Comics, Magazines and Books from Diamond Distirbutors for March 27, 2019

COMICS & GRAPHIC NOVELS

JAN192428    AKASHIC RECORDS OF BASTARD MAGICAL INSTRUCTOR GN VOL 06    $12.99
FEB191774    AMAZING FANTASTIC INCREDIBLE MARVELOUS MEMOIR TP    $19.99
JAN191465    ANIMOSITY EVOLUTION TP VOL 02 LEX MACHINA    $14.99
JAN191609    ARCHIE AND ME JUMBO COMICS DIGEST #16    $6.99
JAN191603    ARCHIE MEETS BATMAN 66 TP    $17.99
DEC182358    ARPEGGIO OF BLUE STEEL GN VOL 14 (MR)    $12.99
DEC181994    BARBIE #2    $3.99
NOV181638    BELLADONNA FIRE FURY #11 FIFTY SHADES NUDE (MR)    $89.99
OCT181331    BEYONDERS #5    $3.99
JAN192191    BLOODSHOT RISING SPIRIT #5 CVR A MASSAFERA    $3.99
JAN192192    BLOODSHOT RISING SPIRIT #5 CVR B HAMNER    $3.99
JAN192193    BLOODSHOT RISING SPIRIT #5 CVR C STROMAN    $3.99
JAN192120    BREAKNECK #4 (OF 4) CVR A CONRAD (MR)    $3.99
JAN192121    BREAKNECK #4 (OF 4) CVR B GUGLIELMINI (MR)    $3.99
DEC181653    CINEMA PURGATORIO #17 (MR)    $6.99
DEC181658    CINEMA PURGATORIO #17 ANCIENT TOME PREMIUM CVR (MR)    $9.99
DEC181654    CINEMA PURGATORIO #17 CODE PRU CVR (MR)    $6.99
DEC181656    CINEMA PURGATORIO #17 MODDED CVR (MR)    $6.99
DEC181655    CINEMA PURGATORIO #17 PERFECT UNION CVR (MR)    $6.99
DEC181657    CINEMA PURGATORIO #17 VAST CVR (MR)    $6.99
JAN192454    CITY GN VOL 05    $12.95
JAN191645    CROSSED BADLANDS #1 EMERALD CITY (MR)    $5.99
JAN191647    CROSSED BADLANDS #4 PHILADELPHIA VIP (MR)    $19.99
JAN191646    CROSSED BADLANDS #5 CHICAGO (MR)    $5.99
JAN191648    CROSSED BADLANDS #50 DENVER VIP (MR)    $19.99
JAN191649    CROSSED BADLANDS OPENING SALVO VIP (MR)    $19.99
FEB191805    DARK RAGE TP (MR)    $19.95
DEC181826    DF WEB OF VENOM CARNAGE #1 SGN CATES    $59.99
SEP182146    DISNEY MANGA PIRATES CARIBBEAN JACK SPARROWS ADV GN    $12.99
JAN192431    DRAGON GOES HOUSE HUNTING GN VOL 02 (RES)    $12.99
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JAN191772    EMBER #0 RED HOT LEATHER (MR)    $19.99
JAN192182    FORGOTTEN QUEEN #2 (OF 4) CVR A KANO    $3.99
JAN192183    FORGOTTEN QUEEN #2 (OF 4) CVR B KALVACHEV    $3.99
JAN192184    FORGOTTEN QUEEN #2 (OF 4) CVR C ANDOLFO    $3.99
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JUN181628    GOMER GOOF GN VOL 03 GONE WITH GOOF    $11.95
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JAN192216    GRIMM FAIRY TALES #26 CVR C SANTACRUZ    $3.99
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OCT181829    GUERILLAS OMNIBUS TP (MR)    $39.99
JAN191992    HANDMAIDS TALE GN    $22.95
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NOV181343    JIM HENSON BENEATH DARK CRYSTAL HC VOL 01    $24.99
JAN192101    JOHN CARPENTER TALES OF SCI FI TWITCH #4 (OF 5) (MR)    $3.99
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JAN191767    JUNGLE FANTASY SECRETS #1 SASHA (MR)    $7.99
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JAN191769    JUNGLE FANTASY SECRETS #2 KIT NUDE (MR)    $9.99
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JAN191956    JUNIOR HIGH HORRORS #4 CVR A  NIGHTMARE ELM ST PARODY    $4.99
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JAN191958    JUNIOR HIGH HORRORS #4 CVR C FREDERICK NO RUNNING    $4.99
JAN191959    JUNIOR HIGH HORRORS #4 CVR D SHAUN OF DEAD PARODY    $4.99
NOV181427    LOLLIPOP KIDS #4    $3.99
JAN192439    LORD MARKSMAN & VANADIS GN VOL 10    $12.99
NOV181352    LUMBERJANES TP VOL 11    $14.99
JAN192082    MAGICAL BEATDOWN #2 (MR)    $8.00
