IDW Publishing from Diamond Distributors for September 5 2012

IDW PUBLISHING

JUL120366 CAPE 1969 #3 [DIG/D+] $3.99

JUL120342 CLASSIC POPEYE ONGOING #2 [DIG/D+] $3.99

JUL120355 CROW #3 [DIG/D+] $3.99

JUL120345 GHOSTBUSTERS OMNIBUS TP VOL 01 $24.99

JUL120332 GI JOE VOL 2 ONGOING #17 [DIG/D+] $3.99

JUL120374 LOVE AND CAPES WHAT TO EXPECT #2 [DIG/D+] $3.99

JAN128133 ROCKETEER ADVENTURES 2 #1 ROCKETEER CLOISONNE PIN PI

JUL120307 TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES COLOR CLASSICS #4 $3.99

JUL120317 TMNT MICRO SERIES #8 FUGITOID [DIG/D+] $3.99

JUL120325 TRANSFORMERS REGENERATION ONE #83 [DIG/D+] $3.99

JUL120321 TRANSFORMERS ROBOTS IN DISGUISE ONGOING #9 [DIG/D+] $3.99

JUN120399 TRUE BLOOD ONGOING #4 [DIG/D+] $3.99

I Reads You Review: THE ROCKETEER: CARGO OF DOOM #1

"Back in the sky high saddle, again..."

THE ROCKETEER: CARGO OF DOOM #1

IDW PUBLISHING

WRITER: Mark Waid
ARTIST: Chris Samnee
COLORS: Jordie Bellaire
LETTERS: Shawn Lee
EDITOR: Scott Dunbier
COVERS: Chris Samnee with Dave Stewart – Cover A
Dave Stevens with Laura Martin – Cover B and Jetpack Comics Cover
Chris Samnee with Jordie Bellaire – Cover RIA
Chris Samnee – Cover RIB
28pp, Color, $3.99 U.S.

The Rocketeer is a comic book character created by artist and illustrator, Dave Stevens (who died in March of 2008). The Rocketeer is Cliff Secord, a stunt pilot who discovers a mysterious jet pack that allows him to fly, and his adventures are set mainly in Los Angeles in and after the year 1938.

The Rocketeer returned to comic books in 2011 in Rocketeer Adventures. Edited by Scott Dunbier and published by IDW Publishing, this anthology comic book was a tribute to Stevens and featured Rocketeer short stories from some of the premiere creators in American comic books. Now, the adventure continues in the new series, The Rocketeer: Cargo of Doom, from writer Mark Waid and artist Chris Samnee.

The Rocketeer: Cargo of Doom #1 opens in 1940. Cliff dons his Rocketeer garb and gear to rescue two people from a struggling airplane. One of those people is Sally, the young niece of Peevy, Cliff’s best pal and the one mechanic who can tinker with the Rocketeer’s jetpack. Sally has a mad crush on Cliff, and Cliff’s actress/bombshell girlfriend, Betty, is fuming about the crush and Sally. Meanwhile, something wicked has just docked at the port in Los Angeles, and the sinister mastermind targets The Rocketeer.

As much as I liked both Rocketeer Adventures series (or at least parts of Vol. 2), I wanted IDW to publish an actual Rocketeer story arc. I was excited to discover The Rocketeer: Cargo of Doom while reading the list of comic books shipping this week (8/22/). I was immediately determined to get my hands on this comic book, and having just read it, I am not disappointed.

When Mark Waid is on, the comic books he writes are fun to read. In Cargo of Doom, he uses dialogue to form the characters for readers, and crackling dialogue is always preferable to a psycho-babble when it comes to developing comic book characters. This is why I think someone like Waid is more of a natural at creating comic book than other writers who seem to have some kind of quasi-literary credibility. Under Waid’s care, Peevy hasn’t been this spicy since Dave Steven’s original comics. As for the characters’ actions, Waid also makes that clear and straightforward, from the lecherous government agent to the mercurial Guptmann.

I had been planning on reading some comic books drawn by Chris Samnee, but I was reluctant to try some of his Marvel Comics work if that meant figuring out whatever is going on in the Marvel Universe. Samnee’s art bears similarities to the work of Darwyn Cooke, David Mazzuchelli (Batman: Year One era), and Bruce Timm, while remaining uniquely his own style. Samnee’s figure drawing is killer, and there is a bit of classicism in the way he poses characters, as if he were drawing human bodies for academic critics.

