writing to someone else.

I think I may try another issue of this series.  I hope that IDW does not turn this T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents comic book into a B.L.U.N.D.E.R.

C-

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux

The text is copyright © 2013 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this site for syndication rights and fees.

Archaia Graphic Novels Now in Stores

THE KILLER VOL. 2 HARDCOVER
(W) Matz (A) Luc Jacamon

While trying to avoid the kinds of personal entanglements that make the life of a professional assassin all the more difficult, our Killer exacts what he hopes will be his revenge on those that have sent his life and career into its long and downward spiral back into humanity. Collects issues #5-10 of the acclaimed series The Killer.

Full Color $24.95 176 pages Mature Readers (series contains Nudity, Strong Sexual Content, Graphic Violence, and Adult Content)

ROBOTIKA VOL. 2: FOR A FEW RUBLES MORE HARDCOVER
(W) Alex Sheikman and David Moran (A) Alex Sheikman (COL) Joel Chua

Niko, the Steampunk Samurai in search of a soul, returns with Yuri Bronski and Cherokee Geisha. Join the Three Yojimbos on their latest adventure as they journey deeper into the Badlands of this bleakly dystopian future world, where sometimes the one and only currency that can satisfy a debt is blood. Welcome to the future… Collects the four-issue miniseries.

Full Color $19.95 144 pages Mature Readers (Series contains Graphic Violence and Adult Content)

GUNNERKRIGG COURT VOL. 2: RESEARCH
(W/A) Tom Siddell

Annie and Kat begin their second year at Gunnerkrigg Court! Parts of Annie's past are revealed, as well as mysteries that tie back to the origins of the Court itself. Finding a secret tomb of ancient robots beneath Kat's workshop leads the two friends to question how they are linked to the mysterious ghost that attacked Annie the year before. And as a new Medium In Training, Annie is able to visit the powerful trickster god Coyote in Gillitie Forest, a visit that reveals more than she ever imagined. The second collection of the award-winning Web series!

Full Color $26.95 296 pages All Ages

DAYS MISSING HARDCOVER(W) Phil Hester, David Hine, Ian Edginton, Matz (A) Frazer Irving, Chris Burnham, Hugo Petrus, Lee Moder (COV) Dale Keown

From Roddenberry Productions, the creators of Star Trek, comes a story about the hidden pages of human history. Since the dawn of time, a being has existed whose interaction and interference with mankind has shaped human development. His powers of time and intellect have allowed him to secretly remove certain critical days from the historical record. Their stories have never been told. Their details have never been documented. Their existence is not remembered. But the occurrences of these days have forever changed the course of humanity’s evolution. These are the Days Missing from our existence, and they are about to be revealed… Collects all five issues of the hit mini-series and includes a Foreword by Warren Ellis, cover gallery, design sketches and interviews with the creators.

Full Color $19.95 160 pages Teen +13 (Series contains material suitable for Teen Readers age 13 and above)

Gene Roddenberry's Day Missing Goes Digital

Press release from Archaia Entertainment:

ARCHAIA TO DIGITALLY DISTRIBUTE RODDENBERRY'S 'DAYS MISSING' EXCLUSIVELY ON IVERSE COMICS


FANS CAN DOWNLOAD ‘DAYS MISSING’ #1 FOR FREE ON THE iPHONE OR iPOD TOUCH

Expanding their partnerships with proven digital comics distributors to meet the growing demand for more digital content, Archaia and Roddenberry Productions announced that the “digi-bution” of all five issues of last fall’s critically acclaimed, science fiction miniseries Days Missing is now exclusively on iVerse Comics’ free application. Issue #1, written by Phil Hester (Firebreather, The Darkness, Green Arrow) and drawn by Frazer Irving (Batman and Robin, Seven Soldiers of Victory), is currently available for free on the site and issues #2-5 will be available for $1.99 in the coming weeks.

Days Missing tells the stories of a mysterious being known as “The Steward.” His ability to literally “fold” days of time has allowed him to secretly remove critical days from our shared history that have forever changed the course of mankind…or so he thinks. In these missing days, The Steward battles Frankenstein, the Spanish conquistadors and artificial life forms, among other history-shaping forces.

Days Missing digital issues #2-5 will each be available for $1.99 and will roll out weekly starting Jan. 27. The schedule is as follows:

Days Missing #2 – Jan. 27
Days Missing #3 – Feb. 3
Days Missing #4 – Feb. 10
Days Missing #5 – Feb. 17

“Archaia is committed to reaching the mass audience with our sophisticated content in multiple formats,” said PJ Bickett, President of Archaia. “With digi-bution, we are able to reach an audience 10 times larger. Now throw in the fact that it is Days Missing, co-developed with Roddenberry Productions, and you have an instant winner!”