DEC182323    MAIDEN RAILWAYS GN    $12.95
JAN191516    MEGA GHOST #4 (OF 5)    $3.99
DEC182368    MY MONSTER SECRET GN VOL 15    $12.99
JAN191944    NEON FUTURE #1 (OF 6) CVR A RAAPACK (MR)    $3.99
JAN191945    NEON FUTURE #1 (OF 6) CVR B GI (MR)    $3.99
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JAN192444    NON NON BIYORI GN VOL 11    $12.99
JAN192086    OGRE TP VOL 01 (MR)    $14.99
FEB191671    ON VINYL GN    $15.00
JAN192071    ONCE OUR LAND BOOK TWO #2    $3.99
NOV181889    OUR SUPER ADVENTURE HC VOL 01 PRESS START TO BEGIN    $19.99
JAN191460    OUT OF THE BLUE HC GN VOL 01 (OF 2)    $19.99
JAN192236    PARADISE COURT HC GN (MR)    $24.99
JAN191643    PROVIDENCE #7 (OF 12) GHOUL BURIED (MR)    $9.99
JAN191641    PROVIDENCE #7 (OF 12) GHOUL DISASTER (MR)    $9.99
JAN191642    PROVIDENCE #7 (OF 12) GHOUL STOLEN (MR)    $9.99
JAN191640    PROVIDENCE #7 (OF 12) GHOUL SUBWAY (MR)    $9.99
DEC181559    PUNCHLINE #5    $3.99
JAN191975    QUINCREDIBLE #5    $3.99
NOV188040    RAGS #1 3RD PTG    $3.99
JAN191773    RAVENING #1 (OF 4) RED LEATHER (MR)    $19.99
JAN192013    RICK & MORTY #48 CVR A    $3.99
JAN192014    RICK & MORTY #48 CVR B TROUSSELLIER    $3.99
JAN191993    ROLLING STONES IN COMICS HC    $26.99
JAN191586    SABRINA TEENAGE WITCH #1 (OF 5) CVR A FISH    $3.99
JAN191587    SABRINA TEENAGE WITCH #1 (OF 5) CVR B BUSCEMA    $3.99
JAN191588    SABRINA TEENAGE WITCH #1 (OF 5) CVR C HUGHES    $3.99
JAN191589    SABRINA TEENAGE WITCH #1 (OF 5) CVR D IBANEZ    $3.99
JAN191590    SABRINA TEENAGE WITCH #1 (OF 5) CVR E LANZ    $3.99
JAN192090    SAVANTS #3 (OF 5) (MR)    $3.99
NOV181787    SCAR SC    $8.00
FEB191772    SECRET VOICE HC GN VOL 01 (MR)    $24.95
NOV182122    SERVANT & LORD MANGA GN VOL 01    $12.99
JAN192045    SHOW ME HISTORY GN ABRAHAM LINCOLN DEFENDER OF UNION    $12.99
JAN192046    SHOW ME HISTORY GN ALEXANDER HAMILTON FIGHTING FOUNDING FATH    $12.99
JAN192047    SHOW ME HISTORY GN AMELIA EARHART PIONEER IN SKY    $12.99
JAN192048    SHOW ME HISTORY GN MARTIN LUTHER KING VOICE OF EQUALITY    $12.99
JAN191416    SIM CITY ISS AFTER & TEENAGE MONEY NABBING CEREBI ONE SHOT    $4.00
JAN192091    SIOUX FALLS TP VOL 02 (OF 3) (MR)    $7.99
FEB191808    SNOW DAY TP (MR)    $14.95
JAN192076    STAR BASTARD #1 CVR A    $3.99
JAN192262    STREET FIGHTER MENAT #1 CVR A PANZER    $3.99
JAN192263    STREET FIGHTER MENAT #1 CVR B STEINBACH    $3.99
JAN192264    STREET FIGHTER MENAT #1 CVR C BLANK SKETCH    $4.99
NOV181895    STUMPTOWN TP VOL 04 THE CASE OF A CUP OF JOE    $19.99
JAN191774    TAROT WITCH OF THE BLACK ROSE #115 REST IN PEACE (MR)    $2.95
DEC181696    TAROT WITCH OF THE BLACK ROSE #70 STUDIO DLX ED (MR)    $19.99
NOV181894    THE BALLAD OF SANG TP    $19.99
JAN191457    THE FREAK GN    $14.95
JAN198618    THESE SAVAGE SHORES #1 B&W ED (MR)    $5.99
OCT181564    THRESHOLD ALLURE #0 FIFTY SHADES NUDE (MR)    $89.99
NOV181609    THRESHOLD ALLURE #1 FIFTY SHADES NUDE (MR)    $89.99
NOV181610    THRESHOLD ALLURE #1 RUBY RED LEATHER (MR)    $19.99
DEC181698    THRESHOLD ALLURE #2 (MR)    $5.99
DEC181718    THRESHOLD ALLURE #2 BEASTLY (MR)    $5.99
DEC181719    THRESHOLD ALLURE #2 BEASTLY NUDE (MR)    $7.99
DEC181701    THRESHOLD ALLURE #2 BONDAGE (MR)    $5.99
DEC181702    THRESHOLD ALLURE #2 BONDAGE NUDE (MR)    $7.99
DEC181720    THRESHOLD ALLURE #2 CATFIGHT (MR)    $5.99
DEC181721    THRESHOLD ALLURE #2 CATFIGHT NUDE (MR)    $7.99