I must admit that I am not crazy about Cargo of Doom’s cover price, and I may ultimately balk at paying $20 to read the entire series. Still, The Rocketeer: Cargo of Doom #1 is one of the year’s best debuts.

A-

IDW Publishing from Diamond Distributors for August 22 2012

IDW PUBLISHING

JUN120368 COBRA ONGOING #16 [DIG] $3.99
JUN120362 DANGER GIRL GI JOE #2 [DIG] $3.99
JUN120407 ETERNAL DESCENT VOL 2 #6 [DIG] $3.99
JUN120313 MARS ATTACKS #3 [DIG] $3.99
JUN120418 RIP KIRBY HC VOL 05 $49.99
JUN120315 ROCKETEER CARGO OF DOOM #1 [DIG] $3.99
JUN120348 STAR TREK ONGOING #12 $3.99
JUN120414 STARSTRUCK TP $34.99
JUN120403 TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES ONGOING #13 $3.99
JUN120376 TRANSFORMERS MORE THAN MEETS EYE ONGOING #8 [DIG] $3.99

IDW Publishing from Diamond Distributors for July 4 2012

IDW PUBLISHING

MAY120426 CAPE 1969 #1 $3.99
APR120408 CONVENTION SKETCHBOOK HC $19.99
MAY120431 DANGER GIRL DANGER SIZED TREASURY ED #2 $9.99
MAY120407 DOCTOR WHO CLASSICS SERIES IV #6 $3.99
APR120389 DOROTHY OF OZ PREQUEL #3 $3.99
APR128213 FRANKENSTEIN ALIVE ALIVE #1 2ND PTG $3.99
MAY120441 GI JOE A REAL AMERICAN HERO #180 $3.99
MAY120444 GI JOE V2 COBRA COMMAND TP VOL 02 $19.99
MAY120461 INFESTATION 2 TP VOL 02 $17.99
MAY120455 POPEYE #3 $3.99
APR120319 ROCKETEER ADVENTURES 2 #4 $3.99
APR120353 STAR TREK LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES HC $24.99
MAY120368 TRANSFORMERS ROBOTS IN DISGUISE ONGOING #7 $3.99

I Reads You Review: ROCKETEER ADVENTURES VOL. 2 #3

ROCKETEER ADVENTURES VOL. 2 #3
IDW PUBLISHING

WRITERS: David Lapham, Kyle Baker, Matt Wagner
ARTISTS: Chris Sprouse, Kyle Baker, Eric Canete
INKS: Karl Story
COLORS: Jordie Bellaire, Eric Canete and Cassandra Poulson
LETTERS: Shawn Lee, Kyle Baker
PIN-UP: Eric Powell with Dave Stewart
EDITOR: Scott Dunbier
COVERS: Darwyn Cooke (A, C), Dave Stevens (B)
28pp, Color, $3.50 U.S.

The Rocketeer is a comic book character created by artist and illustrator, Dave Stevens, who died in March of 2008. The Rocketeer is Cliff Secord, a stunt pilot who discovers a mysterious jet pack that allows him to fly, and his adventures are set mainly in Los Angeles in and after the year 1938.

The Rocketeer returned to comic books in 2011 in Rocketeer Adventures. Edited by Scott Dunbier and published by IDW Publishing, this four-issue, anthology comic book was a tribute to Stevens and featured Rocketeer short stories (about 8 pages in length) from some of the premiere creators in American comic books. The tributes continue in Rocketeer Adventures Vol. 2.

Rocketeer Adventures Vol. 2 #3 opens with “Coulda Been…,” a story by David Lapham with art by Chris Sprouse and Karl Story, that finds Cliff Second and his girlfriend, Betty Page, imagining what their lives could be like. In “Butch Saves Betty,” the brilliant cartoonist Kyle Baker introduces Cliff and company to a shadowy client. Then, writer Matt Wagner and artist Eric Canete take readers to the future for a “History Lesson.”

