Image Comics from Diamond Distributors for March 20, 2019

IMAGE COMICS

JAN190278    BITTER ROOT #5 CVR A GREENE (MR)    $3.99
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JAN190389    WARNING #5 (MR)    $3.99

Marvel Comics from Diamond Distributors for March 20, 2019

MARVEL COMICS

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Comics, Books and Magazines from Diamond Distributors for March 20, 2019

COMICS & GRAPHIC NOVELS

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MAGAZINES
JAN191800    COMIC SHOP NEWS [90CT BUNDLE] #1657    $PI
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BOOKS
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Review: SWAMP THING Winter Special

SWAMP THING: WINTER SPECIAL #1
DC COMICS – @DCComics

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

STORY: Tom King; Len Wein
ART: Jason Fabok; Kelley Jones
COLORS: Brad Anderson; Michelle Madsen
LETTERS: Deron Bennett
COVER: Jason Fabok
MISC. ART: José Luis García-López; José Luis García-López and Joe Prado; José Luis García-López and Joe Prado with Mark Chiarello
80pp, Color, $7.99 U.S. (March 2018)

Rated “T” for Teen

Swamp Thing created by Len Wein and Bernie Wrightson

Editor's Note by Rebecca Taylor

Swamp Thing is a horror comic book character from DC Comics.  While there have been different versions of the character, Swamp Thing is a plant elemental and a sentient, walking mass of plant matter.  Created by writer Len Wein and artist Bernie Wrightson, Swamp Thing first appeared in House of Secrets #92 (cover dated July 1971).

In 2017, both Wein and Wrightson died.  In 2016, DC Comics published a six-issue Swamp Thing comic book miniseries written by Wein and collected in a trade paperback, Swamp Thing: The Dead Don't Sleep.  Before he died, Wein was working on a new Swamp Thing series with artist Kelley Jones, who drew The Dead Don't Sleep.  This new series would have also been a continuation of the miniseries, and the first issue would have been published as Swamp Thing #7.

Wein produced a detailed plot for the first issue/chapter (“Spring Awakening!”), but died before he could produce a “lettering script” for the first issue of this new Swamp Thing series.  The art for the new comic, drawn by Kelley Jones and colored by Michelle Madsen, is printed in a recently published square-bound, one-shot, comic book, Swamp Thing: Winter Special.  In a two-page editor's note, Rebecca Taylor explains the situation around this still-born project.  Swamp Thing: Winter Special also includes Wein's plot for Swamp Thing #7, which runs six pages (for a 20 page story).

“Spring Awakening” depicts long-time villain, Solomon Grundy, kidnapping an infant girl, and, later, Batman visiting Swamp Thing.  I don't know what to make of the story other than I would have loved to have read a finished version.  I am a longtime fan of Kelley Jones, and I love the way Michelle Madsen colors Jones' comic book art.  I am not a big fan of Swamp Thing unless the stories are produced by particular creators, and, of course, Wein was one of them, so...

The Wein tribute is the opening story of Swamp Thing: Winter Special.  Entitled “The Talk of the Saints,” it is written by Tom King; drawn by Jason Fabok; colored by Brad Anderson; and lettered by Deron Bennett.

“The Talk of the Saints” finds Swamp Thing shepherding a lost boy through a blinding snow storm.  As the two navigate a strange, frozen tundra, they face countless threats, especially an unseen bloodthirsty snow monster that is constantly stalking them.  Stripped of his powers and disconnected from “the Green,” Swamp Thing must uncover the true identity of the snow monster that hunts them.

Tom King's story does offers some genuinely scary and creepy moments, but, at the same time, it comes across as awkward poetry and metaphor.  The art by illustrator Jason Fabok and colorist Brad Anderson is gorgeous and, outside of Kelley Jones and Michelle Madsen's work, is some of the most beautiful Swamp Thing comic book art that I have see in years, especially the last five pages of this story.

Letterer Deron Bennett presents lettering that really heightens the chills and thrills.  For me, Bennett unites what is good about Tom King's story and the prettiness of the art into a striking graphical package.

Swamp Thing: Winter Special is not great, but it is an essential publication for Swamp Thing fans, if only for the Len Wein tributes and story material. But a Swamp Thing comic book full of pretty art is a good reason to have this one-shot comic book.