DEC181709    THRESHOLD ALLURE #2 GODDESS (MR)    $5.99
DEC181710    THRESHOLD ALLURE #2 GODDESS NUDE (MR)    $7.99
DEC181711    THRESHOLD ALLURE #2 LUSCIOUS (MR)    $5.99
DEC181712    THRESHOLD ALLURE #2 LUSCIOUS NUDE (MR)    $7.99
DEC181699    THRESHOLD ALLURE #2 NUDE (MR)    $7.99
DEC181713    THRESHOLD ALLURE #2 PANDORA (MR)    $5.99
DEC181714    THRESHOLD ALLURE #2 PANDORA NUDE (MR)    $7.99
DEC181727    THRESHOLD ALLURE #2 PANDORA RIO NUDE (MR)    $7.99
DEC181704    THRESHOLD ALLURE #2 PRIMAL (MR)    $5.99
DEC181705    THRESHOLD ALLURE #2 PRIMAL NUDE (MR)    $7.99
DEC181707    THRESHOLD ALLURE #2 REBEL (MR)    $5.99
DEC181708    THRESHOLD ALLURE #2 REBEL NUDE (MR)    $7.99
DEC181716    THRESHOLD ALLURE #2 STUNNING (MR)    $5.99
DEC181717    THRESHOLD ALLURE #2 STUNNING NUDE (MR)    $7.99
DEC181724    THRESHOLD ALLURE #2 WRAP (MR)    $5.99
DEC181725    THRESHOLD ALLURE #2 WRAP NUDE (MR)    $7.99
JAN192089    TORSOBEAR TP VOL 03 BACK ON THE BLOCKS (MR)    $19.99
JAN192450    TRANSPARENT LIGHT BLUE GN (MR)    $13.99
JUN181629    TRENT GN VOL 03 WHEN LAMPS ARE LIT    $11.95
JAN191650    UBER #0 ENHANCED PHOENIX BLITZKRIEG (MR)    $14.99
JAN191737    UNHOLY #1 BIKINI CENTURY A (MR)    $29.99
JAN191738    UNHOLY #1 BIKINI CENTURY B (MR)    $29.99
JAN191731    UNHOLY #1 COSTUME CHANGE A (MR)    $8.99
JAN191732    UNHOLY #1 COSTUME CHANGE B (MR)    $8.99
JAN191733    UNHOLY #1 COSTUME CHANGE C (MR)    $8.99
JAN191734    UNHOLY #1 NUDE & NAUGHTY A (MR)    $9.99
JAN191735    UNHOLY #1 NUDE & NAUGHTY B (MR)    $16.99
JAN191736    UNHOLY #1 NUDE & NAUGHTY C (MR)    $16.99
JAN191741    UNHOLY #1 NUDE & NAUGHTY CENTURY B (MR)    $39.99
JAN191742    UNHOLY #1 NUDE & NAUGHTY CENTURY C (MR)    $39.99
JAN191743    UNHOLY #2 FETISH FASHION A (MR)    $8.99
JAN191744    UNHOLY #2 FETISH FASHION B (MR)    $8.99
JAN191745    UNHOLY #2 FETISH FASHION C (MR)    $8.99
JAN191746    UNHOLY #2 NUDE & NAUGHTY A (MR)    $9.99
JAN191747    UNHOLY #2 NUDE & NAUGHTY B (MR)    $16.99
JAN191748    UNHOLY #2 NUDE & NAUGHTY C (MR)    $16.99
JAN191749    UNHOLY #3 FETISH FASHION A (MR)    $8.99
JAN191750    UNHOLY #3 FETISH FASHION B (MR)    $8.99
JAN191751    UNHOLY #3 FETISH FASHION C (MR)    $8.99
JAN191752    UNHOLY #3 NUDE & NAUGHTY A (MR)    $16.99
JAN191753    UNHOLY #3 NUDE & NAUGHTY B (MR)    $16.99
JAN191754    UNHOLY #3 NUDE & NAUGHTY C (MR)    $16.99
JAN191755    UNHOLY #4 FETISH FASHION A (MR)    $8.99
JAN191756    UNHOLY #4 FETISH FASHION B (MR)    $8.99
JAN191757    UNHOLY #4 FETISH FASHION C (MR)    $8.99
JAN191758    UNHOLY #4 NUDE & NAUGHTY A (MR)    $16.99
JAN191759    UNHOLY #4 NUDE & NAUGHTY B (MR)    $16.99
JAN191760    UNHOLY #4 NUDE & NAUGHTY C (MR)    $16.99
JAN191761    UNHOLY #5 FETISH FASHION A (MR)    $8.99
JAN191762    UNHOLY #5 FETISH FASHION B (MR)    $8.99
JAN191763    UNHOLY #5 FETISH FASHION C (MR)    $8.99
JAN191764    UNHOLY #5 NUDE & NAUGHTY A (MR)    $16.99
JAN191765    UNHOLY #5 NUDE & NAUGHTY B (MR)    $16.99
JAN191766    UNHOLY #5 NUDE & NAUGHTY C (MR)    $16.99
JAN192088    VIKING QUEEN ONE SHOT (MR)    $3.99
JAN192206    WASTED SPACE #8 (MR)    $3.99
DEC181560    WILLIAM THE LAST FIGHT AND FLIGHT #2    $3.99
NOV182263    WONDERLAND GN VOL 02    $12.99
JAN192078    WULFBORNE #2    $3.99
JAN192417    YURI IS MY JOB GN VOL 02    $12.99
JAN192218    ZODIAC #2 CVR A CHEN    $4.99
JAN192219    ZODIAC #2 CVR B SALAZAR    $4.99
JAN192220    ZODIAC #2 CVR C MEGURO    $4.99
JAN192221    ZODIAC #2 CVR D OTERO    $4.99