David Lapham is a popular comic book creator, but I wonder if people really appreciate what a good writer he is. I see him as a comic book scribe who can always put an imaginative twist on the character/ensemble drama. Read 30 Days of Night: 30 Days ‘Til Death; it could have been just another vampire comic book, but isn’t. His “Coulda Been…” shows why making comic book characters “grow up,” especially those grounded in fantasy, is a mistake. The reason is that when you make characters act like real-world adults that fundamentally changes those characters, sometimes to the point in which they become different from what they were originally. Another good thing about this story is that the artist is the talented and under-utilized Chris Sprouse.

There is nothing special about the other two stories, other than that Kyle Baker draws one of them. What is special is the pin-up by Eric Powell (with colors by Dave Stewart). I could stare at a Powell drawing for an hour and not consider that a waste of time.

B

I Reads You Review: ROCKETEER ADVENTURES VOL. 2 #2

ROCKETEER ADVENTURES VOL. 2 #2
IDW PUBLISHING

WRITERS: Tom Taylor, Paul Dini, Walter Simonson
ARTISTS: Colin Wilson, Bill Morrison, John Paul Leon
COLORS: Dave Stewart, Serban Cristescu
LETTERS: Robbie Robbins, Chris Mowry, Shawn Lee
PIN-UP: J. Scott Campbell with John Rauch
EDITOR: Scott Dunbier
COVERS: Darwyn Cooke (A, C), Dave Stevens (B)
28pp, Color, $3.50 U.S.

Inspired by the Saturday matinee movie heroes of the 1930s and 40s, The Rocketeer is Cliff Secord, a stunt pilot who discovers a mysterious jet pack that allows him to fly. The Rocketeer’s adventures are set mainly in Los Angeles in and after the year 1938. The character was created by artist and illustrator, Dave Stevens, who died in March of 2008.

After a long absence from comics, The Rocketeer returned in 2011 in Rocketeer Adventures. Edited by Scott Dunbier and published by IDW Publishing, this four-issue, anthology comic book was a tribute to Stevens and featured Rocketeer short stories (about 7 to 8 pages in length) from some of the premiere creators in American comic books. The tributes continue in Rocketeer Adventures Vol. 2.

Rocketeer Adventures Vol. 2 #2 opens with “Work to Do,” story by Tom Taylor and art by Colin Wilson, which places The Rocketeer on a European battlefield with a job to do. In “Betty’s Big Break,” writer Paul Dini and artist Bill Morrison take our hero to the set of a B-movie where he becomes a “Rocket Rustler,” much to Betty’s chagrin. Writer Walter Simonson and artist John Paul Leon send The Rocketeer flying like a flying monkey to save a special young lady in “Autograph.”

I found the first issue of Rocketeer Adventures Vol. 2 to be a tad bit over the top as a tribute to a respected, deceased artist. Why? While honoring Dave Stevens’ memory, the slam bang action that is The Rocketeer lost its pop and became like something preserved in amber and golden hues. Rocketeer Adventures Vol. 2 #2 is different. These three Rocketeer stories read like real Rocketeer stories and not tributes meant to be placed in the burial chamber of some great figure’s tomb.

“Work to Do” is a gritty battlefield fantasia with heart and pop. As for the second story: I’ve long been perplexed with the popularity of Paul Dini’s comic book work. I’m sure that he has an entire wing devoted to him at the Academy of the Overrated. I have found enjoyment in a few of his comic book stories; “Betty’s Big Break” is one of them. I think it would make an excellent graphic novel if expanded. I don’t know if Walter Simonson has ever disappointed me; if he has, it was not by much. “Autograph” moves like an action movie, and its references to the late 1930s are wonderful.

I don’t think that I have to say anything about the artists who drew these stories. They are all consummate professionals and their graphic storytelling and art are sparkling. On the other hand, that J. Scott Campbell pin-up is rather ordinary. It’s like something Campbell would knock off while sitting at a convention table. Of course, he would over-charge for it, though it’s worth no more than 25 bucks.

