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2014 Diamond Gem Awards Announced - Image Comics Wins Best Publisher Award

Diamond Announces 2014 Gem Awards as Voted by Comic Book Specialty Retailers

(BALTIMORE, MD) – (January 8, 2015)- Diamond Comic Distributors proudly announces the winners of the 2014 Diamond Gem Awards, selected by comic book specialty retailers and recognized within the comic book industry as the pinnacle of sales achievement for comic book artists, writers, publishers, and industry executives who work in one of America's most unique art forms.

Image Comics was voted by retailers as Comic Book Publisher of the Year (Over 4% Market Share) in 2014. Image also took home the Gem Award for Best New Comic Book Series for Outcast by Kirkman and Azaceta.

DC Entertainment took home the most Gem Awards—seven—including Backlist Publisher of the Year and Best Original Graphic Novel of the Year for Batman: Earth One, among others. Marvel Comics earned five Gem Awards including Top Dollar Comic (Amazing Spider-Man #1) and Comic Book of the Year (Under $3.00) (Ms. Marvel #1), among others. Dark Horse was recognized with three Gems, including 2014's Licensed Comic of the Year Serenity: Leaves on the Wind and Best Anthology, Dark Horse Presents. IDW Publishing took top honors for Best All Ages Series for My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic.

Gem Awards were also presented to BOOM! Studios (Comic Book Publisher of the Year, Under 4% Market Share); :01 First Second Books for Andre the Giant: Life & Legend GN (Best Indie Graphic Novel of the Year); VIZ Media for Manga Publisher of the Year, and many others.

"We established the Gem Awards to give retailers an opportunity to recognize the suppliers, titles, and products that have been instrumental in helping their businesses grow over the past year," said Diamond President & CEO Steve Geppi. "Our suppliers work diligently to support retailers and the entire industry with top-quality titles and products, and we thank all of the retailers who took time from their busy schedules to vote and acknowledge those efforts."

Nominees for the Diamond Gem Awards were chosen by a panel of Diamond product specialists based on their overall impact on the industry, while comics and related merchandise were chosen on the merits of their sales performance and quality from 2014. Winners were then selected by members of the most critical segment that serves the comic book-buying public — comic book specialty retailers across the United States and worldwide.

2014 Diamond Gem Award Suppliers of the Year 

2014 Comic Book Publisher of the Year Over 4%:  Image Comics

2014 Comic Book Publisher of the year Under 4%: BOOM! Studios

2014 Backlist Publisher of the year: DC Entertainment

2014 Top Dollar Comic Book Publisher of the Year: Marvel Comics

2014 Manga Publisher of the Year: Viz Media

2014 Game Manufacturer of the Year: Wizards of the Coast

2014 Toy Manufacturer of the Year: Funko

2014 Diamond Gem Award Products of the Year 

2014 Comic Book of the Year Under $3.00: Ms. Marvel #1, Marvel Comics

2014 Comic Book of the Year Over $3.00: Thor #1, Marvel Comics

2014 Best New Comic Book Series: Outcast by Kirkman and Azaceta, Image Comics

2014 Top Dollar Comic of the Year: Amazing Spider-Man #1, Marvel Comics

2014 Best All-Ages Comics: My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, IDW Publishing

2014 Licensed Comic Book of the Year: Serenity: Leaves on the Wind #1, Dark Horse Comics

2014 Licensed TP/HC of the Year: Avatar: The Last Airbender - The Search Library Ed. HC, Dark Horse Comics

2014 Original GN of the Year: Batman: Earth One TP, DC Comics from DC Entertainment

2014 Reprint TP/HC of the Year: Batman: Death of the Family Book & Joker Mask Set, DC Comics

2014 Indie GN of the Year: Andre the Giant: Life & Legend GN :01 First Second Books

2014 Manga TP of the Year: Attack on Titan: Before the Fall GN Vol. 01, Kodansha Comics

2014 Anthology of the Year: Dark Horse Presents 2014 #1, Dark Horse Comics

2014 Magazine of the Year: MAD Magazine from DC Entertainment

2014 Trade Book of the Year: The Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide Vol. 44, Gemstone Publishing

2014 Best Free Comic Book Day Book: FCBD 2014 Guardians of the Galaxy, Marvel Comics

2014 Game Product of the Year: Marvel Dice Masters: Uncanny X-Men Starter Set , WizKids/NECA

2014 Toy Product of the Year: DC Comics Super Villains Harley Quinn AF, DC Collectibles from DC Entertainment

2014 Toy Line of the Year: Batman Animated, DC Collectibles from DC Entertainment

2014 Collectable Statue of the Year: Batman Black & White: Harley Quinn 2nd Ed. Statue, DC Collectibles from DC Entertainment

*****

ABOUT DIAMOND COMIC DISTRIBUTORS (DCD)—Diamond is at the nexus of comics and pop culture. Based in Baltimore, MD, DCD is the world's largest distributor of English-language comic books, graphic novels, and related pop-culture merchandise, serving thousands of retailers worldwide. For more information, visit Diamond on the web at www.diamondcomics.com.