MAGAZINES
DEC182014    2000 AD PACK FEBRUARY 2019    $22.40
JAN191801    COMIC SHOP NEWS [90CT BUNDLE] #1658    $PI
DEC181991    DOCTOR WHO ESSENTIAL GUIDE #15 RELATIVE DIMENSIONS    $19.99
JAN191938    HORRORHOUND #76    $6.99
DEC182016    JUDGE DREDD MEGAZINE #405    $13.00
JAN191969    ROLLED AND TOLD #7    $7.99
JAN191991    SCARY MONSTERS YEARBOOK 2019 MONSTER MEMORIES    $10.95

BOOKS
JAN192452    ARIFURETA FROM COMMONPLACE LIGHT NOVEL VOL 05 (MR)    $14.99
FEB191797    BATMAN AND JOKER HC W COLLECTIBLES    $49.95
FEB192037    BLACK SUPERHEROES MILESTONE COMICS & THEIR FANS SC    $25.00
FEB191871    BRITISH COMIC BOOK INVASION SC    $39.95
DEC181677    DOCTOR WHO 13 DOCTORS 13 STORIES SC    $17.99
DEC182099    FIREFLY MAGNIFICENT NINE NOVEL HC    $24.95
FEB191872    FORENSIC COMICOLOGIST INSIGHTS FROM A LIFE IN COMICS SC    $29.95
JAN192405    MAGIC IN THIS OTHER WORLD TOO FAR BEHIND LIGHT NOVEL VOL 01    $14.99
DEC182289    NO GAME NO LIFE LIGHT NOVEL SC VOL 08    $14.00
NOV181819    PHANTOM COMP AVON NOVELS VOL 09 KILLERS TOWN    $14.99
JAN191932    PHANTOM COMP AVON NOVELS VOL 10 GOGGLE EYED PIRATES    $14.99

VIZ Media Launches "The World Next Door" Video Game

VIZ MEDIA UNVEILS THE WORLD NEXT DOOR

Award-Winning Narrative-Driven Puzzle Battler Launches for the Nintendo Switch console and PC/Mac

San Francisco, CA – VIZ Media takes gamers on a vivid journey to an alternate realm with the release of THE WORLD NEXT DOOR on March 28th, 2019.