A-

IDW Publishing from Diamond Distributors for April 18 2012

IDW PUBLISHING

FEB120381 DOCTOR WHO ONGOING VOL 2 #16 $3.99
JAN120425 DUNGEONS & DRAGONS EBERRON ANNUAL 2012 #1 $7.99
FEB120396 ETERNAL DESCENT VOL 2 #4 (OF 6) $3.99
FEB120373 GHOSTBUSTERS ONGOING #8 $3.99
FEB120365 GI JOE A REAL AMERICAN HERO #177 $3.99
FEB120391 HP LOVECRAFT THE DUNWICH HORROR TP $17.99
FEB120348 NEXT MEN AFTERMATH #42 $3.99
FEB120336 ROCKETEER ADVENTURES 2 #2 (OF 4) $3.99
FEB120344 TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES MICRO SERIES #4 LEONARDO $3.99
JAN120461 TRANSFORMERS CLASSICS TP VOL 03 $24.99
FEB120354 TRANSFORMERS MORE THAN MEETS EYE ONGOING #4 $3.99
JAN120481 ZOMBIES VS ROBOTS THIS MEANS WAR PROSE SC $17.99

I Reads You Review: ROCKETEER ADVENTURES VOL. 2 #1

"More tears than rockets"
ROCKETEER ADVENTURES VOL. 2 #1
IDW PUBLISHING

WRITERS: Marc Guggenheim, Peter David, Stan Sakai
ARTISTS: Sandy Plunkett, Bill Sienkiewicz, Stan Sakai
COLORS: Jeromy Cox, Bill Sienkiewicz, Dave Stewart
LETTERS: Robbie Robbins, Bill Sienkiewicz, Stan Sakai
PIN-UP: Arthur Adams with John Rauch
EDITOR: Scott Dunbier
COVER: Darwyn Cooke (alternate cover by Dave Stevens)
28pp, Color, $3.50 U.S.

First appearing in 1982, The Rocketeer is a superhero created by the late writer/illustrator Dave Stevens and inspired by the Saturday matinee movie heroes of the 1930s and 1940s. Set mainly in Los Angeles in and after the year 1938, the series follows Cliff Secord, a stunt pilot who discovers a mysterious jet pack that allows him to fly, leading to the birth of The Rocketeer.

After a long absence from comics, The Rocketeer returned last year in Rocketeer Adventures. This four-issue miniseries was an anthology comic book edited by Scott Dunbier and published by IDW Publishing. Rocketeer Adventures features Rocketeer short stories (about 7 to 8 pages in length) from some of the premiere creators in American comic books. Now, the fun is back in Rocketeer Adventures Vol. 2.

Rocketeer Adventures Vol. 2 #1 opens with “The Good Guys,” story by Marc Guggenheim and art by Sandy Plunkett. While the wounded Rocketeer slumbers in a bed on the second floor of a farmhouse, the locals discuss his fate: turn him over to the law or not. But a child shall lead them. Peter David gives the Rocketeer a Looney Tunes spin in “The Ducketeer,” with art by Bill Sienkiewicz, who executes a graphic riff on Chuck Jones and Maurice Noble. Stan Sakai takes the Rocketeer to a small-ville and the Rocketeer takes a kid up, up, and away in “A Dream of Flying.”

Rocketeer Adventures Vol. 2 starts off nostalgic and quaint with this first issue. The stories are sweet and sentimental, with in-jokes for comic book and cartoon fans. These pop culture references and riffs will make even the most jaded pop culture buff smile.

Marc Guggenheim’s tale (“The Good Guys”) treads on familiar territory. Are there enough good people to fight evil and what is the nature of vigilantism are two real-world questions with which this story grapples. Guggenheim’s story is timely in light of a FOX News affiliate in Orlando, Florida referring to Neo-Nazi group, the National Socialist Movement, as a civil rights group, something the FOX News website later repeated.

This story is also a welcomed return of seldom-seen comic book artist, Sandy Plunkett, whose style is ideal for this old-timey, rural pastoral story. Like Rocketeer creator, Dave Stevens, Plunkett is apparently also influenced by the American book and magazine illustrators of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

That aside, these new Rocketeer comic books are rapidly becoming showcases for artists that don’t regularly produce comic book art. These stories are also too sentimental, and, as much as I enjoy a dose of “Disneyana” with my comics, The Rocketeer’s origin comes out of adventure movie serials. This character needs to bust out in a miniseries – one complete with cliffhanger endings at the end of each issue. New Rocketeer comics should not be treated as if they are part of a eulogy to Stevens. All this pretty art and quaintness makes Rocketeer Adventures seem like a funerary item.