© 2015 Diamond Comic Distributors, Inc. All rights reserved. Diamond, the Diamond logo, and PREVIEWS are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Diamond Comic Distributors in the United States and/or other countries.  All other trademarks are the property of their respective copyright owners.

Review: MASTER KEATON Volume 1

MASTER KEATON, VOL. 1
VIZ MEDIA – @VIZMedia

CARTOONIST: Naoki Urasawa
STORY: Hokusei Katsushika and Takashi Nagasaki
TRANSLATION/ENGLISH ADAPTATION: Pookie Rolf
LETTERS: Steve Dutro
ISBN: 978-1-4215-7589-6; paperback (December 2014); Rated “T+” for “Older Teen”
322pp, B&W with some color, $19.99 U.S., $22.99 CAN, £12.99 U.K.

Master Keaton is a seinen manga of various genres (mystery, suspense, family drama-comedy, etc.) from award-winning mangaka (creator) Naoki Urasawa.  First published in 1988, Master Keaton was created and drawn by Urasawa, who co-produced the story with Hokusei Katsushika and Takashi Nagasaki.  The series had never been released in English until recently.

Now, VIZ Media is publishing Master Keaton as a 12-volume manga in a deluxe graphic novel format, with each volume including a few pages of full-color material to go along with the black and white comics.  VIZ Media's first volume of Master Keaton was published this past December (2014), and future volumes will be published quarterly under the company’s VIZ Signature imprint and will be rated “‘T+’ for Older Teens.”  Each volume of Master Keaton will carry an MSRP of $19.99 in the United States, $22.99 in Canada, and £12.99 in the United Kingdom.

Master Keaton focuses on 30-something Taichi Hiraga Keaton.  The son of a Japanese zoologist and English noblewoman and mathematician, Keaton is an archeology professor at Kotozawa University.  Most of the series' action focuses on Keaton's other job.  He is a part-time insurance investigator known for his successful and unorthodox methods of investigation.  His abilities are based on the fact that he is Oxford-educated in archeology and that he is also a former member of the British elite special forces, the SAS (Special Air Service).  Master Keaton uses his knowledge and combat training to uncover buried secrets, thwart would-be villains, pursue the truth, and sometimes lend a helping hand.

Master Keaton, Vol. 1 (Chapters 1 to 12) opens with the death of Leon Pappas near the village of Isidoros, on the Dodecanese Islands in Greece.  Pappas had an insurance policy worth one million pounds with Lloyd's of London.  In Essex, England, Lord David Marques, the policy's underwriter, is suspicious both of the circumstances of Pappas' death and of his insurance policy's beneficiary, Ochs Fine Art Ltd.

Enter Mister Keaton, part-time insurance investigator.  Lord Marques wants him to investigate everything dubious surrounding Pappas, his death, and his connection to a mysterious art dealer.  Pappas was an amateur archeologist and that angle piques Keaton's interest, so he accepts the assignment and heads to the Dodecanese Islands.  But danger and the threat of death await him.

Anyone who reads my reviews on a regular basis knows that I am a huge admirer of Naoki Urasawa, some might even say raving fan boy.  He is one of my favorite mangaka, and I think that he has been one of the best and most intriguing comics creators over the last four decades.

I like Master Keaton.  It is not as obsessively connected, in terms of plot, characters, and settings as such Urasawa classics as 20th Century Boys and Monster.  Keaton does have a revolving set of characters, such as his father, his daughter, and his agent.  His SAS training frequently plays a part in the stories, as does his positions as an academic and an archeologist.

The stories in Master Keaton are episodic.  In Master Keaton Volume 1, almost every chapter offers either a new case which Keaton must tackle or a glimpse at Keaton's personal life.  There is one story that runs over two chapters (about a joint Japanese-British archeological dig in a Uyghur region of China).  Vol. 1 ends with a three-chapter story of a former SAS officer coming to the end of a complicated and dangerous plot for revenge.

