Image Comics from Diamond Distributors for March 1, 2017

IMAGE COMICS

JAN170796    COMPLETE TALES FROM THE CON TP    $9.99
JAN170650    EXTREMITY #1    $3.99
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JAN170772    WALKING DEAD #165 (MR)    $2.99
JAN170887    WAYWARD TP VOL 04 THREADS & PORTENTS (MR)    $16.99

Comics, Magazines and Books from Diamond Distributors for March 1, 2017

COMICS & GRAPHIC NOVELS

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JAN171465    WOODS #30    $3.99
NOV168518    YOUNG TERRORISTS #2 2ND PTG (MR)    $6.99

MAGAZINES
DEC162234    CINEFEX #151    $12.50
JAN172357    FILMFAX #147    $9.95
NOV162142    HOBBY JAPAN FEB 2017    $20.00
NOV162143    MEGAMI FEB 2017    $20.00
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BOOKS
SEP162251    BLACK BAT DOUBLE NOVEL #7 BLACK BATS JUSTICE & RED MENACE (C    $14.95
NOV162090    BRITISH INVASION MOORE GAIMAN MORRISON MODERN COMIC WRITER    $19.99
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DEC162215    DARTH VADER SITH LORD YR SC (RES)    $5.99
DEC162187    DOCTOR WHO PIRATE PLANET HC    $19.99
JAN171874    DRAWINGS OF LAURIE LIPTON HC    $39.95
DEC162204    LEGO BATMAN MOVIE MAKING OF MOVIE HC    $24.99
JAN171875    MARIJUANA MANDALAS COOL COLORING BOOK    $7.95
JAN172276    NEW FASHION NUDES HC (MR)    $49.99
JAN171876    OUTLAW BIBLE OF AMERICAN ART HC    $39.95
JAN171877    RON ENGLISH POPAGANDA COLORING BOOK    $12.95
DEC162213    SHADOW DOUBLE NOVEL VOL 115 KEEPERS GOLD & FORGOTTEN GOLD    $14.95
JAN172299    SKETCHING FROM IMAGINATION CHARACTERS SC    $29.99
JAN173219    WARHAMMER 40K FORGES OF MARS OMNIBUS SC    $21.00

Book Review: WIND IN THE WILLOWS Illustrated by David Petersen

THE WIND IN THE WILLOWS
IDW PUBLISHING – @IDWPublishing

AUTHOR: Kenneth Grahame
ILLUSTRATOR: David Petersen
COVER: David Petersen
ISBN: 978-1-63140-343-9; hardcover, 8” x 10” (December 2016)
192pp, Color, $24.99 U.S.

The Wind in the Willows is a children's novel by Kenneth Grahame.  It was first published in 1908 and is one of the most beloved novels in Great Britain, according to various surveys.  The novel has been adapted for the stage, film, radio, and television numerous times.

The Wind in the Willows was originally published as a plain text book without illustrations.  However, illustrated editions of the book began to appear less than a decade after it was first published, including editions featuring illustrations by Paul Branson (1913), E.H. Shepard (1931) and by Arthur Rackham (1940), among others.

The latest illustrated edition of The Wind in the Willows is published by IDW Publishing.  The illustrator is David Petersen, the award-winning creator of the comic book series, Mouse Guard.  Petersen reportedly worked on this project for over three years, and the book contains over 60 of his illustrations, including 20 full-color plates.

I read part of this novel a long, long time ago, and what I remember from it I probably got from the Walt Disney film, The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad.  Half of this 1949 animated film was an adaption of The Wind in the Willows.  The other half of the film was based on the unrelated Washington Irving short story, “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” (first published in 1820).

The Wind of the Willows focuses on four anthropomorphic animals that live in a pastoral version of Edwardian England.  They are Badger, Mole, Rat, and Toad of Toad Hall.  Theirs is an entrancing, lyrical world of gurgling rivers and whispering reeds where the friends can enjoy the simplest pleasures and natural wonders that life offers.  Their adventurers will test the miracle of loyalty and friendship in a story that has likely set the standard for other animal-themed novels.

It is clear that David Petersen's illustrative work for The Wind in the Willows is a labor of love.  Heck, it is obvious as soon as you crack this book open and see Petersen's spot illustrations of Toad and Rat.  The gorgeous color plates of Mole and Rat's boating excursion make me want to stare at them all day.  The first look at “Toad Hall” as a black and white illustration is quite a treat.  The color plate of Rat and Mole (Chapter Three “The Wild Wood”) would sell someone on buying this book.