I appreciate the new Rocketeer comics, but they can be more than what they are. I must admit, of course, that I think the Art Adams pin-up is awesome.

B+

IDW Publishing from Diamond Distributors for March 21 2012

IDW PUBLISHING

DEC110435 CARTOON MONARCH OTTO SOGLOW LITTLE KING HC $49.99

JAN120455 CLASSIC GI JOE TP VOL 14 $24.99

JAN120427 DUNGEONS & DRAGONS DRIZZT HC VOL 01 NEVERWINTER $24.99

JAN120476 GHOSTBUSTERS ONGOING #7 $3.99

JAN120403 INFESTATION 2 TMNT #2 (OF 2) $3.99

JAN120430 MEMORIAL #4 (OF 6) $3.99

DEC110427 MICHAEL KALUTA SKETCHBOOK SERIES SC VOL 01 $9.99

DEC110430 MONOCYTE #3 (OF 4) $3.99

JAN120408 ROCKETEER ADVENTURES 2 #1 (OF 4) $3.99

JAN120417 SMOKE AND MIRRORS #1 (OF 5) $3.99

JAN120446 SNAKE EYES ONGOING (IDW) #11 $3.99

JAN120472 STAR TREK LEGION OF SUPERHEROES #6 (OF 6) $3.99

JAN120471 STAR TREK ONGOING TP VOL 01 $17.99

DEC118180 STEPHEN KING JOE HILL ROAD RAGE #1 (OF 4) 2ND PTG $3.99

JAN120405 STEPHEN KING JOE HILL ROAD RAGE #2 (OF 4) $3.99

DEC110380 TRANSFORMERS CLASSICS UK TP VOL 02 $29.99

DEC118181 TRANSFORMERS MORE THAN MEETS EYE ONGOING #2 2ND PTG $3.99

DEC118182 TRANSFORMERS ROBOTS IN DISGUISE ONGOING #2 2ND PTG $3.99

IDW Publishing from Diamond Distributors for December 14 2011

IDW PUBLISHING

SEP110344 CHUCK JONES DREAM THAT NEVER WAS HC $49.99

OCT110424 CLIVE BARKER OMNIBUS TP $29.99

SEP110342 DEAD RISING ROAD TO FORTUNE #2 (OF 4) $3.99

OCT110365 DOCTOR WHO ONGOING VOL 2 #12 $3.99

OCT110421 FAT TARINO HC PI

OCT110349 GODZILLA LEGENDS #2 (OF 5) $3.99

OCT110370 HAWKEN #2 (OF 6) $3.99

JUN110471 J SCOTT CAMPBELL FAIRY TALE 2012 CALENDAR $19.99

AUG110378 LOCKE & KEY CLOCKWORKS #3 (OF 6) $3.99

SEP110274 ROCKETEER ADVENTURES HC VOL 01 DM EX ED $24.99

AUG110391 SHERLOCK HOLMES GREATEST CASES HC VOL 01 $39.99

OCT110333 SNAKE EYES ONGOING (IDW) #8 $3.99

OCT110363 STAR TREK LEGION OF SUPERHEROES #3 (OF 6) $3.99

SEP110309 TRANSFORMERS IDW COLLECTION HC VOL 05 $49.99

IDW Publishing from Diamond Distributors for November 23 2011

IDW PUBLISHING

OCT110426 CURIOUS CASES OF SHERLOCK HOLMES GN $19.99

SEP110323 DOCTOR WHO ONGOING VOL 2 #11 $3.99

SEP110326 DUNGEONS AND DRAGONS #13 $3.99

SEP118078 GHOSTBUSTERS ONGOING #1 2ND PTG (PP #994) $3.99

SEP110283 GODZILLA KINGDOM OF MONSTERS #9 $3.99

OCT110425 IN THE SHADOW OF SHERLOCK HOLMES SC NOVEL $16.99

SEP110259 JACK AVARICE IS THE COURIER #4 (OF 5) $3.99

JUL110327 LOCKE & KEY GUIDE TO KNOWN KEYS ONE SHOT $3.99

AUG110351 LOVECRAFT LIBRARY HC VOL 01 HORROR OUT OF ARKHAM $16.99

MAY110370 PARKER MARTINI ED HC $75.00

SEP110272 ROCKETEER JETPACK TREASURY ED $9.99

JUN110375 TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES ULT COLL HC VOL 01 $49.99