I enjoyed just about every story in Vol. 1, but I have to admit that I was shocked by the episodic nature of this series.  I was disappointed when the tale of Leon Pappas, which opens this graphic novel, was wrapped up in one chapter.  Once I adjusted to how Urasawa and his writers present the adventures of Mister Keaton, I found myself fascinated by this thoroughly fascinating character.  I would say that Master Keaton is another Urasawa series that is a must-read.

A

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux


The text is copyright © 2015 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog for syndication rights and fees.

I Reads You Review: WONDER WOMAN #36

WONDER WOMAN #36
DC COMICS – @DCComics

WRITERS: Meredith Finch
PENCILS: David Finch
INKS: Richard Friend
COLORS: Sonia Oback
LETTERS: Sal Cipriano
COVER/VARIANT COVER: David Finch and Richard Friend with Sonia Oback
32pp, Color, $2.99 U.S. (January 2015)

Wonder Woman created by William Moulton Marston

“War-Torn” Chapter 1

I have not read a Wonder Woman comic book since I read The New 52 re-launch, Wonder Woman #1, back in the fall of 2011.  There is a new creative team on the monthly Wonder Woman series:  writer Meredith Finch, penciller David Finch, inker Richard Friend, colorist Sonia Oback, and letterer Sal Cipriano.  So I decided to try this team's first issue.

DC Comics is adamant about not providing a synopsis on the first page of each issue of its comic books the way Marvel Comics does.  I think DC refuses to have a first-page synopsis simply because Marvel does it.  Anyway, beware of my synopsis because I had to do some research of my own.

Wonder Woman #36 (“War-Torn” Chapter 1) opens with the depiction of a rural village being destroyed by raging flood waters.  It is apparently just one of many villages destroyed by environmental catastrophes.  This springs Wonder Woman a.k.a. Diana and the rest of the Justice League:  Superman, Batman, Aquaman, Flash, and Cyborg, into action.  Swamp Thing is also investigating these disasters, unbeknownst to the League.

Meanwhile, unrest stirs on Paradise Island (which DC has been calling Themyscira for years), the home of Wonder Woman/Diana and the Amazons.  Apparently, there was some kind of conflict on the island, and males, formerly forbidden, now reside there, which enrages some Amazons.  Diana is now the God of War, and in charge of Paradise Island because her mother, Queen Hippolyta, is now a clay statue (!).  That last thing is now also in a state of flux.

I had planned on reading more than one issue of Brian Azzarello and Cliff Chiang's New 52 Wonder Woman and never got a round to it, though I still plan on doing it.  I am intrigued enough by this new Finch and Finch production to read more.  If anything, I love the art by Finch, Friend, and Oback.  It's gorgeous, and Finch's Wonder Woman recalls the pin-up girl art of his former Top Cow Productions stablemate, the late Mike Turner (may he rest in peace drawing nekkid pictures and near-nekkid pictures of the buxom beauties that share Heaven with him).

I think I'll make a harder (clears throat) attempt to follow Wonder Woman now.

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux


The text is copyright © 2015 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog for syndication rights and fees.

DC Comics from Diamond Distributors for January 7, 2015

DC COMICS

MAY140382     ABSOLUTE BATMAN INCORPORATED HC     $125.00
NOV140228     ACTION COMICS #38     $3.99
NOV140191     AQUAMAN AND THE OTHERS #9     $2.99
NOV140237     BATMAN ETERNAL #40     $2.99
OCT140356     DEATHBLOW DELUXE EDITION TP     $19.99
NOV140260     DETECTIVE COMICS #38     $3.99
NOV140263     DETECTIVE COMICS #38 COMBO PACK     $4.99
NOV140197     EARTH 2 #30     $2.99
NOV140193     EARTH 2 WORLDS END #14     $2.99
NOV140329     FAIREST #33 (MR)     $2.99
NOV140285     FLASH SEASON ZERO #4     $2.99
NOV140202     GREEN ARROW #38     $2.99
NOV140271     GREEN LANTERN #38     $2.99
NOV140337     HINTERKIND #14 (MR)     $2.99
OCT140368     INJUSTICE GODS AMONG US TP VOL 02     $16.99
NOV140206     JUSTICE LEAGUE 3000 #13     $2.99
OCT140346     LEGENDS DARK KNIGHT 100 PAGE SUPER SPECTACULAR #5     $9.99
NOV140205     LOBO #4     $2.99
NOV140336     NAMES #5 (MR)     $2.99
NOV140210     NEW 52 FUTURES END #36 (WEEKLY)     $2.99
NOV140321     SCOOBY DOO TEAM UP #8     $2.99
AUG140341     SHOWCASE PRESENTS THE UNKNOWN SOLDIER TP VOL 02     $19.99
OCT140359     SINESTRO TP VOL 01 THE DEMON WITHIN (N52)     $14.99
OCT140363     SUPERBOY TP VOL 05 PARADOX (N52)     $17.99
OCT140371     SUPERMAN THE POWER WITHIN TP     $16.99
NOV140280     SWAMP THING #38     $2.99
NOV140341     WOLF MOON #2 (MR)     $3.99