7.5 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: THAT BLUE SKY FEELING Volume 2

THAT BLUE SKY FEELING, VOL. 2
VIZ MEDIA – @VIZMedia

STORY: Okura
ART: Coma Hashii
TRANSLATION: Jocelyne Allen
LETTERS: Joanna Estep
EDITOR: Joel Enos
ISBN: 978-1-9747-0410-1; paperback (May 2018); Rated “T” for “Teen”
240pp, B&W, $10.99 U.S., $12.99 CAN, £6.99 UK

That Blue Sky Feeling is a coming-of-age LGBTQ manga from writer Okura and artist Coma Hashii.  VIZ Media publishes the series in-print with an MSRP of $10.99 U.S. / $12.99 CAN.  It is available digitally via viz.com and the VIZ Manga App, as well as from the Nook, Kobo, Kindle, iBooks, comiXology, and Google Play stores.

Noshiro Dai is an outgoing high school student who finds himself drawn to Kou Sanada, the school outcast, who is rumored to be gay.  The rumors don't bother Noshiro; instead, they make him even more determined to get close to Sanada.  Thus, what is set in motion is a surprising tale of first love.

As That Blue Sky Feeling, Vol. 2 (Chapters 8 to 14) opens, Noshiro and Sanada's friendship is growing, after Noshiro finally breaks down the emotional walls Sanada put up.  Now, a new complication has arrived.  Ayumi Yamamoto, a childhood friend of Sanada's who went to elementary school with him, reveals that she has always liked him.  Noshiro believes that he should try to get Sanada and Yamamoto together.  Meanwhile, Noshiro has his own romantic complications; new student, Makoto Morinaga, an underclassman, has a crush on Noshiro.

[This volume includes a bonus chapter.]

The title is practically neutral, but That Blue Sky Feeling manga is a high school set series.  One of the leads is gay, but this is not an out-and-out gay romantic manga – at least not yet.

That Blue Sky Feeling Graphic Novel Volume 2 is decidedly sweet-natured.  Characters are in “like” rather than being in “love.”  “Like,” however, can get pretty intense, and the story can quietly be intense.  Creators Okura and Coma Hashii are sly in the way they portray characters dealing with being gay in a setting that can be cruel, even mortally dangerous to gay students.

On the other side of that, they present in Noshiro, a character working hard to make sure that being gay does not hamper the fun of high school for his friend.  For Sanada, his stoicism masks his dishonesty about his feelings.  This is an excellent setup for conflict or, at the very least, comic situations.  That Blue Sky Feeling is proving to be an interesting take on gay comics and on high school romance manga.

A-
7.5 out of 10

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


The text is copyright © 2019 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for syndication rights and fees.

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

Review: BLACK PANTHER: The Sound and the Fury #1

BLACK PANTHER: THE SOUND AND THE FURY No. 1
MARVEL COMICS – @Marvel

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

STORY: Ralph Macchio
ART: Andrea Di Vito
COLORS: Laura Villari
LETTERS: VC's Travis Lanham
COVER: Andrea Di Vito with Laura Villari
VARIANT COVERS: Ron Lim with Rachelle Rosenberg
44pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (April 2018)

Rated “T+”

Black Panther created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby

Black Panther is a Marvel Comics superhero.  He was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby and first appeared in Fantastic Four #52 (cover dated: July 1966).  Black Panther is T'Challa, the king and protector of the (fictional) African nation of Wakanda.  Black Panther was also the first Black superhero in mainstream American comic books.

Black Panther: The Sound and the Fury #1 is a one-shot Black Panther comic book that is kind of a tie-in to the recent Marvel Studios record-setting film, Black Panther.  One of the film's villains is the mercenary Ulysses Klaue, known as “Klaw” in Marvel Comics.  Both Klaue and Klaw covet vibranium, the powerful metal that is only found in Wakanda.

Black Panther: The Sound and the Fury #1 features a new one-off story featuring Klaw.  It is written by longtime Marvel Comics editor, Ralph Macchio; drawn by Andrea Di Vito; colored by Laura Villari; and lettered by Travis Lanham.  This comic book also includes a reprint of the story “The Way It Began..!” from Fantastic Four #53 (with a reprint of the cover included), which told the origin of the enmity between the Black Panther and Klaw.

Black Panther: The Sound and the Fury #1 finds T'Cahlla the Black Panther holding court in the Wakandan embassy in the city of Dubai.  Suddenly, a shockingly strong earthquake strikes the city, immediately followed by a video broadcast from Ulysses Klaw.  He reveals that he has caused the earthquake, and he promises to destroy the city unless he is paid a five billion dollar ransom.  Of course, Black Panther plans to stop his arch-nemesis, but he does not realize that Klaw has brought help for this fight.

If not for the modern coloring and production touches, Black Panther: The Sound and the Fury #1 would seem indistinguishable from a Black Panther comic book published in the 1970s or 1980s.  It is a straight-forward comic book story that is not great or even particularly memorable.  “The Sound and the Fury” does not have the Afro-Futurist sensibilities of the last 20 years worth of Black Panther comic books.  However, Macchio has fashioned a comic book that is timeless in a way that makes it appropriate and enjoyable for anyone that is capable of reading a comic book.

