Comics, Magazines and Books from Diamond Distributors for May 14, 2014

COMICS & GRAPHIC NOVELS

MAR141453 07 GHOST GN VOL 10 $9.99
MAR140933 ACCELERATORS #6 (MR) $3.99
MAR140997 ADVENTURE TIME CANDY CAPERS TP VOL 01 $19.99
JAN141018 ADVENTURE TIME MATHEMATICAL ED HC VOL 01 ECCC EXC $49.99
JAN140865 AFTERLIFE WITH ARCHIE #5 REG FRANCAVILLA CVR $2.99
FEB141425 ALICE I/T COUNTRY OF HEARTS LOVE LABYRINTH OF THORNS GN (MR) $13.99
MAR141195 ANDRE THE GIANT LIFE & LEGEND GN $17.99
FEB141484 ARCHER & ARMSTRONG DLX HC VOL 01 $39.99
FEB140924 ARCHIE #655 REG CVR $2.99
FEB140928 ARCHIE 1000 PG COMICS BONANZA TP $14.99
MAR141120 ASH & THE ARMY OF DARKNESS #7 $3.99
MAR141121 ASH & THE ARMY OF DARKNESS #7 EXC SUBSCRIPTION CVR $3.99
MAR141299 AUTEUR #3 (MR) $3.99
NOV138196 BAD ASS #1 BLANK AUTHENTIX ED (MR) $3.99
MAR141343 BAD DREAMS #2 $3.50
MAR140984 BEE AND PUPPYCAT #1 $3.99
MAR141211 BIG NATE MR POPULARITY TP $9.99
MAR141417 BLOODSHOT & HARD CORPS #22 CVR A LAROSA $3.99
MAR141418 BLOODSHOT & HARD CORPS #22 CVR B DE LA TORRE $3.99
FEB141435 BURNE HOGARTH TARZAN HC VOL 01 IN THE CITY OF GOLD $39.95
MAR140889 CALIBAN #2 DARK MATTER CVR (MR) $9.99
DEC130822 CAVEWOMAN KARNIVAL ONE SHOT $3.75
JAN140847 CAVEWOMAN KARNIVAL ONE SHOT ROOT SP ED PI
NOV130875 CLIVE BARKER NEXT TESTAMENT #9 (MR) $3.99
DEC131234 COURTNEY CRUMRIN SPEC ED HC VOL 05 $24.99
OCT138243 CRYPTOZOIC MAN #2 2ND PTG $3.99
DEC138405 CRYPTOZOIC MAN #3 2ND PTG $3.99
MAR148140 CRYPTOZOIC MAN #4 2ND PTG $3.99
FEB141111 DARWINS DIARIES GN VOL 01 EYE OF CELTS $13.95
FEB141113 DARWINS DIARIES GN VOL 03 DUAL NATURE $13.95
FEB141062 DECEIVERS #5 $3.99
DEC131141 DF NIGHT OF LIVING DEADPOOL #1 CULLEN BUNN SGN $19.91
SEP131167 DF WALKING DEAD #1 10TH ANN CGC 9.8 $89.99
NOV138198 DOC SAVAGE #2 BLANK AUTHENTIX ED $3.99
MAR141226 FAIRY TAIL GN VOL 38 $10.99
MAR141026 FRANKENWEENIE GN $14.99
MAR141423 FROM THE NEW WORLD GN VOL 04 $10.95
MAR140804 FUBAR BETTER RED THAN DEAD ONE SHOT (MR) $3.99
MAR141508 GFT ANNUAL 2014 A CVR METCALF (AOFD) $5.99
MAR141509 GFT ANNUAL 2014 B CVR REYES (AOFD) $5.99
MAR141510 GFT ANNUAL 2014 C CVR NUNES (AOFD) $5.99
MAR141514 GFT DARK ONE AGE OF DARKNESS A CVR KITSON $5.99
MAR141515 GFT DARK ONE AGE OF DARKNESS B CVR SIQUEIRA $5.99
MAR141516 GFT DARK ONE AGE OF DARKNESS C CVR MONDERO $5.99
MAR141533 GFT ROBYN HOOD LEGEND #3 A CVR TOLIBAO $2.99
MAR141534 GFT ROBYN HOOD LEGEND #3 B CVR MALSUNI $2.99
MAR141535 GFT ROBYN HOOD LEGEND #3 C CVR EHNOT $2.99
MAR140873 GOD IS DEAD TP VOL 01 (MR) $19.99