“Roddenberry has always been a name associated with technology and innovation. We are thrilled to continue this journey with Archaia and offer fans the opportunity to consume this extraordinary story on a unique digital platform,” said Roddenberry’s Head of Development and Days Missing Creator Trevor Roth.

“Archaia is the perfect kind of publishing partner for iVerse,” said iVerse Media CEO Michael Murphey. “Archaia has a rich and diverse catalog with some amazing properties like Days Missing…which we’re very excited to release on the iPhone.”

The digi-bution of Days Missing will ramp up to the debut of the Days Missing deluxe hardcover ($19.95, 160 pages, ISBN 1-932386-84-X), which will feature a host of extras and back-matter material, including a foreword by the legendary Warren Ellis. It is scheduled to be on sale in comic shops on Feb. 24 and in bookstores on March 2.

Archaia’s digital strategy will continue with the launch of an Archaia Store app at the end of February, powered by iVerse Media. The store will contain a complete list of Archaia’s archived products as well as exclusive digital content. More information to follow soon.

About ‘Days Missing’
Archaia and Roddenberry Productions brought together four all-star creative teams to each work on standalone, reader-friendly issues of Days Missing that tie into the overall mini-series story arc. The writer/artist teams include: Phil Hester (Firebreather, The Darkness, Green Arrow) and Frazer Irving (Batman and Robin, Seven Soldiers of Victory) for issues 1 and 5; David Hine (Batman: Battle for the Cowl) and Chris Burnham (X-Men: Divided We Stand) for issue 2; Ian Edginton (Stormwatch) and Lee Moder (Legion of Super-Heroes) for issue 3; and Matz (The Killer) and Hugo Petrus (Wolverine: First Class) for issue 4. The legendary Dale Keown (The Incredible Hulk, Pitt) provided the main covers to each issue. Blair Butler from G4’s “Fresh Ink Online” said Days Missing was “one of the best things that came out this year” and Aint It Cool News’ Ambush Bug said it “is sci fi at its best and well worth checking out.”

About Archaia Entertainment, LLC
Archaia has built an unparalleled reputation for producing meaningful content that perpetually transforms minds. With a slate including such popular Eisner-Award winning titles as Mouse Guard and The Killer, as well as Awakening, Gunnerkrigg Court, Robotika, Killing Pickman, Artesia and the Publisher’s latest additions of Titanium Rain, God Machine, Roddenberry Productions’ Days Missing, The Jim Henson Company library and Mr. Murder Is Dead and Lucid with Before the Door Pictures, Archaia has become synonymous with quality content.

For more information on Archaia or any Archaia titles please visit www.Archaia.com. Archaia can also be found on Facebook (facebook.com/archaiacomics), MySpace (myspace.com/archaiacomics) and Twitter (twitter.com/archaiacomics).

About Roddenberry Productions
Roddenberry Productions is a science-fiction leader with a tradition of groundbreaking entertainment and quality merchandise. Originally founded in 1967 by Gene Roddenberry, the company has since led a steady stable of science fiction successes including Gene Roddenberry’s Earth: Final Conflict, Gene Roddenberry’s Andromeda and, most notably, the Star Trek brand. Roddenberry Productions continues to produce entertainment for all audiences, employing a viewer-centric creative process and resulting in insightful visions of humanity. Its merchandising business is based on quality and authenticity providing memorabilia for fans in today’s new multimedia generation. Roddenberry Productions has set itself apart by creating content that surpasses mere entertainment; it acknowledges the intelligence of audiences by challenging them to think, question and explore the world, and those potentially beyond.

About iVerse Media, LLC
iVerse Media, LLC is a digital distributor of comic books for mobile platforms. Established in 2008, iVerse has quickly emerged as an innovator and leader in the mobile publishing field. Partnerships with high-profile brands like Archie Comics, and leading industry publishers like IDW Publishing (”Star Trek”), BOOM! Studios (”Farscape”), Ardden Entertainment (”Flash Gordon”), Red 5 Comics (”Atomic Robo”), Ape Entertainment (”Super Human Resources”), and many more have made it possible for iVerse to surpass one million downloads in under 9 months of releasing content into the iPhone App Store. iVerse is principally located in Waco, Texas. [END]

Archaia Offers "Days Missing" for Pre-order

Press release from Archaia:

ARCHAIA AND RODDENBERRY ANNOUNCE DELUXE ‘DAYS MISSING’ HARDCOVER

GRAPHIC NOVEL COLLECTS ALL FIVE ISSUES PLUS A HOST OF NEVER-BEFORE-SEEN EXTRAS

Combining Archaia’s longstanding commitment to producing high-quality hardcover graphic novels and Roddenberry’s goal to produce sophisticated, intelligent and entertaining science fiction in the tradition of Star Trek, the companies announced today they will publish a deluxe Days Missing hardcover that collects all five issues of the critically acclaimed mini-series plus a host of extra features, available in February 2010.