As strong as the illustrations are to start this book, the ones that illustrate the last chapters of the book don't let up.  Petersen offers some powerful art to conclude The Wind in the Willows, and that wraparound color illustration that is this book's front and back cover will wrap around your reading and buying lists.

I had not heard about this project until I saw it in a Diamond Distributors list.  I was shocked when IDW sent me a copy-for-review.  I was like, “Damn, I wish all the books I got from comic book publishers were as fine as this here The Wind in the Willows.”

There are three target audiences for IDW's new, illustrated edition of The Wind in the Willows.  They are fans of writer-artist David Petersen's Mouse Guard; fans of The Wind in the Willows; and collectors of IDW's spectacular line of art books, illustrated publications, and archival editions.

A+

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: FUTURE QUEST #1

FUTURE QUEST No. 1
DC COMICS – @DCComics

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

STORY: Jeff Parker – @JeffParker
ARTISTS: Evan “Doc” Shaner – @DocShaner (p. 1-19, 28-30); Steve “The Dude” Rude (p. 20-27)
COLORS: Jordie Bellaire – @whoajordie
LETTERS: ALW Studios' Dave Lanphear
COVER: Evan “Doc” Shaner
VARIANT COVERS: Steve Rude with Steve Buccellato; Bill Sienkiewicz; Aaron Lopresti; Joe Quinnoes
40pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (July 2016)

Rated “T” for “Teen”

Part One: “Lights in the Sky”

A few months ago, DC Comics announced that it would publish a small line of comic books that would re-imagine and re-interpret classic Hanna-Barbera television series and characters.  Hanna-Barbera was an American animation studio that produced animated television series for American television networks, mostly for broadcast on Saturday mornings, but also for prime time.

Future Quest, the first of these comic books, debuted recently.  Future Quest brings the stars of Hanna-Barbera's action, sci-fi, and superhero TV series together.  That includes “Jonny Quest” (one of those prime time animated series), “Space Ghost,” “The Herculoids,” “Birdman,” “Frankenstein Jr.,” “The Galaxy Trio,” “The Impossibles,” and “Mightor.”

The cast of “Jonny Quest” seem to be the stars of Future Quest, and are referred to as “Team Quest.”  They are Jonny Quest; his adopted brother, Hadji; his father, Dr. Benton Quest; family bodyguard, Race Bannon; Race's love interest and spy-type, Jezebel Jade; and, of course, Jonny's dog, Bandit. Future Quest is written by Jeff Parker; drawn by Evan “Doc” Shaner; colored by Jordie Bellaire; and lettered by Dave Lanphear.  Artist Steve Rude contributes eight pages to this first issue.

Future Quest #1 (“Lights in the Sky”) finds Jonny and Hadji wearing classic Quest rocket packs and zipping around the Florida Everglades. Meanwhile, Dr. Quest receives two visitors from “Inter-Nation Security,” who have come to see him about strange anomalies popping up all over the Earth.  Meanwhile, Team Quest's arch-nemesis, Dr. Zin, suddenly appears in the Everglades and attacks Jonny, Hadji, and Race.  However, all of Earth is about to be drawn into an epic struggle that threatens the galaxy and perhaps, even the universe.

I was cynical about DC's Hanna-Barbera (sometimes known as “H-B”) announcement.  Quite a bit of the storytelling that entertained me in my early and formative years came from classic H-B series.  It is not often that comic book versions or even TV remakes of classic 1960s and 1970s H-B series have pleased me.  [I really like the Scooby-Doo straight-to-video movies that Warner Bros. has been producing since the late 1990s].

However, I'm all in on Future Quest.  Writer Jeff Parker has captured the sense of adventure, fun, and wonder that permeated classic action/superhero/sci-fi and fantasy H-B series like “Jonny Quest” and “Space Ghost.”  It does not matter that Future Quest will unite characters that have rarely appeared together, if at all.  If H-B had brought together “Jonny Quest,” “Space Ghost,” “The Herculoids,” “Birdman,” “Frankenstein Jr.,” “The Galaxy Trio,” “The Impossibles,” and “Mightor,”  I can't imagine that it would look too different from what at least this first issue of Future Quest suggests.  Also, my feeling is that Jeff Parker is doing this the right way.