This debut video game from the multimedia entertainment company is produced as part of an ongoing publishing partnership with indie game innovator Rose City Games, with character designs by Lord Gris. Already award-winning in pre-release and most recently nominated for the upcoming 2019 SXSW Gamer’s Voice Award, THE WORLD NEXT DOOR follows Jun, a rebellious teen, who finds herself trapped in the parallel world inhabited by magical beings.

Combining the emotional storytelling and thrilling action of anime and indie gaming, THE WORLD NEXT DOOR delivers a rich narrative and fast-paced, real-time puzzle battles in a universe where portals connect two planes - the human realm of Earth and the magical world of Emrys. Players must activate runes to cast colorful spells and defeat mysterious enemies known as Grievances and help Jun uncover the secrets to opening a portal back to Earth before time runs out. Charming branching dialogue offers players the freedom to choose among various responses to impact the game’s course and outcome.

THE WORLD NEXT DOOR is available for the Nintendo SwitchTM console, and for PC/MAC via Steam, the Humble Store, Itch.io and GOG.com. The game will be offered at an MSRP of $14.99 with a premium game and soundtrack bundle available on PC/Mac for MSRP $19.99.

“THE WORLD NEXT DOOR’s anime-inspired story is accented with visually striking graphics and an exciting gameplay that changes based on the decisions you make each play through,” says Eric Eberhardt, Director, VIZ Media Business Development. “Created in close collaboration with the Rose City Games team, the game has an expansive environment and a host of intriguing and relatable characters. We invite players everywhere to discover the secrets of THE WORLD NEXT DOOR next month.”

Join THE WORLD NEXT DOOR Discord now, and stay up to date with The World Next Door at viz.com/the-world-next-door and on Twitter at @worldnextdoor.


About Rose City Games
Rose City Games is an independent game studio based out of Portland, OR.  Their mission is to make better games, by assembling teams of passionate developers for whom hard work, authenticity, and creativity are a top priority. Founded by indie game community organizers Will Lewis and Corey Warning in 2015, the studio has produced a game jam event for Cartoon Network, helped launch Headmaster for PlayStation VR, and activated the local development scene by organizing the Portland Indie Game Squad.

Learn more about Rose City Games at rosecitygames.com.

Follow Rose City Games on Twitter for updates: twitter.com/rosecitygames

About VIZ Media, LLC
Established in 1986, VIZ Media is the premier company in the fields of publishing, animation distribution, and global entertainment licensing. Along with its popular SHONEN JUMP brand and blockbuster properties like NARUTO, DRAGON BALL, SAILOR MOON, and POKÉMON, VIZ Media offers an extensive library of titles and original content in a wide variety of book and video formats, as well as through official licensed merchandise. Owned by three of Japan's largest publishing and entertainment companies, Shogakukan Inc., Shueisha Inc., and Shogakukan-Shueisha Productions, Co., Ltd., VIZ Media is dedicated to bringing the best titles for English-speaking audiences worldwide.

Learn more about VIZ Media and its properties at viz.com.

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Review: YOUNG MONSTERS IN LOVE

YOUNG MONSTERS IN LOVE
DC COMICS – @DCComics

[This review was originally published on Patreon.]

STORY: Kyle Higgins; Tim Seeley; Mairghread Scott; Collin Kelly & Jackson Lanzing; Paul Dini; Mark Russell; Steve Orlando; Alisa Kwitney; Phil Hester; James Robinson
PENCILS: Kelley Jones; Giuseppe Camuncoli; Bryan Hitch; Javier Fernandez; Guillem March; Frazer Irving; Nick Klein; Stephanie Hans; Mirko Colak; John McCrea
INKS: Kelley Jones; Cam Smith; Andrew Currie; Javier Fernandez; Guillem March; Frazer Irving; Nick Klein; Stephanie Hans; Mirko Colak; John McCrea
COLORS: Michelle Madsen; Tomeu Morey; Nathan Fairbairn; Trish Mulvihill; Dave McCaig; Frazer Irving; Nic Klein; Stephanie Hans; Michael Spider; John Kalisz
LETTERS: Rob Leigh; Clayton Cowles; Carlos M. Mangual; Sal Cipriano; Travis Lanham; Tom Napolitano; Dave Sharpe; Clem Robins
COVER: Kelley Jones with Michelle Madsen
80pp, Color, $9.99 U.S. (April 2018)

Rated T+ for “Teen Plus”

Young Monsters in Love in a one-shot, comic book anthology and holiday special from DC Comics.  A comic book celebration of Valentine's Day 2018, Young Monsters in Love presents 10 tales of twisted love and strange romance starring some of DC Comics' most most infamous monster and dark fantasy characters (although Swamp Thing, who is one of them, is in a different story).

