Dark Horse Comics from Diamond Distributors for June 11 2014

DARK HORSE COMICS

APR140013 ABE SAPIEN #13 $3.50
FEB140076 BALTIMORE HC VOL 04 CHAPEL OF BONES $24.99
MAR140045 BLACKOUT #3 $2.99
FEB140091 CREEPY ARCHIVES HC VOL 19 $49.99
FEB140101 CRIME DOES NOT PAY CITY OF ROSES HC $19.99
APR140022 EDGAR ALLEN POE MORELLA MURDERS RUE MORGUE ONE SHOT $3.99
FEB140044 EVE TRUE STORIES HC $12.99
FEB140015 MICHAEL AVON OEMINGS VICTORIES TP VOL 03 POSTHUMAN $17.99
FEB140103 NEW LONE WOLF AND CUB TP VOL 01 (MR) $13.99
APR140056 STAR WARS #18 2013 ONGOING $2.99
FEB140062 STAR WARS DAWN O/T JEDI TP VOL 03 FORCE WAR $19.99
FEB140020 TWO PAST MIDNIGHT TP $9.99
APR140045 X #14 (MR) $2.99

Image Comics from Diamond Distributors for June 11 2014

IMAGE COMICS

APR140515 GHOSTED TP VOL 02 (MR) $12.99
APR140517 GODLAND TP VOL 06 GOODBYE DIVINE $19.99
APR140508 LIQUID CITY GN VOL 03 $29.99
APR140575 MANIFEST DESTINY #7 $2.99
MAR140590 REAL HEROES #3 $3.99
APR140490 RED CITY #1 $2.99
MAR140591 REVENGE #4 (MR) $2.99
APR140597 SHUTTER #3 (MR) $3.50
APR140603 STARLIGHT #4 CVR A CHAREST (MR) $2.99
APR140604 STARLIGHT #4 CVR B FERRY (MR) $2.99
APR140605 STARLIGHT #4 CVR C PARLOV (MR) $2.99
MAR140607 TALES OF HONOR #3 CVR A JEONG $2.99
MAR140608 TALES OF HONOR #3 CVR B SEJIC $2.99
APR140504 THATS BECAUSE YOURE A ROBOT ONE SHOT $3.99
APR148156 WALKING DEAD #127 2ND PTG (MR) $2.99
APR140615 WALKING DEAD #128 (MR) $2.99
APR140544 WHISPERS TP (MR) $14.99
APR140497 WILDFIRE #1 CVR A LINDA SEJIC $3.99
APR140498 WILDFIRE #1 CVR B STJEPAN SEJIC $3.99