I Reads You Review: ROCKETEER ADVENTURES #3

ROCKETEER ADVENTURES #3
IDW PUBLISHING

WRITERS: Ryan Sook, Joe R. Lansdale, Bruce Timm, Jonathan Ross
ARTISTS: Ryan Sook, Bruce Timm, Tommy Lee Edwards
COLORS: Tommy Lee Edwards
LETTERS: Ryan Sook, John Workman
PIN-UPS: Stephanie Buscema, Joe Chiodo
EDITOR: Scott Dunbier
COVER: Alex Ross (alternate cover by Dave Stevens)
32pp, Color, $3.99 U.S.

First appearing in 1982, The Rocketeer is a superhero created by the late writer/illustrator Dave Stevens. The Rocketeer takes inspiration from the Saturday movie heroes of the 1930s and 1940s, and his exploits are mainly set in Los Angeles in and after the year 1938. The Rocketeer is Cliff Secord, a stunt pilot who discovers a mysterious jet pack that allows him to fly, and Secord’s girlfriend, Bettie Page, is based upon real life, 1950s pin-up and fetish model, Bettie Page.

Over a 30 year period, The Rocketeer made infrequent comic book appearances in several publications from several publishers. The character debuted as a backup feature in the comic book, Starslayer, from the now-defunct Pacific Comics and made two appearances in Pacific's anthology, Pacific Presents. Afterwards, there was the Rocketeer Special Edition (Eclipse Comics), the Rocketeer Adventure Magazine (Comico Comics) and finally graphic novel collection from Dark Horse Comics

The Rocketeer is back in Rocketeer Adventures, a new anthology series from IDW Publishing. Edited by Scott Dunbier, Rocketeer Adventures features Rocketeer short stories (about 7 to 8 pages in length) from some of the premiere creators in American comic books.

Rocketeer Adventures #3 opens with “A Rocketeer Story” by Ryan Sook, which finds the Rocketeer taking on robbers at the premiere of a new film in which Bettie has a major speaking role. Writer Jonathan Ross and artist Tommy Lee Edwards introduce the “Junior Rocketeers” as girl power flexes its muscles. Stephanie Buscema and Joe Chiodo offer pin-ups. Writer and novelist Joe R. Lansdale and artist Bruce Timm present an illustrated prose short story and faux pulp tale, “Heaven’s Devils.”

“A Rocketeer Story” and “Junior Rocketeers” are nice, but nothing special. How does one follow up an issue that had a Darwyn Cooke Rocketeer story? Scott Dunbier somehow wrangled a Joe R. Lansdale/Bruce Timm joint – a short fiction piece with illustrations. I’ve always hated/dreaded finding a prose story in a comic book. I like short stories, but I don’t want to read one in a comic book. Am I obligated to read it, I always ask myself.

The seven-page story features a cover-like illustration and wide black and white illustrations by Timm, but Lansdale holds up his end. “Heaven’s Devils is a fun read with lots of salty language, and it features the subtly vivid prose that is a hallmark of the usually excellent Lansdale. Once again, the contributors to Rocketeer Adventures do right by Dave Stevens.

B+

IDW Publishing from Diamond Distributors for August 31 2011

IDW PUBLISHING

APR110390 BOOK OF EXTREME FACTS SC $17.99

JUN110447 INFESTATION TP VOL 02 $19.99

JUN110396 LOCKE & KEY CLOCKWORKS #2 (OF 6) $3.99

JUN110412 ROCKETEER ADVENTURES #4 (OF 4) $3.99

Complete List of 2011 Eisner Award Winners

2011 Eisner Award Winners List

Best Continuing Series
Chew, by John Layman and Rob Guillory (Image)

Best Short Story
"Post Mortem," by Greg Rucka and Michael Lark, in I Am an Avenger #2 (Marvel)