Young Monsters in Love opens with Dr. Kirk Connors a.k.a. “Man-Bat” trying to find love again, but in the story “Nocturnal Animal,” he will learn that sometimes you have to stopping loving the one who will not stop loving you.  Frankenstein Agent of S.H.A.D.E. proves that Frankenstein has the soul of a poet, but will his “Bride” see that in “Pieces of Me.”

Superman gives a helping hand to Solomon Grundy in “Buried on Sunday,” but Superboy does not feel the love.  The Teen Titans' Raven has to take it to the dance floor in “The Dead Can Dance.”  Deadman takes a bullied child into his care and helps victim and victimizer in “Be My Valentine.”

Swamp Thing discovers that he can't have anything nice, even love, in “Heart-Shaped Box.”  Long-time friends and Doom Patrol haters, Monsieur Mallah & The Brain have to face the truth in “Visibility.”  I, Vampire is featured in “The Turning of Deborah Dancer.”  The Demon goes to Hell for one more kill in “To Hell and Gone.”  Finally, the Creature Commandos get bad news from the home front in “Dear Velcoro.”

In a recent article for The Washington Post, the author (Geraldine DeRuiter of everywhereist.com) offers a heart-breaking story, entitled “I thought my bully deserved an awful life. But then he had one.” that is also a great read.  She discovered that the boy who bullied her in school, a boy she always wished bad for, was actually murdered when he was 25-years-old.  She wondered, in this time when the culture has the long knives out for bullies, if we forget that bullies may need help as much, if not more, than their victims.

Without spoiling it, this is more or less the theme of writer Paul Dini and artist Guillem March's Deadman story, “Be My Valentine.”  First, to my imagination, it feels like a classic Deadman story from the 1960s, written by either Arnold Drake (Deadman's creator) or Jack Miller and drawn by either Carmine Infantino or Neal Adams. Secondly, Dini and March's story is one of the best comic book stories about bullying that I have ever read.  It alone is worth Young Monsters in Love's cover price of $9.99.  Colorist Dave McCaig and letterer Sal Cipriano also do some of their best work in creating a graphical package that is classic cool.

Young Monsters in Love is full of wonderful stories besides “Be My Valentine.”  Five of them are truly greats comic book short stories, including the powerful “Heart-Shaped Box” and “Visibility.”  Two are quite good, including the Creature Commandos story, which is my first reading experience of these characters.  Three of these stories are not as well executed as they could have been, including the opening Man-Bat story.

I usually ignore DC Comics' holiday specials, but Young Monsters in Love makes me think that I should not be so quick to dismiss them.  So if you missed it, dear readers, run back to your local comic book shop and find Young Monsters in Love.

9 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.

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Review: CHAOS CAMPUS #23

CHAOS CAMPUS: SORORITY GIRLS VS ZOMBIES #23
APPROBATION COMICS

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

STORY: B. Alex Thompson – @ApproBAT
ART: Pramit Santra
COLORS: Russell Vincent Yu and Schmerys Baal
LETTERS: Elisa M. Coletti
POST-SCRIPTING/POLISH: John P. Ward
COVER: Kevin Wallace
24pp, Color, $4.99 U.S. (2015)

Rated: Teen 13+

Chaos Campus: Sorority Girls vs. Zombies created by B. Alex Thompson

“The Pink, Part 1 of 2”

The long-running Chaos Campus: Sorority Girls vs. Zombies is a horror-comedy and zombie apocalypse comic book series.  It was created by B. Alex Thompson and is published by his company, Approbation Comics.  The series is set during a zombie invasion and follows the adventures of three members of the sorority, Epsilon Alpha Zeta Upsilon (EAZY):  ass-kickin’ Jaime Lynn Schaeffer, brainy and magic-wielding Paige Helena Patton, and sexy Brittany Ann Miller.