The illustrations and graphical storytelling by Andrea Di Vito are solid, but Laura Villari's coloring is a bit overbearing.  Travis Lanham's lettering is also solid, if not spectacular.

“The Way It Began..!” (from Fantastic Four #53)
STORYTELLERS: Stan Lee and Jack Kirby
STORY: Stan Lee
PENCILS: Jack Kirby
INKS: Joe Sinnott
LETTERS: Art Simek
EDITOR: Stan Lee

The real treat in this comic book is the reprint of the story from Fantastic Four #53.  The story is scripted by Stan Lee; drawn by Jack Kirby (pencils) and Joe Sinnott (inks); and lettered by Artie Simek.  Stan Lee offers his usual snappy banter and far-out storytelling.  Jack Kirby turns in a splendid vista of dynamic compositions and weird, wild, and wonderful characters.  There is nothing like a Kirby monster and this story offers three muscular monster-animals that the pages of this comic book can barely contain.  Inker Joe Sinnott gives Kirby's epic storytelling and brawny compositions an elastic quality.

Artie Simek may be the greatest letterer of all time, and I am continually amazed by his ability to find a place for all of Lee's exposition and dialogue and still add to the power of the graphical presentation.  Stan Lee and Jack Kirby's Fantastic Four is one of the best superhero comic books of all time, if not the best, and Sinnott and Simek contributed a lot to that.

“The Way It Began..!” is simply an imaginative and inventive tale of juvenile adventure, weird science-fantasy, and classic Marvel Comics superhero storytelling.  Reprinting it is a reminder that Black Panther, the star of a mega-hit film, was born in the lowly pages of a comic book, the creation of two of America's greatest storytellers.  I will give Black Panther: The Sound and the Fury #1 a high grade because it includes this classic Lee-Kirby comic book.

8 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 site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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Review: THE TERRIFICS #1

THE TERRIFICS No. 1
DC COMICS – @DCComics

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

STORY: Jeff Lemire
PENCILS: Ivan Reis
INKS: Joe Prado
COLORS: Marcelo Maiolo
LETTERS: Tom Napolitano
32pp, Color, $2.99 U.S. (April 2018)

Rated “T” for Teen

The Terrifics created by Ivan Reis and Jeff Lemire

“Meet The Terrifics”

DC Comics has launched a new superhero comics initiative, “The New Age of DC Heroes,” coming out of its Dark Nights: Metal event miniseries.  This line of comic books will consist of eight new comic book series:  The Curse of Brimstone, Damage, The Immortal Men, New Challengers, Sideways, The Silencer, The Unexpected, and the subject of this review, The Terrifics.

The Terrifics is written by co-creator Jeff Lemire; drawn by co-creator Ivan Reis (pencils) and Joe Prado (inks); colored by Marcelo Maiolo; and lettered by Tom Napolitano.  Mister Terrific, Phantom Girl, Metamorpho, and Plastic Man are The Terrifics, a team of superheroes exploring the stranger aspects of space-time in order to find a way home.

The Terrifics #1 opens with Mr. Terrific barging into the lab of wacky scientist Simon Stagg... where he finds Metamorpho in a state of stress.  Stagg has created such a crisis situation that Mr. Terrific summons Plastic Man.  When this conflagration sends Mr. Terrific, Metamorpho, and Plastic Man to the Dark Multiverse, they find more mystery and Phantom Girl.

Since it was announced, comic book readers have declared that The Terrifics is DC Comics' version of Marvel Comics' venerable (but currently canceled) comic book series, Fantastic Four (FF).  Even if that were true, there is nothing in The Terrifics #1 that matches the imagination and epic storytelling of any issue of Fantastic Four produced by the FF creators, Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, nor any of the issues produced by beloved FF writer-artists, John Byrne or Walter Simonson.  Basically, if The Terrifics is DC's FF, then, DC Comics and its creators have decided to produce a tepid, dishwater version of the Fantastic Four.

That said, The Terrifics #1 has some potential to be a by-the-book superhero comic book that trades in inter-dimensional adventures and weird fiction.  I figure that it could run as long as Jeff Lemire's previous weirdo superhero comic book for DC, Frankenstein, Agent of S.H.A.D.E. (16 issues).

I do like the art team of Ivan Reis and Joe Prado, and I am intrigued by the surprise appearance of an Alan Moore-created character at the end of this first issue.  So I might return for some more.

5 out of 10

[This comic book contains a preview of The Curse of Brimstone #1 by Philip Tan, Justin Jordan, Rain Beredo, and Wes Abbott.]

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


The text is copyright © 2018 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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