Best Single Issue (or One-Shot)
Hellboy: Double Feature of Evil, by Mike Mignola and Richard Corben (Dark Horse)

Best Limited Series
Daytripper, by Fábio Moon and Gabriel Bá (Vertigo/DC)

Best New Series
American Vampire, by Scott Snyder, Stephen King, and Rafael Albuquerque (Vertigo/DC)

Best Publication for Kids
Tiny Titans, by Art Baltazar and Franco (DC)

Best Publication for Teens
Smile, by Raina Telgemeier (Scholastic Graphix)

Best Humor Publication
I Thought You Would Be Funnier, by Shannon Wheeler (BOOM!)

Best Anthology
Mouse Guard: Legends of the Guard, edited by Paul Morrissey and David Petersen (Archaia)

Best Digital Comic
Abominable Charles Christopher, by Karl Kerschl, www.abominable.cc

Best Reality-Based Work
It Was the War of the Trenches, by Jacques Tardi (Fantagraphics)

Best Graphic Album—New
Return of the Dapper Men, by Jim McCann and Janet Lee (Archaia)
Wilson, by Daniel Clowes (Drawn & Quarterly)

Best Graphic Album—Reprint
Wednesday Comics, edited by Mark Chiarello (DC)

Best Adaptation from Another Work
The Marvelous Land of Oz, by L. Frank Baum, adapted by Eric Shanower and Skottie Young (Marvel)

Best Archival Collection/Project—Strips
Archie: The Complete Daily Newspaper Strips, 1946–1948, by Bob Montana, edited by Greg Goldstein (IDW)

Best Archival Collection/Project—Comic Books
Dave Stevens' The Rocketeer Artist's Edition, edited by Scott Dunbier (IDW)

Best U.S. Edition of International Material
It Was the War of the Trenches, by Jacques Tardi (Fantagraphics)

Best U.S. Edition of International Material—Asia
Naoki Urasawa's 20th Century Boys, by Naoki Urasawa (VIZ Media)

Best Writer
Joe Hill, Lock & Key (IDW)

Best Writer/Artist
Darwyn Cooke, Richard Stark's Parker: The Outfit (IDW)

Best Penciller/Inker or Penciller/Inker Team
Skottie Young, The Marvelous Land of Oz (Marvel)

Best Painter/Multimedia Artist (interior art)
Juanjo Guarnido, Blacksad (Dark Horse)

Best Cover Artist
Mike Mignola, Hellboy, Baltimore: The Plague Ships (Dark Horse)

Best Coloring
Dave Stewart, Hellboy, BPRD, Baltimore, Let Me In (Dark Horse); Detective Comics (DC); Neil Young's Greendale, Daytripper, Joe the Barbarian (Vertigo/DC)

Best Lettering
Todd Klein, Fables, The Unwritten, Joe the Barbarian, iZombie (Vertigo/DC); Tom Strong and the Robots of Doom (WildStorm/DC); SHIELD (Marvel); Driver for the Dead (Radical)

Best Comics-Related Periodical/Journalism
ComicBookResources, produced by Jonah Weiland (www.comicbookresources.com)

Best Comics-Related Book
75 Years of DC Comics: The Art of Modern Mythmaking, by Paul Levitz (TASCHEN)

Best Publication Design
Dave Stevens' The Rocketeer Artist's Edition, designed by Randall Dahlk (IDW)

HALL OF FAME
Judges' Choices: Ernie Bushmiller, Jack Jackson, Martin Nodell, Lynd Ward
Elected: Mort Drucker, Harvey Pekar, Roy Thomas, Marv Wolfman

Russ Manning Promising Newcomer Award:
Nate Simpson

Bob Clampett Humanitarian Award:
Patrick McDonnell

Bill Finger Excellence in Comic Book Writing Award:
Del Connell, Bob Haney

Will Eisner Spirit of Comics Retailer Award:
Comics & Vegetables, Tel Aviv, Israel - Yuval Sharon, Danny Amitai