Comics, Magazines and Books from Diamond Distributors for June 11 2014

COMICS & GRAPHIC NOVELS

MAR141351 A CENTAURS LIFE GN VOL 03 (MR) $12.99
MAR141350 ALICE I/T COUNTRY OF JOKER CIRCUS & LIARS GAME VOL 05 (MR) $12.99
APR141479 ARATA THE LEGEND GN VOL 18 $9.99
APR141436 ARCHER & ARMSTRONG #21 CVR A CRYSTAL $3.99
APR141437 ARCHER & ARMSTRONG #21 CVR B WALSH $3.99
APR141438 ARCHER & ARMSTRONG TP VOL 05 MISSION IMPROBABLE $14.99
MAR140837 ARCHIE DOUBLE DIGEST #251 $3.99
APR141414 ARMOR HUNTERS #1 BLANK CVR $3.99
APR141409 ARMOR HUNTERS #1 CVR A REG (AH) $3.99
APR141410 ARMOR HUNTERS #1 CVR B CHROM (AH) $5.99
APR141165 ASH & THE ARMY OF DARKNESS #8 $3.99
APR141166 ASH & THE ARMY OF DARKNESS #8 EXC SUBSCRIPTION CVR $3.99
MAR140803 BAD VENTURES BOBO BACKSLACK GN (MR) $14.95
MAR141539 BAR MAID TP VOL 01 $15.99
APR141024 BEE AND PUPPYCAT #2 MAIN CVRS $3.99
APR141087 BLOOD QUEEN #1 BLANK AUTHENTIX CVR (MR) $3.99
APR141085 BLOOD QUEEN #1 CVR A ANACLETO (MR) $3.99
APR141086 BLOOD QUEEN #1 CVR B GARZA (MR) $3.99
APR141434 BLOODSHOT & HARD CORPS #23 CVR A BARRIONUEVO $3.99
APR141435 BLOODSHOT & HARD CORPS #23 CVR B PEREZ $3.99
MAR140799 BO PLUSHY GANGSTA #3 (MR) $3.99
APR141053 BONE COLOR ED HC VOL 07 GHOST CIRCLES NEW PTG $26.99
APR141022 BRAVEST WARRIORS 2014 IMPOSSIBEAR SPECIAL #1 $4.99
APR140931 CALIBAN #3 DARK MATTER CVR (MR) $9.99
APR148012 CHAOS #1 CAMPBELL B&W 2ND PTG $3.99
APR141271 CHOSIN HOLD THE LINE GN $24.99
APR140899 CROSSED BADLANDS #55 (MR) $3.99
APR140902 CROSSED BADLANDS #55 FATAL FANTASY CVR (MR) $3.99
APR140901 CROSSED BADLANDS #55 TORTURE CVR (MR) $3.99
APR140900 CROSSED BADLANDS #55 WRAP CVR (MR) $3.99
APR140893 CROSSED HC VOL 09 (MR) $27.99
APR140892 CROSSED TP VOL 09 (MR) $19.99
APR140968 DEAD LETTERS #3 $3.99
APR141480 DEADMAN WONDERLAND GN VOL 03 $9.99
JAN141174 DF SATELLITE SAM #1 MIDTOWN B&W CVR $15.99
FEB141254 DF TUROK #1 DYNAMIC MIDTOWN LTD CVR $10.00
APR140895 DICKS END OF TIME #1 (MR) $3.99
APR140896 DICKS END OF TIME #1 OFFENSIVE CVR (MR) $3.99
APR140958 EMPTY MAN #1 $3.99
APR141514 GFT ROBYN HOOD LEGEND #4 A CVR LAISO $2.99
APR141515 GFT ROBYN HOOD LEGEND #4 B CVR TRIANO $2.99
APR141516 GFT ROBYN HOOD LEGEND #4 C CVR EHNOT $2.99
APR141494 GFT WARLORD OF OZ #2 A CVR CHEN $2.99
APR141495 GFT WARLORD OF OZ #2 B CVR ORTIZ $2.99
APR141496 GFT WARLORD OF OZ #2 C CVR ANDOLFO $2.99
APR141497 GFT WARLORD OF OZ #2 D CVR CAFARO $2.99
MAR141353 GIRLS UND PANZER GN VOL 01 $12.99
APR140918 GOD IS DEAD #14 (MR) $3.99
APR140919 GOD IS DEAD #14 CARNAGE WRAP CVR (MR) $3.99
APR140920 GOD IS DEAD #14 END OF DAYS CVR (MR) $3.99
APR140921 GOD IS DEAD #14 ICONIC CVR (MR) $3.99
FEB140899 GOLD DIGGER #211 $3.99
FEB141175 LEGENDERRY A STEAMPUNK ADV #4 $3.99
APR141231 LEWIS & CLARK GN $17.99
APR148175 LUMBERJANES #1 (2ND PTG) $3.99
APR140998 LUMBERJANES #3 $3.99
APR141481 MAGI GN VOL 06 $9.99
APR148157 MAGNUS ROBOT FIGHTER #1 MALAGA 2ND PTG $3.99
APR148158 MAGNUS ROBOT FIGHTER #2 HARDMAN 2ND PTG $3.99
APR148159 MAGNUS ROBOT FIGHTER #3 HARDMAN 2ND PTG $3.99
MAR141286 MIGHTY MORPHIN POWER RANGERS HC VOL 01 RITA REPULSA $12.99
APR141154 PATHFINDER CITY SECRETS #2 EXC SUBSCRIPTION CVR $4.99
APR141152 PATHFINDER CITY SECRETS #2 GENZOMAN CVR $4.99
APR141155 PATHFINDER CITY SECRETS #2 ULTRA LTD CUMMINGS CVR $19.99
APR141016 PEANUTS BEAGLE LANDED CHARLIE BROWN ORIGINAL GN $9.99
APR140974 RETURNING #4 $3.99
APR141326 SAN HANNIBAL #2 $2.99
MAR140961 SAVAGE BROTHERS DELUXE ED TP $9.99
APR141046 SCHOOL BITES NIGHT CLASSES PT 1 JUST DESSERTS $4.99
FEB141344 SHEENA #2 $3.99
APR141169 SHERLOCK HOLMES MORIARTY LIVES #4 $3.99
MAR141133 SHOWA HISTORY OF JAPAN TP VOL 02 1939-1944 (MR) $24.95
APR141292 SIXTH GUN #41 $3.99
MAR140853 SONIC THE HEDGEHOG #261 REG CVR $2.99
APR140973 SONS OF ANARCHY #10 (MR) $3.99
APR141044 SPONGEBOB COMICS #33 $2.99
APR140935 STITCHED TP VOL 03 (MR) $19.99
APR141482 TIGER & BUNNY GN VOL 05 $9.99
APR140946 UBER #10 WAR CRIMES CVR (MR) $5.99
APR140940 UBER #14 (MR) $3.99
APR140943 UBER #14 PROPAGANDA POSTER CVR (MR) $3.99
APR140942 UBER #14 WAR CRIMES CVR (MR) $3.99
APR140941 UBER #14 WRAP CVR (MR) $3.99
APR140945 UBER #5 DOMINATE CVR (MR) $9.99
APR141341 US JUDGE DREDD XXX FILES TP (MR) $24.99
DEC131123 WALT BEFORE SKEEZIX HC 1919-1920 $44.95
APR141290 WASTELAND #55 (MR) $3.99
DEC131307 WONDER MOMO BATTLE IDOL HC VOL 01 $19.99
FEB141388 WWE SUPERSTARS ONGOING #5 $3.99