I am a fan of artist Steve Rude.  He claims “Space Ghost” as a huge influence on his work as a comic book artist, especially on the comic book, Nexus, which he produces with writer Mike Baron.  It is good to see him work on Future Quest.  Rude on Future Quest is a no-brainer.

But series artist Evan “Doc” Shaner takes a backseat to no one on this comic book.  His clear line drawing style recalls classic H-B, but also captures the spirit of those wonderful European comic graphic albums that appeal to readers, young and old, such as Tintin and the Smurfs.  When Jordie Bellaire adds her magical colors, the comic art in Future Quest looks fantastic.  It evokes H-B while being something new, fresh, and vibrant.

In fact, this is what the classic, but old H-B action TV series need – a fresh take and a new beginning.  Part of me is still doubting.  Is this first issue a fluke?  Can Future Quest be as good – long term – as I think this first issue is.  I believe in Parker and Shaner.

A

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


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

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

DARK KNIGHT III: The Master Race #7

DARK KNIGHT III: THE MASTER RACE No. 7
DC COMICS – @DCComics

STORY: Frank Miller and Brian Azzarello
PENCILS: Andy Kubert
INKS:  Klaus Janson
COLORS: Brad Anderson
LETTERS: Clem Robins
COVER: Andy Kubert with Brad Anderson
VARIANT COVERS: Jim Lee and Scott Williams with Alex Sinclair; Frank Miller with Alex Sinclair; Klaus Janson with Dave McCaig; Howard Chaykin with Jesus Aburto; Chris Burnham with Nathan Fairbairn
32pp (plus 16-page insert), Color, $5.99 U.S. (February 2017)

Batman created by Bob Kane with Bill Finger

Dark Knight III: The Master Race (also known as DKIII) is the second sequel to Batman: The Dark Knight Returns (also known simply as The Dark Knight Returns or DKR), the landmark, four-issue comic book miniseries.  Published by DC Comics in 1986, DKR was written by Frank Miller; drawn by Miller (pencils) and Klaus Janson (inks); colored by Lynn Varley; and lettered by John Costanza.  DKR focused on a 50-year-old Bruce Wayne who comes out of retirement and resumes his crime-fighting role as Batman.

DKIII is written by Brian Azzarello and DKR's Frank Miller; drawn by Andy Kubert (pencils) and DKR's Klaus Janson (inks); colored by Brad Anderson; and lettered by Clem Robins.  DKIII finds Batman united with Superman to stop a murderous group of people from Superman's home planet, Krypton, from taking over the Earth.

Dark Knight III: The Master Race #7 opens in the aftermath of the battle in and over Gotham City, pitting Batman, Superman, and their allies against the “master race” of Kryptonians from Kandor.  And Batman is dead... or is he?  Superman has an idea about reviving his old friend.  Meanwhile, Quar, the leader of the Kryptonians, moves to strengthen his hold on Lara, the daughter of Superman and Wonder Woman, who has sided with the Kryptonians.  He wants her to do something for him...

I have to say that I enjoyed reading DKIII #7 more than I did issue #6.  I have found DKIII to be wildly inconsistent.  It is sometimes intense and gripping; other times, it is contrived and ridiculous – often within the same issue.

What is the difference with #7?  I think that this issue consolidates subplots and relationships, as the narrative prepares to move into the final acts of the series.  This issue is the first one that clearly depicts Lara's ambivalence, but also emphasizes that much of this story is about Lara's side of the family, in particularly her father, Superman.  Going forward as a reader, an issue like this one makes me feel more confident about the eight and ninth issues of Dark Knight III: The Master Race, the final two issues.

Dark Knight Universe Presents: Strange Adventures #1 (Insert comic book)
STORY: Frank Miller and Brian Azzarello
PENCILS: Frank Miller
INKS: Klaus Janson
COLORS: Alex Sinclair
LETTERS: Clem Robins
COVER: Frank Miller with Alex Sinclair

I have not really enjoyed these mini-comics inserted into the center of each issue of DKIII, but I like this issue's “Strange Adventures” that focuses on Green Lantern and two denizens of Thanagar.  The interplay of the items that give these heroes their power with the mounting danger of their adversaries makes this a gripping mini-thriller with a nice ending.

A-

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.

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

DC Comics from Diamond Distributors for February 22, 2017

DC COMICS

DEC160244    ACTION COMICS #974    $2.99
DEC160245    ACTION COMICS #974 VAR ED    $2.99
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Marvel Comics from Diamond Distributors for February 22, 2017

MARVEL COMICS

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