DC COMICS/DC COLLECTIBLES

AUG140387     WONDER WOMAN ART OF WAR STATUE BY CLIFF CHIANG     $79.95

Marvel Comics from Diamond Distributors for January 7, 2015

MARVEL COMICS

NOV140846     ALL NEW X-FACTOR #19     $3.99
OCT140832     AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #12 SV     $3.99
OCT140932     AMAZING SPIDER-MAN TP VOL 02 SPIDER-VERSE PRELUDE     $17.99
NOV140777     ANGELA ASGARDS ASSASSIN #2     $3.99
NOV140725     ANT-MAN #1     $4.99
NOV140749     AVENGERS NO MORE BULLYING #1     $1.99
OCT140850     BUCKY BARNES WINTER SOLDIER #3     $3.99
OCT140914     DEATH OF WOLVERINE HC     $24.99
NOV140834     DEATH OF WOLVERINE WEAPON X PROGRAM #5     $3.99
NOV140824     HAWKEYE VS DEADPOOL #4     $3.99
NOV140818     HULK #10     $3.99
NOV140816     IRON FIST LIVING WEAPON #8     $3.99
NOV140798     LEGENDARY STAR LORD #7     $3.99
OCT140924     MARVEL SUPER HEROES SECRET WARS PROSE NOVEL HC     $24.99
NOV140756     MARVELS AVENGERS #2     $2.99
NOV140859     MEN OF WRATH BY AARON AND GARNEY #4 (MR)     $3.50
NOV140826     MIRACLEMAN #14 (MR)     $4.99
APR140745     MMW FANTASTIC FOUR HC VOL 01 NEW PTG     $49.99
NOV140774     OPERATION SIN #1     $3.99
NOV140817     PUNISHER #14     $3.99
OCT140931     PUNISHER TP VOL 02 BORDER CROSSING     $17.99
OCT140835     SPIDER-MAN 2099 #7 SV     $3.99
NOV140835     STORM #7     $3.99
NOV140732     UNBEATABLE SQUIRREL GIRL #1     $3.99
OCT140916     UNCANNY AVENGERS PREM HC VOL 05 AXIS PRELUDE     $24.99
NOV140736     WOLVERINES #1     $3.99
NOV140833     X-MEN #23     $3.99

IDW Publishing from Diamond Distributors for January 7, 2015

IDW PUBLISHING

NOV140449     ANGRY BIRDS #7     $3.99
OCT140534     EDWARD SCISSORHANDS #3     $3.99
NOV140479     JUDGE DREDD (IDW) TP VOL 06     $17.99
NOV140498     MAXX MAXXIMIZED #15     $3.99
NOV140462     MY LITTLE PONY FRIENDS FOREVER #13     $3.99
NOV140464     MY LITTLE PONY FRIENDSHIP IS MAGIC TP VOL 06     $17.99
NOV140511     SHADOW SHOW #3     $3.99
NOV140456     SKYLANDERS #4     $3.99
NOV140517     STEVE CANYON HC VOL 05 1955-1956     $49.99
SEP140445     SUNGLASSES AFTER DARK FULL BLOODED COLLECTION HC     $34.99
OCT140464     TMNT ANIMATED TP VOL 05 CHOOSING SIDES     $7.99
OCT140468     TMNT CLASSICS TP VOL 09     $19.99
NOV140472     TMNT NEW ANIMATED ADVENTURES TP VOL 04     $17.99
OCT140569     TOM SUTTON CREEPY THINGS CHILLING ARCHIVES OF HORROR HC     $24.99
NOV140490     V-WARS #9     $3.99
NOV140516     WEIRD LOVE #5     $3.99