MAGAZINES
APR141657 COMIC SHOP NEWS #1408 PI
APR141653 JUXTAPOZ #162 JUL 2014 $5.99
JAN141552 RUE MORGUE MAGAZINE #145 $9.95
APR141677 STAR WARS INSIDER #150 NEWSSTAND ED $7.99
APR141678 STAR WARS INSIDER #150 PX ED $7.99

BOOKS
APR141539 ART OF ADRIAN VELEZ AGE OF DELIGHTS (MR) $14.95
APR141543 DIRTY RENDEZOUS HC (MR) $49.95
MAR141168 JACK DAVIS DRAWING AMERICAN POP CULTURE HC (NEW PTG) $29.99
APR140989 JIM HENSONS DARK CRYSTAL HC NOVEL $19.99
APR141570 MY LITTLE PONY FRIENDSHIP IS MAGIC COLL POSTER BOOK $20.00
APR141544 NATURALLY SEXY HC (MR) $37.95
APR141579 NEIL GAIMAN OCEAN AT END OF LANE NOVEL SC $14.99
MAR141566 POTA POSTER COLLECTION $24.99
MAR141554 QUOTABLE DOCTOR WHO WISE WORDS ACROSS TIME & SPACE HC $19.99
APR141581 SHADOW DOUBLE NOVEL VOL 85 MASTERS OF DEATH $14.95
FEB141626 SHADOW FORESHADOWING BATMAN W SHADOW ANNUAL #1 SUPER PACK $39.95
FEB141345 SHERLOCK HOLMES & KOLCHAK CRY FOR THUNDER NOVEL HC $19.99
APR141555 SUPER BOYS AMAZING ADV OF JERRY SIEGEL & JOE SHUSTER SC $17.99
APR141556 WALKING DEAD NOVEL SC VOL 03 FALL OF GOVERNOR PT 1 $14.99

Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan - Ghost Story: Aoandon

I read Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan, Vol. 21

I posted a review at the ComicBookBin, which has free smart phone apps and comics, and is now seeking donations. Follow me on Twitter.

Book Review: THE THREE EMPERORS

THE THREE EMPERORS
HARPERCOLLINS – @HarperCollins

AUTHOR: William Dietrich
ISBN: 978-0-06-219410-7; hardcover (May 6, 2014)
384pp, B&W, $25.99 U.S.

The Three Emperors is a 2014 adventure novel from Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist turned novelist William Dietrich.  [1990: Ross Anderson, Bill Dietrich, Mary Ann Gwinn and Eric Nalder, The Seattle Times, “for coverage of the Exxon Valdez oil spill and its aftermath.”]  The Three Emperors is “An Ethan Gage Adventure” and is the seventh book in a series that stars spy, adventurer, and treasure hunter, Ethan Gage.  Like 2013’s The Barbed Crown, The Three Emperors is set during the Napoleonic wars.

The Three Emperors opens in early November of 1805 just a few weeks after the Battle of Trafalgar, the October 1805 battle in which the British Royal Navy fought the combined fleet of the navies of France and Spain.  Adventurer Ethan Gage was an unwilling participant in the battle, but his quick wits helped him survive and escape.  Now, Gage has made his way to Venice, Italy where he hopes to use his gambling skills to earn the money he needs for the journey to find his family.

Before Trafalgar, Gage was separated from his wife, the “Egyptian priestess” Astiza, and his son, Horus (Harry, who is not quite five-years-old).  They are currently imprisoned by a ruthless mystic and an evil dwarf alchemist, who are forcing Astiza to try to change base metal into gold.  However, their ultimate prize is the automaton known as the Brazen Head.  Created by Albertus Magnus, spirited away by Christian Rosenkreutz, and reportedly destroyed by Thomas Aquinas, the Brazen Head is the mysterious medieval device rumored to foretell the future.

On his way to find his family and unaware of the depth of their plight, Gage finds himself once again accosted by Napoleon Bonaparte (Emperor Napoleon 1).  Before he knows it, Gage is a soldier in the Battle of Austerlitz, also known as the Battle of the Three Emperors.  [The three emperors were Bonaparte, commander of the French army; Tsar Alexander 1, commander of the Russo-Austrian army; and Holy Roman Emperor Francis II].  There, Gage meets new and unlikely allies, Gideon Dray, a Jewish Napoleonic soldier, and his sutler father, Aaron Dray.

Possessing what is reputed to be a fragment of Durendal, the legendary sword of Roland, Gage stays just a little of ahead of his pursuers and plots to survive war.  Gage’s biggest test comes when he travels through the darkest and most superstitious realms of 18th century Eastern Europe, to rescue his family and to locate the Brazen Head.

In The Barbed Crown, author William Dietrich depicted Ethan Gage using both his skill sets as a spy and a treasure hunter to augment his skills as a diplomat.  At The Barbed Crown’s center was the story of the heist meant to upset Napoleon’s coronation; Dietrich placed this story in the context of the hunt for mystical objects, diplomacy, and war.

The Three Emperors is darker, mainly because Gage’s life seems in real peril.  Astiza and Harry also seem to be dangling over a precipice that leads to awful deaths.  At the same time, The Three Emperors has a quality that recalls the Indiana Jones movies, as Gage and Astiza and Harry – separately and together – race from one dangerous, exotic, and mysterious locale to another in search of the Brazen Head.