MAR140818 GOLD DIGGER TECH MANUAL TP $19.99
MAR140910 GRAVEL COMBAT MAGICIAN #4 (MR) $3.99
MAR140912 GRAVEL COMBAT MAGICIAN #4 HORROR CVR (MR) $3.99
MAR140911 GRAVEL COMBAT MAGICIAN #4 WRAP CVR (MR) $3.99
MAR141344 HAUNTED #2 $3.50
MAR140999 HEROBEAR AND KID TP VOL 01 INHERITANCE $19.99
FEB141114 IZNOGOUD GN VOL 06 MAGIC CARPET $11.95
FEB141115 IZNOGOUD GN VOL 07 INFAMOUS $11.95
JAN140875 KEVIN KELLER #13 REG CVR $2.99
AUG138109 KINGS WATCH #1 2ND PTG $3.99
FEB140869 KYLE BAKER NAT TURNER SC NEW PTG (NOTE PRICE) $17.95
FEB141116 LAMENT OF THE LOST MOORS GN VOL 02 BLACKMORE $15.95
MAR141283 LEGO LEGENDS OF CHIMA GN VOL 01 HIGH RISK $7.99
MAR141284 LEGO LEGENDS OF CHIMA HC VOL 01 HIGH RISK $12.99
FEB140934 LIFE WITH ARCHIE #35 REG CVR $3.99
MAR140982 LUMBERJANES #2 $3.99
FEB141428 MAYO CHICKI GN VOL 06 (MR) $12.99
DEC131081 MISS FURY #11 CVR A TAN $3.99
DEC131082 MISS FURY #11 CVR B SYAF $3.99
DEC131083 MISS FURY #11 CVR C WORLEY $3.99
DEC131084 MISS FURY #11 CVR D CALERO $3.99
FEB141429 MONSTER MUSUME GN VOL 03 (MR) $12.99
MAR141235 MONSTER SOUL GN VOL 01 $10.99
FEB141118 PANDORA BOX GN VOL 03 GLUTTONY (MR) $11.95
JAN141264 POWER LUNCH HC VOL 02 $12.99
OCT130796 PRINCELESS SHORT STORIES TP VOL 01 $11.99
MAR141420 QUANTUM & WOODY #10 CVR A KANO $3.99
MAR141421 QUANTUM & WOODY #10 CVR B DAUTERMAN $3.99
MAR140960 RETURNING #3 $3.99
FEB148415 ROY CRANE BUZ SAWYER HC VOL 03 TYPHOONS HONEYMOONS $39.99
MAR140973 RUST HC VOL 03 DEATH OF ROCKET BOY $24.99
FEB141098 SCHOOL BITES GN EASTER BUNDLE $19.99
MAR141237 SEVEN DEADLY SINS GN VOL 02 $10.99
FEB141200 SHADOW #25 CALERO SUBSCRIPTION CVR $3.99
FEB141199 SHADOW #25 MOTTER CVR $3.99
FEB141198 SHADOW #25 ROSS CVR $3.99
MAR141238 SHERLOCK BONES GN VOL 05 $10.99
MAR140858 SONIC THE HEDGEHOG ARCHIVES TP VOL 02 NEW PTG $7.95
FEB140944 SONIC UNIVERSE #63 REG CVR $2.99
MAR140962 SONS OF ANARCHY #9 (MR) $3.99
MAR141024 SPACE MOUNTAIN GN $12.99
MAR140938 SPONGEBOB COMICS #32 $2.99
FEB141099 TAROT WITCH OF THE BLACK ROSE HC VOL 01 LITHO ED (MR) $24.99
MAR141196 THIS ONE SUMMER GN $17.99
MAR141197 THIS ONE SUMMER HC $21.99
JAN141418 TRANSREALITY GN $15.00
MAR140894 UBER #13 (MR) $3.99
MAR140897 UBER #13 PROPAGANDA POSTER CVR (MR) $3.99
MAR140896 UBER #13 WAR CRIMES CVR (MR) $3.99
MAR140895 UBER #13 WRAP CVR (MR) $3.99
FEB141361 WASTELAND #54 (MR) $3.99
MAR141276 WHISPERED WORDS GN VOL 01 $16.95
FEB140917 WORTH HC $24.95
FEB141431 ZEROS FAMILIAR CHEVALIER GN VOL 01 (MR) $12.99
JAN140855 ZOMBIE FAIRY TALES DEADLANDS ONE SHOT $3.99