IDW Publishing from Diamond Distributors for July 20 2011

IDW PUBLISHING

MAY110407 ANGEL OMNIBUS TP VOL 02 $24.99

MAY110350 CLASSIC GI JOE TP VOL 12 $24.99

MAY110328 DUKE NUKEM GLORIOUS BASTARD #1 (OF 4) $3.99

MAY110373 EDGE OF DOOM TP $19.99

MAY110347 GI JOE A REAL AMERICAN HERO #168 $3.99

APR110379 JERICHO TP SEASON 3 $19.99

APR110291 LOCKE & KEY CLOCKWORKS #1 (OF 6) $3.99

MAY110334 ROCKETEER ADVENTURES #3 (OF 4) $3.99

MAY110344 SNAKE EYES ONGOING (IDW) #3 $3.99

MAY110353 TRANSFORMERS ONGOING #22 $3.99

MAY110388 TRUE BLOOD TAINTED LOVE #6 (MR) $3.99

Leroy Douresseaux on ROCKETEER ADVENTURES #2

ROCKETEER ADVENTURES #2
IDW PUBLISHING

WRITERS: Mark Waid, Darwyn Cooke, Lowell Francis
ARTISTS: Chris Weston, Darwyn Cooke, Gene Ha
COLORS: Dave Stewart
LETTERS: Chris Mowry, Darwyn Cooke
PIN-UP: Geof Darrow with Dave Stewart
COVER: Alex Ross (alternate cover by Dave Stevens with Laura Martin)
32pp, Color, $3.99

Long live The Rocketeer!

The Rocketeer is a superhero created by the late writer/illustrator Dave Stevens that first appeared in 1982. The character’s style and the mode of his adventures are also an homage to the Saturday matinee heroes of the 1930s and 1940s and to adventure movie serials like Republic Picture’s King of the Rocket Men. The Rocketeer’s exploits are mainly set in Los Angeles in and after the year 1938. The Rocketeer made it onto the big screen in a 1991 film from Walt Disney Pictures.

The Rocketeer is Cliff Secord, a stunt pilot who discovers a mysterious jet pack that allows him to fly. Secord’s girlfriend, Bettie Page, is based upon real life, 1950s pin-up and fetish model, Bettie Page.

The Rocketeer has made infrequent comic book appearances in several publications from several publishers. The Rocketeer’s first comic book appearances were in 1982, as backup features in Starslayer, a comic book series by Mike Grell from the now-defunct Pacific Comics. Two more installments of The Rocketeer appeared in Pacific's anthology comic book, Pacific Presents.

The character appeared at Eclipse Comics in Rocketeer Special Edition and in a single-volume graphic novel entitled, The Rocketeer, which concluded the story begun in Starslayer. The character appeared in Rocketeer Adventure Magazine from the now-defunct Comico Comics and also finally at Dark Horse Comics

The Rocketeer returns in Rocketeer Adventures, a new anthology series from IDW Publishing. Edited by Scott Dunbier, Rocketeer Adventures features Rocketeer short stories (about 7 or 8 pages in length) from some of the premiere creators in comic books. Rocketeer Adventures #2 has stories by the teams of Mark Waid and Chris Weston and also Lowell Francis and Gene Ha, with a short story by Darwyn Cooke and a centerfold pin-up from artist Geof Darrow and colorist supreme, Dave Stewart.

I must say that, at a cover price of $3.99, Rocketeer Adventures is a bargain. The art is exceptional, even if most of the stories are, for the most part, mere trifles, though entertaining. Anytime we get to see Dave Stewart’s magnificent comic book coloring, we are in for a treat.

Mark Waid and Chris Weston’s “It Ain’t the Fall that Kills Ya…” features some gorgeous Dave Stevens-inspired art from the talented Weston, a master of composition and a superb draftsman. For Waid’s part, the story is either ironic or is simply unintentionally hypocritical. Lowell Francis and Gene Ha’s “TKO” is clever-lite, a play of mixing an aerial battle with a boxing match. Ha’s execution in the graphical storytelling of “TKO” is skillful. As for the Geof Darrow pin-up – YAWN – been there, seen that.

Leave it to genius Darwyn Cooke to offer this issue’s best story, a slam-bang piece, entitled “Betty Saves the Day.” It is only seven-pages long, but it reads like a great stand-alone, 22-page comic book. An Eisner Award nomination (at least) for best short story is a must.

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