The chase and locales are what make The Three Emperors such an engaging read.  Dietrich colorful and vivid prose transports the readers, placing them side-by-side with Gage or Astiza and Harry.  Sometimes, I felt as if my neck were also on the line, as if I were in danger of becoming the main course for a hungry dwarf.  I probably prefer The Barbed Crown’s lighter moments, but I thoroughly enjoyed the perilous journey William Dietrich offers in The Three Emperors.

B+

www.williamdietrich.com

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux

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

Kamisama Kiss: Where is Kuromaro?

I read Kamisama Kiss, Vol. 15

I posted a review at ComicBookBin, which is seeking donations.  Follow me on Twitter.

I Reads You Review: NIGHTCRAWLER #1

NIGHTCRAWLER (2014) #1
MARVEL COMICS – @Marvel

WRITER: Chris Claremont
ARTIST: Todd Nauck
COLORS: Rachelle Rosenberg
LETTERS: VC’s Cory Petit
COVER: Chris Samnee with Matthew Wilson
VARIANT COVERS: Chris Samnee with Matthew Wilson; Humberto Ramos with Edgar Delgado
28pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (June 2014)

Rated T+

Nightcrawler (also known as Kurt Wagner) is a Marvel Comics superhero character and is best known as a member of the X-Men.  Nightcrawler was created by writer Len Wein and the late artist Dave Cockrum, and the character debuted in Giant-Size X-Men #1 (cover dated: May 1975).

Nightcrawler is a mutant and his most obvious power is the ability to teleport across short or long distances.  He also possesses superhuman agility and adhesive three-fingered hands and two-toed feet.  He has indigo or blue-colored fur (which allows him to blend into shadows), yellow eyes, pointed ears, and a prehensile tail.

Nightcrawler has appeared in numerous X-Men and related publications, including the 1980s and 90’s series, Excalibur.  He has been the star of two miniseries and a short-lived ongoing series.  Nightcrawler was killed off in X-Force (Vol. 3) #26 (cover dated:  April 2010), which was part of the X-Men: Second Coming crossover publishing event.

Nightcrawler recently returned to the Marvel Comics land of the living.  Now, there is a new Nightcrawler ongoing comic book series from the creative team of writer Chris Claremont, artist Todd Nauck, colorist Rachelle Rosenberg and letterer Cory Petit.

Nightcrawler #1 opens at the Jean Grey School of Higher Learning.  In the Danger Room, where the X-Men hone their skills, Nightcrawler engages Wolverine in a fierce one-on-one battle session.  Storm, Beast, and Dr. Cecelia Reyes watch.  Nightcrawler is also having a difficult time with his new surroundings, especially a school full of strange, new mutant students.  Nightcrawler travels to Manhattan to visit his longtime girlfriend, the witch Amanda Sefton.  But a normal romantic evening is not to be – not for an X-Man.

Chris Claremont is not credited as a creator of Nightcrawler.  He has written the character longer than anyone else, and he was the first to write the character extensively.  So Claremont is practically Nightcrawler’s father and co-creator, but you could not tell that judging by Nightcrawler #1 alone.

It is not a bad read.  This is just mostly nothing.  It is as if Claremont’s creative engine has not only run out of fuel, but has also simply worn down from overuse.  Even if it could be re-energized, I wonder if Claremont’s imagination could ever deliver the X-Men stories he once did.  Lord, how I hope that I am wrong.

I cannot explain exactly, but I think that Nightcrawler #1 would be different if Marvel were not publishing so many X-Men comic book series.  I think Claremont would have more leeway in what he could do with this character and this series without having to work around all the other X-books.  I hope for better because I really looked forward to this new Nightcrawler comic book series.  I love the character, and I love Claremont writing the X-Men.

Even Todd Nauck’s art is uninspired.  It is like a step down from what he has done before now.  My review grade is generous.

C+

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux


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