MAGAZINES
FEB141649 ALTER EGO #125 $8.95
MAR141602 COMIC SHOP NEWS #1404 PI
MAR141597 JUXTAPOZ #161 JUN 2014 $5.99
DEC131464 RUE MORGUE MAGAZINE #144 $9.95
JUN131505 VIDEO WATCHDOG #176 (MR) $8.95

BOOKS
DEC131299 AMERICAN COMIC BOOK CHRONICLES HC 1965-1969 $41.95
MAR141541 ART OF BARBARA JENSEN SC VOL 02 COME AS YOU LIKE (MR) $14.95
MAR140932 CANT WE TALK ABOUT SOMETHING MORE PLEASANT GN (MR) $28.00
FEB141624 DOC SAVAGE DOUBLE NOVEL VOL 74 MOTION MENACE $14.95
MAR141377 FATE COMPLETE MATERIAL SC VOL 01 ART MATERIAL $39.99
FEB140948 GLENN FABRY SKETCHBOOK SC VOL 02 (MR) $12.99
FEB141622 GODZILLA ART OF DESTRUCTION HC $45.00
MAR141577 SHADOW DOUBLE NOVEL VOL 84 CITY OF SHADOWS $14.95
FEB141631 STAR WARS LEGO VISUAL DICTIONARY UPDATED EXPANDED HC $21.99
MAR141578 STAR WARS STORYBOARDS ORIGINAL TRILOGY HC $40.00
MAR141579 TRANSFORMERS KRE O CHARACTER ENCYCLOPEDIA W/ FIGURE HC $19.00
FEB141599 TRANSFORMERS LIGHT-UP OPTIMUS PRIME BUST & BOOK $12.95

Final Psyren: Connected World

I read Psyren, Vol. 16

I posted a review at the ComicBookBin, which has free smart phone apps and comics.

The Bin is also asking for donations, while I have an Indiegogo campaign.  Follow me on Twitter.

Graphic Novel Review ALL YOU NEED IS KILL (OGN)

ALL YOU NEED IS KILL GN
VIZ MEDIA/Haikasoru – @VIZMedia; @haikasoru

STORY: Hiroshi Sakurazaka
SCRIPT ADAPTATION: Nick Mamatas
ART: Lee Ferguson
COLORS: Fajar Buana
LETTERS: Zack Turner
EDITOR: Joel Enos
ISBN: 978-1-4215-6081-6; paperback, (May 2014)
96pp, Color, $14.99 U.S., $17.99 CAN

There is a new Tom Cruise movie arriving in theatres in the coming weeks.  This movie is entitled Edge of Tomorrow, and it is based on the novel, All You Need is Kill. Bestselling author John Scalzi (author of Old Man’s War), called All You Need is Kill “science fiction for the adrenaline junkie.” 

First published in 2004, All You Need is Kill is a Japanese science fiction novel written by author Hiroshi Sakurazaka.  Back in July 2009, All You Need is Kill and The Lord of the Sands of Time (by author Issui Ogawa) were the first two novels published by Haikasoru, a science fiction imprint of North American manga publisher, VIZ Media.

In the past few years, VIZ Media has been producing original graphic novels based on various media properties (Hello Kitty, Ben 10 – for example).  Now, its Haikasoru imprint is publishing an original English-language graphic novel of Hiroshi Sakurazaka’s All You Need is Kill.

All You Need is Kill: Official Graphic Novel Adaptation is created by Nick Mamatas (script adaptation of the novel), Lee Ferguson (artist), Fajar Buana (colors), and Zack Turner (letters).  The story focuses on Keiji Kiriya, a Japanese soldier of the 301st division of the United Defense Forces (UDF).  Kiriya is just one of many recruits shoved into a suit of battle armor, which is called a “Jacket,” and then, sent out to kill the alien invaders called “Mimics.”

Keiji dies on the battlefield, only to be reborn each morning to fight and die again and again.  However, he is not only starting to remember the previous iterations of his fight, but he is also learning more about the enemy and how to fight them.  After one particular rebirth, Keiji gets a message from a mysterious ally, Rita Vrataski – the American female soldier known only as the Full Metal Bitch.  And she may have a way to stop the Mimics.

Of course, All You Need is Kill is a fantastic title for a book, for a manga, and even for a movie.  Yes, producers of the Tom Cruise movie, All You Need is Kill is an even better title than Edge of Tomorrow, which is itself a cool title.

What about the quality of this original graphic novel?  It is a fantastic read.  When VIZ Media first sent me a copy for review, I did not expect much from it, after giving the book a cursory glance.  What surprised me the most is that the graphic novel is not like any other comic book on the market and shelves today.  And it is not Groundhog Day meets Starship Troopers.  If I had to compare it to anything I would compare it to Stanley Kubrick’s 1987 film, Full Metal Jacket.