The current story line is “The Pink,” which finds the trio and other zombie riot survivors in a house that holds a surprise.  This story is written by B. Alex Thompson; drawn by Pramit Santra; colored by Schmerys Baal and Russell Vincent Yu; and lettered by Elisa M. Coletti.

Chaos Campus: Sorority Girls vs. Zombies #23 opens in the wake of the “Smart Zombies” conspiracy.  On the run with four other survivors of that debacle, Jamie, Paige, and Brittany come upon a strange meteor after an even stranger meteor shower.  Then, the group finds a house that is perfect as a shelter because it has not one, but two generators.  However, Jamie has been acting strange since her encounter with the meteor, and the house also holds a shocking connection to her past.

In the “Smart Zombies” story line, creator/writer B. Alex Thompson threw a left-hook at readers.  Chaos Campus is a humorous spin on comic books, and it is a comic take of the zombie apocalypse.  But (and its a big but) Chaos Campus offers good characters and an intriguing, evolving narrative.  With the arrival of a smart zombie, Thompson showed that Chaos Campus will defy genre expectations by whatever means necessary and unnecessary.

Chaos Campus: Sorority Girls vs. Zombies #23 is funny, and I'm assuming that it is spoofing the Species film series.  I really like the personal reveal, which is one more example of Thompson evolving our fearless zombie fighters.  This remains a fantastic comic book, and I enjoyed reading it, although I am not crazy about the artist.  Pramit Santra's graphical storytelling is good, but the technical aspects of the art is wanting, I must say.  Still, I am ready for issue #24.

8 out of 10

Buy Chaos Campus #23 at comiXology.

www.ApprobationComics.com
www.AlexThompsonWriter.com

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 or syndication rights and fees.

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Book Review: THE HUNTING PARTY

THE HUNTING PARTY: A NOVEL
HARPERCOLLINS/William Morrow – @HarperCollins @WmMorrowBks

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

AUTHOR: Lucy Foley – @lucyfoleytweets
ISBN: 978-0-06-288937-9; hardcover (February 12, 2019)
336pp, B&W, $26.99 U.S.

The Hunting Party is a 2019 novel from author Lucy Foley.  Although Foley has written historical fiction, The Hunting Party is her debut crime novel.  This new book focuses on a group of college friends trapped by snow on an isolated estate where one of them is killed by someone in the group.

The Hunting Party opens January 2, 2019, on the estate of the “Lodge,” an isolated retreat in the Scottish Highlands.  Heather Macintyre, the Lodge's office manager, has just learned that Doug, the estate's “gamekeeper,” has discovered a dead body.

Let's go back three days earlier to December 30, 2018.  A group of nine adult friends and a baby are arriving by train on their way to the Lodge.  They are Emma and Mark Taylor; Miranda Adams and her husband, Julien; Nick and his American boy friend, Bo; the new parents, Samira and Giles, and their infant daughter, Priya; and Katie Lewis, a single, professional, working woman.  Seven of the nine are old college friends who met at Oxford University over a decade ago.  The group plans to spend the New Year's Day holiday together, but they don't know that they will be snowed-in due to a record setting snow storm.  The friends also do not know that one of them is going to be murdered over the course of this holiday, and the murderer is one among them.

Describing The Hunting Party is at once easy and at once a bit difficult.  Author Lucy Foley sprinkles familiar mystery and crime novel tropes throughout this book.  The book's cover copy declares “... psychological suspense in the tradition of Agatha Christie...”  Indeed, The Hunting Party is something of a spiritual descendant of Christie's legendary Murder on the Orient Express.  The copy also recommends The Hunting Party to fans of British crime novelist, Ruth Ware, and Irish mystery writer, Tana French, neither of whom I have read.  That's the easy part.

The Hunting Party is a mystery novel, a crime novel, a murder mystery, and a suspense thriller.  However, the book is very much a work of modern fiction, as Foley delves into timeless and modern themes and issues regarding marital discord, long-term relationships, the rivalries and prejudices within groups of friends and acquaintances.  While the killer is something of a familiar type, the act of killing itself is complicated and is not as easy to judge as one might think.

That said, I can say that The Hunting Party is a enjoyable read, and the last one hundred pages are an immensely enjoyable read.  I tore through the last third of this book as if my life depended on it, and there were times while reading this novel that I felt uneasy and felt a sense of foreboding.

