Elizabeth Martel in the Grumble Indiegogo Zone

Elizabeth Martel gave to Grumble's Indiegogo campaign.  Now, you can, too:

Case Closed: Junior Detective League in the News

I read Case Closed, Vol. 50

I posted a review at the ComicBookBin (which has free smart phone apps and comics that have an Indiegogo campaign), and you can follow me on Twitter.

I Reads You Review: THE SANDMAN: Overture #2

THE SANDMAN: OVERTURE #2 (OF 6)
DC COMICS/VERTIGO – @DCComics and @vertigo_comics

WRITER:  Neil Gaiman
ART: J.H. Williams, III
COLORS: Dave Stewart
LETTERS: Todd Klein
EDITOR: Shelly Bond
COVERS: J.H. Williams, III (Cover A); Dave McKean (Cover B)
32pp, Color, $4.99 U.S. (May 2014)

“Suggested for Mature Readers”

Chapter Two

The second issue of The Sandman: Overture finally arrives after a few months delay.  Overture is a six-issue miniseries based on The Sandman, a comic book series written by Neil Gaiman and drawn by numerous artists, including Sam Kieth, Mike Dringenberg, Jill Thompson, and Shawn McManus, among others.  The Sandman chronicled the adventures of a character called Dream (or Morpheus), created by Gaiman and artists, Sam Kieth and Mike Dringenberg.  Dream was one of “The Endless,” and he ruled over the world of dreams.

The Sandman: Overture, written by Gaiman and drawn by artist J.H. Williams III, is a prequel, of sorts.  The series will explore Morpheus’ world before he was captured, which is how readers found him way back in The Sandman #1.

As Gaiman told The New York Times in a 2012 interview, “This is the one story that we never got to tell.  In Sandman #1, Morpheus is captured somehow. Later on in the series, you learn he was returning from somewhere far, far away – but we never got to the story of what he was doing and what had happened. This is our chance to tell that story, and J.H. Williams III is drawing it.  It’s the most beautiful thing in the world.”

The Sandman: Overture #2 opens with a look-in on the current Lord of Dreams.  The story then travels back to 1915 where Morpheus joins a gathering of other aspects of Dream from throughout time and space.  Why have they gathered?  It seems one of Dream’s aspects has died – or rather, been destroyed.  Who or what did it?  Morpheus intends to get answers from the First Circle, but he must first deal with some attitude.

In the first issue of The Sandman: Overture, Neil Gaiman focused on introducing concepts over revealing plot.  With the second issue, he jumps fully into storytelling and the plot, and, of course, it is quite good storytelling.  Even the plot offers surprises.  Do I even have to say that it is good?  Well, yes, I have to because it has been a long time since Gaiman has written a long-form Sandman comic book.  “Chapter 2” is brilliant, imaginative, colorful, and expansive.  Every panel sparkles with magic.

However, much of the credit should go to artist J.H. Williams III and colorist Dave Stewart.  I like what I see on the pages of The Sandman: Overture #2 so much that I think Williams and Stewart were born to be Sandman artists.  Williams’ dazzling page design peels open structures the way Will Eisner did in his famous comic, The Spirit, turning the rooms of a house into individual comic book panels.  Stewart’s colors throb and pulse.  I felt as if the colors were pushing into my eyes, on the way to blowing my mind.  Wow, The Sandman: Overture #2 is why I like reading comic books.

A+

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux


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

Magi: Alibaba and Cassim

I read Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic, Vol. 5

I posted a review at the ComicBookBin (where I talk about my Indiegogo campaign), and follow me on Twitter.

John Ira Thomas of Candle Light Press Grumbles

John Ira Thomas of Candle Light Press contributed to the Indiegogo campaign for my comic book, Grumble.  Visit CLP's website to be introduced to some of the best graphic novels and books of the last two decades.

And you can give to Grumble, too:

Book Review: NYC BASIC TIPS AND ETIQUETTE

NYC BASIC TIPS AND ETIQUETTE
WILLIAM MORROW/HarperCollins – @WmMorrowBks and @HarperCollins

AUTHOR: Nathan W. Pyle – @nathanwpyle
ISBN: 978-0-06-230311-0; paperback (April 15, 2014)
144pp, B&W, $10.00 U.S.

One of the recent books that I have found myself thoroughly enjoying and even rereading is NYC Basic Tips and Etiquette.  What is the book about?

If you find yourself needing a guide to the hidden secrets and unwritten rules of New York City (NYC), you have one.  It is a small paperback book entitled NYC Basic Tips and Etiquette and is written and drawn by Nathan W. Pyle.  It is an illustrated guide for residents and visitors alike about navigating New York City.

Nathan Pyle lives and works in Manhattan and is a producer of nonfiction television shows for MSNBC and The Weather Channel (among others).  Although he lives in New York City (NYC), he is originally from Ohio.  He apparently loves living in the big city, but apparently had to learn by trial and error how to navigate life in NYC.

An illustrator, Pyle created 12 simple panel drawings/cartoons about living in NYC.  Last year, Pyle posted on his blog the following, “‘NYC Basic Tips and Etiquette’ is a new series I'm starting, as a guide for newcomers.  I've lived in the city for 4 1/2 years now, and I've decided to start writing down some of the things I've learned in my time here.”

Last year, Pyle posted “NYC Basic Tips and Etiquette” as a series of animated GIF, single-panel comics.  They became a viral Internet phenomenon.  Within the first week of their debut, these 12 comics were featured on sites like Buzzfeed, Huffington Post, and Reddit, among others.

Pyle created more of these comics and now 136 of them are presented in the new paperback book, NYC Basic Tips and Etiquette (published by William Morrow, a HarperCollins imprint).  For those who like the comics in their original animated GIF form, NYC Basic Tips and Etiquette is also available in an animated e-book version.

I have never been to New York City, but, of course, I know people who live and have visited or have lived there.  I thoroughly enjoyed this book because it reminds me of things I have been told about the city and even things that I have read about or seen on television and film about the Big Apple.  I like that some of the comics in NYC Basic Tips and Etiquette applies to other cities, even smaller ones.

Simply put, I think that anyone who picks up this book, even if they don’t care for NYC, will like it.  It’s just plain funny and, at times, it seems like a book of pop wisdom.  And yeah, when I finally visit NYC, I will use NYC Basic Tips and Etiquette as a guide to navigating and visiting that city.  People looking for a unique and useful book about New York City must have NYC Basic Tips and Etiquette – simple as that.

A

http://www.nathanwpyle.com/
https://www.facebook.com/NYCBASICTIPSANDETIQUETTE
https://twitter.com/nathanwpyle

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux

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

Deadman Wonderland: Necro Macro

I read Deadman Wonderland, Vol. 2

I posted a review at the ComicBookBin, and I have a Indiegogo campaign for this comic and follow me on Twitter.