Like Full Metal Jacket, All You Need is Kill the graphic novel tackles the absurdity of the war machine – from training soldiers and equipping them to sending them into battle.  At the same time, writer Nick Mamatas finds space in cutting the original text to present Keiji’s training method for survival as something that is plausible.  Basically Mamatas has adapted the novel into a graphic novel that does not seem like a collection of plot points and a narrative stream of the original novel’s best action scenes.  It is a complete comic book story with a good plot and well-developed characters and settings.

Artist Lee Ferguson draws the story in a spare style that establishes mood, captures the sense of desperation, highlights the absurdities, and clearly tells the story.  Fajar Buana’s colors depict the bloody horror of war, and some of the coloring also captures that otherworldly sense which classic science fiction has.

After enjoying this truly fine science fiction original graphic novel, I really want to read the original prose novel.  Readers looking for imaginative alien invasion science fiction will realize All You Need is Kill.

A

www.haikasoru.com

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux


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

I Reads Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to everyone. Happy Mother's Day, Mama.

Vampire Knight: Origin Metal Jacket

I read Vampire Knight, Vol. 18

I posted a review at the ComicBookBin, and you can follow me on Twitter or even contribute to my Indiegogo campaign.

I Reads You Review: DEAD BOY DETECTIVES #1

DEAD BOY DETECTIVES #1
DC COMICS/Vertigo – @DCComics  @vertigo_comics

STORY: Toby Litt and Mark Buckingham
SCRIPT: Toby Litt
PENCILS: Mark Buckingham
INKS: Gary Erskine
COLORS: Lee Loughridge
LETTERS: Todd Klein
EDITOR: Shelly Bond
COVER: Mark Buckingham
VARIANT COVER: Cliff Chiang
32pp, Color, $2.99 U.S. (February 2014)

Rated “T” for Teen

“Schoolboy Terrors” The New Girl, Part 1 of 4

Dead Boy Detectives created by Neil Gaiman and artists Matt Wagner and Malcolm Jones III

In preparation for Vertigo Comics’ new ongoing series, Dead Boy Detectives, I read The Sandman Presents: The Deadboy Detectives.  This 2001 miniseries was written by Ed Brubaker and drawn by Bryan Talbot (pencils) and Steve Leialoha (inks), with colors by Daniel Vozzo.  I loved it because this miniseries is the kind of comic book that is the reason I keep reading comic books.

I am not as enamored with the new series, Dead Boy Detectives, which launched a few months ago.  A production of the creative team of Toby Litt and Mark Buckingham, the first issue of Dead Boy Detectives is not quite tepid, but it certainly lacks the sparkling wit and dazzling imagination of The Sandman Presents: The Deadboy Detectives #1.

For those that don’t know, “The Dead Boy Detectives” are Edwin Paine and Charles Rowland.  The two characters first appeared in The Sandman #25 (cover dated: April, 1991) and were created by writer Neil Gaiman and artists Matt Wagner and Malcolm Jones III.  Paine was murdered at his British boarding school, Saint Hilarion’s, in 1916, and spent 75 years in Hell.  He escaped in 1991 and returned to Hilarion’s, where he met Rowland (during the events depicted in The Sandman story arc, Seasons of Mist).  Rowland died during this time, but refused to accompany Death, preferring the prospect of future adventures with Paine.  The two ghosts spent a decade haunting places, preparing to become “first-rate detectives.”

As Dead Boy Detectives #1 begins, Edwin and Charles are observing the spectacle that is British performance artist, Maddy Surname.  With her rock star husband, Seth Von Hoverkraft, Maddy plans to steal Vincent Van Gogh’s painting, “Sunflowers,” from the British National Gallery.  They will replace Van Gogh’s masterpiece with another painting that Maddy will steal before the Van Gogh theft.  Maddy and Seth’s daughter, Crystal Palace, seems an unwilling participant in the performance.

However, some others decide that they also want play in this game, and it has a great affect on Crystal Palace.  Now, Crystal makes a decision that will have the Dead Boy Detectives shadowing her to a familiar place.

With Brubaker’s layered story and radiant characters and Bryan Talbot and Steve Leialoha’s textured and detailed art, The Sandman Presents: The Deadboy Detectives was a dazzling fantasy, graphic novella.  Toby Litt and Mark Buckingham offer something with potential, but, at this point, it seems like little more than a story with its style lifted from Daniel Clowes’ Ghost World.

I must say that I do like the art by Buckingham (pencils), Gary Erskine (inks), and Lee Loughridge (colors).  Beyond that, I guess I’ll just have to keep reading.

B

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux


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

Grumble 2 Indiegogo Campaign - One Month In

A month to go. Praying...