Foley uses five narrators to tell this story.  At first, that makes the narrative a bit disjointed, but as Foley gradually reveals the troubled histories of individual characters and of these people as a group, the narrative strengthens its ability to engage the reader.  As the chapters race by, Foley makes it obvious that everything is headed to one flash point – the discovery of a body.  She tells a riveting story, revealing just how fragile the thin line between love and hate is.  So join The Hunting Party.

8 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.

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Review: FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST: The Complete Four-Panel Comics

FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST: THE COMPLETE FOUR-PANEL COMICS
VIZ MEDIA

MANGAKA: Hiromu Arakawa
TRANSLATION: Lillian Diaz-Przybyl
LETTERS: Jeannie Lee
EDITOR: Hope Donovan
ISBN: 978-1-9747-0617-4; paperback (March 2019) Rated “T” for “Teen”
136pp, B&W, $12.99 U.S., $17.99 CAN, £8.99 UK

Fullmetal Alchemist is a shonen manga written and drawn by Hiromu Arakawa.  The manga was serialized in Japan's Shonen Gangan magazine from 2001 to 2010 and was collected in 27 tankobon (trade paperback) volumes.  VIZ Media published an English language edition of the manga in North America as a series of graphic novels.

Fullmetal Alchemist's story focuses on brothers Edward & Alphonse Elric.  The duo engages in a forbidden alchemical ritual in an attempt to bring their late mother back to life.  However, the ritual goes wrong, causing Edward to lose a leg, while Alphonse loses his entire body.  Edward grafts his younger brother’s soul into a suit of armor, a process which also costs Edward his right arm.  Edward replaces his own missing flesh with “auto-mail” limbs, and he eventually becomes a state alchemist in service of the Amestris state military.  Edward searches for the legendary Philosopher’s Stone, the one thing that can restore the brothers’ bodies.

Like many manga, Fullmetal Alchemist included with the main narrative what are called four-panel comics.  Four-panel comics are generally gag comic strips that play with a series' characters, plots, stories, and settings in a humorous manner.  They are usually four panels in length and are printed vertically.

Fullmetal Alchemist: The Complete Four-Panel Comics is a new single-volume paperback book from VIZ Media.  It collects the four-panel comic strips from Hiromu Arakawa’s original Fullmetal Alchemist series.  In a addition to the four-panel strips from the Fullmetal Alchemist graphic novels, this book publishes the four-panel comics that were included in the DVD collections of the Fullmetal Alchemist anime (including the “Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood” series) and other Fullmetal Alchemist related products.  This book also includes some never-before-published bonus comics.

My VIZ Media representative sent me several volumes of the Fullmetal Alchemist manga during the series' original North American publication.  He also sent me Fullmetal Alchemist: The Complete Four-Panel Comics.

I won't kid you and say that all these Fullmetal Alchemist four-panel comics are great, but many are funny, in fact, surprisingly so.  Fullmetal Alchemist can be such an intense narrative, so it is nice to see so many of the characters, especially Ed and Al (Edward and Alphonse Elric) in a funny light.  Honestly, there were points during my reading of this book in which I thought that these four-panel comics were making a convincing argument that there are at least several chapters worth of humorous manga to be mined from the world of Fullmetal Alchemist.

Fans of Fullmetal Alchemist will want to experience the sunny side of Fullmetal Alchemist: The Complete Four-Panel Comics.

B+
7 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.

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BOOM! Studios from Diamond Distributors for March 20, 2019

BOOM! STUDIOS

JAN191408    ADVENTURE TIME MARCY & SIMON #3 (OF 6) MAIN    $3.99
JAN191409    ADVENTURE TIME MARCY & SIMON #3 (OF 6) PREORDER MARCY    $3.99
JAN191410    ADVENTURE TIME MARCY & SIMON #3 (OF 6) PREORDER SIMON    $3.99
NOV181314    BEN 10 TRUTH IS OUT THERE ORIGINAL GN    $7.99
JAN198253    BLACK BADGE #8 FOC ZONJIC VAR    $3.99
JAN191373    BLACK BADGE #8 MAIN & MIX    $3.99
JAN191354    FIREFLY BAD COMPANY #1    $7.99
JAN191400    LUMBERJANES #60 MAIN    $3.99
JAN191401    LUMBERJANES #60 PREORDER ALLEN VAR    $3.99
DEC181365    SPARROWHAWK #5 (OF 5)    $3.99
JAN191406    STEVEN UNIVERSE ONGOING #26 MAIN PENA CVR    $3.99
JAN191407    STEVEN UNIVERSE ONGOING #26 PREORDER PERRONE VAR    $3.99
JAN191375    WIZARD BEACH #4 (OF 5)    $3.99