The Days Missing hardcover is available for pre-order now through comic retailers (Diamond Item Number DEC09 0662) and online outlets like Amazon.com (ISBN 1-932386-84-X). (To find your nearest comic shop, visit www.comicshoplocator.com.)

Days Missing tells the stories of a mysterious being known as “The Steward.” His ability to literally “fold” days of time has allowed him to secretly remove critical days from our shared history that have forever changed the course of mankind…or so he thinks. In these missing days, The Steward battles Frankenstein, the Spanish conquistadors and artificial lifeforms, among other history-shaping forces.

Archaia and Roddenberry Productions brought together four all-star creative teams to each work on standalone, reader-friendly issues of Days Missing that tie into the overall mini-series story arc. The writer/artist teams include: Phil Hester (Firebreather, The Darkness, Green Arrow) and Frazer Irving (Batman and Robin, Seven Soldiers of Victory) for issues 1 and 5; David Hine (Batman: Battle for the Cowl) and Chris Burnham (X-Men: Divided We Stand) for issue 2; Ian Edginton (Stormwatch) and Lee Moder (Legion of Super-Heroes) for issue 3; and Matz (The Killer) and Hugo Petrus (Wolverine: First Class) for issue 4. The legendary Dale Keown (The Incredible Hulk, Pitt) provided the main covers to each issue.

The extra features in the Days Missing hardcover include:• A foreword written by the legendary Warren Ellis, award-winning creator of graphic novels such as Fell, Ministry of Space, Planetary and Transmetropolitan.
• A gallery featuring all 16 covers of the five issues.
• A collectible poster on the reverse side of the dust jacket, joining together all of Frazer Irving’s complete chase covers to Days Missing.
• Interviews with all of the writers and Roddenberry Productions’ Trevor Roth , creator of Days Missing.
• Revelation of the secret code contained in the Days Missing logo.
• A stat sheet of The Steward, plus a tour of his library.
• The evolution of a comic page, from script to pencils, inks and colors.

Here is what the critics are saying about Days Missing:
“One of the best things that came out this year.”
– Blair Butler, G4’s Fresh Ink Online
“Innovative and cool.”
– Brendan McGuirk, Newsarama.com
“A rare treat.”
– Christopher Baggett, TheHomeWorld.net
“Poetic…beautiful…impressive.”
– Sara Lima, ComicVine.com

About Archaia
Archaia has built an unparalleled reputation for producing meaningful content that perpetually transforms minds. With a slate including such popular Eisner-Award winning titles as Mouse Guard and The Killer, as well as Awakening, Gunnerkrigg Court, Robotika, Killing Pickman, Artesia and the Publisher’s latest additions of Titanium Rain, God Machine, Roddenberry Productions’ Days Missing, The Jim Henson Company library and Mr. Murder Is Dead and Lucid with Before the Door Pictures, Archaia has become synonymous with quality content.

For more information on Archaia or any Archaia titles please visit www.Archaia.com. Archaia can also be found on Facebook (facebook.com/archaiacomics), MySpace (myspace.com/archaiacomics) and Twitter (twitter.com/archaiacomics).

About Roddenberry Productions
Roddenberry Productions is a science-fiction leader with a tradition of groundbreaking entertainment and quality merchandise. Originally founded in 1967 by Gene Roddenberry, the company has since led a steady stable of science fiction successes including Gene Roddenberry’s Earth: Final Conflict, Gene Roddenberry’s Andromeda and, most notably, the Star Trek brand. Roddenberry Productions continues to produce entertainment for all audiences, employing a viewer-centric creative process and resulting in insightful visions of humanity. Its merchandising business is based on quality and authenticity providing memorabilia for fans in today’s new multimedia generation. Roddenberry Productions has set itself apart by creating content that surpasses mere entertainment; it acknowledges the intelligence of audiences by challenging them to think, question and explore the world, and those potentially beyond. [END]